Last night, Larry had an old friend from high school visit us and I wanted to cook up something that was a true Colorado meal. Larry’s friend Mark lives in Austin, TX so it was a bit challenging because Texas, like Colorado, is known for its beef and good Mexican and Southwestern foods. So I went with some wild game. I know, Texas has wild game too, but as far as I know, they don’t have elk. I decided on making some elk steaks with a port reduction sauce with mushrooms and peppers, roasted rosemary and garlic potatoes and grilled asparagus. I decided on making a true Colorado meal that focused on our natural wild side.
I marinated the elk steaks in red wine, big game spices and pepper all day. Then we grilled them up when we were ready to eat. Elk is very lean, so it doesn’t need long to cook. it is best when served medium rare. If you over cook it, it will become very tough very quickly.
As the steaks were grilling up, I made a port reduction sauce and added some mushrooms and red peppers as well.
Port Reduction Sauce
1 cup port
1 cup beef broth
1 shallot, minced fine
1/4 cup butter
salt & pepper to taste
Cook the shallots in the wine and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Be careful when adding the port to the pan though. There will be a big surge of flames that will last for about a minute when you add the port.
Once most of the liquid has evaporated, add the beef broth, and once again reduce it to about 1/3 of the liquid.
Then add the butter and incorporate it into the sauce.
You can easily leave it just like this if you want. Some chefs will strain it, but I like rich sauces with lots of stuff, so I left the minced shallots in the sauce and added some sliced mushrooms and peppers as well.
While my sauce was cooking I was also using my inside grill to grill up the asparagus. Before putting it on the grill, I tossed it in olive oil, salt & pepper and a dash of lemon balsamic vinegar. I grilled it for about 5-7 minutes, rotating it a couple of times to make sure it all cooked evenly.
Once everything was ready, I topped the elk steaks with the sauce and served it all along side a big bold red wine. It all came together beautifully. Mark was wowed and dinner was yet another big success.
A general rule of thumb for cooking wild game is to add big bold flavors that will compliment the meat. If you have soft delicate flavors, they will get lost with the boldness and gaminess of the meats. I was also taught that if you are serving wild game, think of things that would grow in the wild to serve with it. Don’t be afraid to walk on the wild side. Instead, embrace it.
Stay safe and stay well everyone. And every now and then, let your wild side come out. Let yourself roar every now and then. ‘Til next time.
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 
I’ve never tasted elk before, but this recipe could convince me to try it. 😋🌿
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Elk and bison both are delicious! They are very lean, very healthy meats. But because they can both be gamey, I would soak them or marinate them for a few hours to help alleviate some of the gaminess. 🙂
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That seems to be the secret. Marinate. 🌿
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Definitely, especially with something acidic. it will help add flavor and will help as a tenderizer for the meat too.
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Wow! I’ve never had elk, or any wild game, for that matter, but your Sauce Bible is a terrific source, dear Jeanne. I am getting it. I am sure it was a fantastic meal!
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Thank you. Elk is very good. So is bison. I’ve had that book, The Sauce Bible, for years and years. It comes in handy when looking for all different kinds of sauces. 🙂
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I have ordered it already. I have seen bison meat in kosher stores, but not elk or any deer. They are always killed by hunting, aren’t they?
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No, not always. There are a lot of “farms” that raise elk, bison, deer, etc. and they are raised and butchered just like beef and other meats are.
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Aha! Thank you for letting me know. Now I will research for a kosher butcher who slaughters them at those farms or wherever they are sold. Someone slaughters bison, so all is not lost.
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When you do find them, let me know and/or we can feature you as a featured guest again. I’m sure a lo of people would like to know about that. 🙂
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I’ll embark on that adventure after Passover which we are spending on the boat, with lots of sun and ocean water and very limited Internet access.
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Sounds wonderful. I wish I could join you. 🙂
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I also wish you could! There are additional sleeping berths for company. Maybe some other time…
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That would be fun. 🙂
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You are a water person too, so you would love it, I am sure.
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You KNOW I would. 🙂
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Looks absolutely delish!
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Thank you.
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I think I only had elk meat sticks before and they were delicious. There was a large event I went to a few weeks back and one of the food stands had elk burgers, which I was excited about but decided to wait since I was not hungry. By the time I came back, they were all sold out. Bummer 😦
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Elk burgers are delicious. WHEN you come out to visit, I can definitely cook some elk for you. 🙂
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