Elk with Black Bean Sauce
Billings, Montana…enjoying incredible early Fall weather in one of our most beautiful states. I’m working my way, preparing wild game dinners, from Bozeman to Billings to Fairmont Hot Springs and, finally, to Missoula. Elk season is in full swing and I’m being bombarded with requests for recipes. It seems that just about everyone in Montana has a refrigerator full of elk. I know we like to shoot the big bulls, but they are obviously not the best table fare as compared to a younger animal. When you’ve taken all the necessary steps to ensure that your trophy elk will eat well (trim the silver skin and gristle, don’t overcook it, blah, blah, blah) and it’s still tough, it’s time for some slow-cooking. For this recipe, the meat should be carefully cleaned and trimmed before cutting into cubes. Play around with the ingredients until it tastes good to you. I normally adjust with a little extra rice vinegar, soy sauce and/or plum preserves.
Elk with Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 quart elk hind quarter roast trimmed of all fat and gristle and meat cut into bite-sized pieces (measure the diameter of your mouth and divide by 2 to determine exact size)
- Lawry’s Seasoned Pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 quart beef broth
- 3 cups black beans soaked overnight in water
- 1 yellow onion roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons plum preserves
- 1-2 tablespoons pickled or fresh ginger minced
- 6-8 cups warm cooked rice
Instructions
- Season meat with pepper. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat, add meat and brown evenly. Add beef broth and beans to pot and add enough water so that liquid is about one inch over contents. Add onion and garlic, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Add additional liquid if necessary to cook beans and soften meat. Check the meat for doneness by squeezing gently. When ready for the next step, the meat should start to break apart with your fingers. Play with your food, go on, it’s O.K.
- Strain out all but about 1 cup of liquid from the pot. Add remaining ingredients except rice. Simmer for 5 minutes to blend flavors. Adjust seasonings if desired. Serve over rice.