Open-Fire Elk Steak

The pre-Christmas lull has set in. Ranch work in December has a different character than the rest of the year — the main operations are done, the cattle are on winter pasture, the daily work is feeding and checking and maintaining. There's less urgency and more cold. I check the cattle twice a day, feed the horses, keep the water tanks open. That's December on a cattle operation.

I drove to Billings Monday for my VA appointment — monthly now, down from weekly. Dr. Stein says I'm managing the PTSD better, the medications are stable, the AA and the sponsor are working. He asked if I was sleeping. I told him about the Thursday nightmare. He wrote something down. He asked about the holidays and I said I thought I'd be okay. He said, "The holidays are the hardest time. Plan for them being harder than you think." I said I'd plan for it. I don't fully know what that means, but I'd plan for it.

I wrote my first blog post for RecipeSpinoff this week. Wrote it at two AM because I couldn't sleep — just a short piece about cooking elk steak over an open fire, practical and unadorned, nothing personal, just the technique. How to build the fire, how to season the meat, how to read the doneness without a thermometer. I posted it under the profile I'd set up back in September 2016 when I was at Fort Carson. I don't know if anyone reads it. I wrote it because writing it at two AM is better than the alternative, and the alternative is always there at two AM, waiting.

Mom's been making Christmas cookies this week — the sugar cookies in the shape of trees and stars that she makes every December, the ones I have eaten my entire life. The kitchen smells like vanilla and butter. This is what December is supposed to smell like.

The post I put up at two AM was exactly this — no story behind it, just the method. But since you’re already here and you’ve read this far, here it is with a little more room around it. Elk is leaner than beef and less forgiving of overcooking, so the fire and the timing matter more than any seasoning you reach for. This is how I’ve done it for years, and it’s how I’ll keep doing it when December nights are long and the alternative to being outside at the fire is worse than the cold.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 10–14 min | Total Time: 25 min (includes rest) | Servings: 2

Ingredients

2 elk loin steaks or backstrap portions, 3/4 to 1 inch thick (about 6–8 oz each)
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon rendered beef tallow or neutral high-heat oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme (optional)

Instructions

Build the fire. You want hardwood — oak, ash, or fruitwood. Build it an hour before you plan to cook so you’re working over coals, not flame. A bed of coals about the size of a welcome mat, glowing orange with a white ash crust, is what you’re after. No flame jumping up. If you’re using a cast iron grate or skillet set over the coals, let it heat for five minutes before the meat goes on.
Season the meat. Pat the steaks completely dry with a rag or paper towel — moisture is the enemy of a sear. Rub both sides with tallow or oil, then press the salt, pepper, and garlic powder in firmly. Season more than you think you need. Let them sit at ambient temperature while the fire comes to coal.
Sear the first side. Lay the steaks on the grate or in the hot cast iron. Don’t move them. Listen for a steady sizzle. After 4 minutes, check the underside — you want deep mahogany, not black. If it’s there, flip once.
Sear the second side and read the meat. Cook 3–4 more minutes. To check doneness without a thermometer: press the center of the steak with your finger. Rare feels like the pad of your thumb relaxed. Medium-rare feels like it flexed. Medium feels like it’s pressing back. Elk is best at medium-rare — once it goes past medium it tightens up and dries out fast. Pull it when it still has a little give.
Baste and finish. In the last minute of cooking, add the butter and herb sprigs to the pan if using cast iron, and tilt the pan to spoon the foaming butter over the steak repeatedly for 45–60 seconds. Over a grate, lay the butter directly on top of the steak as it comes off the heat.
Rest before cutting. Move the steaks to a plate or cutting board and let them rest uncovered for 5–7 minutes. Do not skip this. The fibers need time to reabsorb the juices or they’ll run out the moment you cut. Slice against the grain.

Nutrition (per serving)

Open-Fire Elk Steak — What I Wrote at Two in the Morning