By Gabby Zaldumbide
The freezer is officially full.
My hunting partner and I successfully hunted two bull elk this fall. Needless to say, our freezers are overflowing. Besides having enough meat to last us a few years, this gives us the opportunity to play around more often in the kitchen.
This recipe is the first of many that we will make with these two elk and it turned out to be absolutely delicious. I had never tried a coffee-rubbed steak before; I was genuinely surprised by how well the flavors complemented each other. Gundog Grind's Delta Waterfowl Roast's light flavor and fine grind made it the perfect roast to use for this recipe. The best part: 50 percent of the sales from GG's Delta Waterfowl Roast go back to supporting Delta Waterfowl's conservation efforts. Combining deep, rich flavors and a tender cut of meat, you really can't disappoint even the pickiest eater.
Get the Hunt to Eat chef's knife here.
Ingredients
- Portion of backstrap (I used elk)
- 2 tbsp peanut oil or other oil with a high smoking point
- 3 tbsp very finely ground Gundog Grind Delta Waterfowl Roast
- 1 tsp steak seasoning
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 350. Dry your steak with a paper towel.
Get a cast iron pan and start heating up the oil. Once the oil is hot enough, usually once you flick some seasoning into it and it starts spitting right away, add the backstrap. Sear on each side for one minute; if it’s a really round shape, hold the steak with tongs so you can sear the top, bottom, and all four sides of it, too. Once the steak is adequately browned, stick it in the oven for 7-10 minutes or until it reaches 120 degrees. Don’t be afraid to check the temperature often.
Once it reaches an internal temperature of 120, remove it from the oven and place it on a cutting board to cool for 10 minutes. Then, slice thinly and serve.
Are you an elk hunter? Check out our elk collection!
