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As a family we have gotten many questions about how to use game meat in our meals, more than steaks and roasts. We have learned that it begins with the initial processing, but some recipes can be exchanged one for one beef for wild game. Many times adding fat to the meat helps maximize the flavor of the meal.
Mongolian "Beef"
I've had this recipe for a couple years and it is a good one for big game like deer, elk, bear, etc. It's also a convenient crock pot recipe but can be further expedited using an Instant Pot. Here's how to pull together my version of Mongolian "Beef":
Ingredients:
2 ½ pounds steak or roast
¼ cup corn starch
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
2 teaspoons olive oil
¾ cup water
¾ cup soy sauce
1 broccoli crown
3 medium carrots
Instructions:
Slice the steak or roast thin (~¼” thick) across the grain of the muscle I like a slice that has dimensions approximately 1” wide, 1.5 to 2” long, and ¼” thick
Put ¼ cup of corn starch in a plastic bag
Pat each slice of meat dry and put in plastic bag then toss to coat evenly with corn starch
Combine the minced garlic, chili flakes, brown sugar, grated ginger, olive oil, water, and soy sauce and mix in crock pot
Add the sliced meat coated in corn starch to the crock pot and mix to coat evenly in sauce
Cook on high in the crock pot for 2 to 3 hours
Chop the broccoli crown and shred the carrots and add to the crock pot 30 minutes prior to serving to steam and soften the vegetables. More or less broccoli and carrots can be added depending on personal preference. Use only fresh broccoli crowns, do not use frozen broccoli, frozen vegetables will add a considerable amount of excess water and water down the sauce
This recipe can be further expedited by using an Instant Pot.
Follow instructions exactly as outlined above but cook initially for 30 minutes. After adding the veggies steam for about 5 minutes with the lid unsealed on the saute setting
This is an absolute family favorite and can be served over rice or noodles… my family is split, there are a couple of us that don’t like rice a whole lot. I have used elk, deer, and bear for this recipe and each have turned out excellent… and I have found the eye of round roast to be extremely good in this recipe but as long as the roast is sliced across the grain of the muscle every roast that I’ve used has turned out tender and tasty.
I made this recipe in advance and placed in vacuum sealed bags and frozen to take on my elk hunt this last fall. I made single serving meals and we would reheat them in the vacuum bags in a pot of boiling water… they were convenient and were great meals especially when we staggered back to camp after long days of chasing bugling bulls.
PASTRAMI
I started with the Fraughton Meat Processing Pastrami Mix. From the freezer I pulled one elk roast (eye of round), one deer roast (bottom round), and one pronghorn roast (bottom round) and brought together all the ingredients for the cure.
I coated each roast equally with the cure and placed them in vacuum sealed bags (if you don't have a vacuum sealer Ziploc bags work just as well.). The bags went into the fridge and I rotated the bags every day for 7 or 8 days. Initially they started out dry in the bag but over time the cure began to pull moisture from the roasts. By about Day 4 or 5 I could really tell the Tender Quick was doing it's job because I could feel that the texture of the roasts had changed as I manipulated the bags.
At the end of Day 7, I opened the bags and rinsed each roast with tap water then soaked the roasts in water overnight in the fridge. I mixed the rub as directed by the recipe and coated each roast with a generous layer of the rub.
I smoked the roasts to an internal temperature of 150 degrees. Removed from the heat I wrapped the pastrami in foil and allowed it to rest for a couple hours before slicing. Quite frankly, after giving a couple slices to my wife and the kids... I'm extremely lucky that I had enough to make an amazing little slider.
FMP Pastrami Mix Instructions:
Each kit contains enough cure to turn one small to medium roast (e.g. any deer roast or small elk roast, up to approx. 4 pounds) into pastrami.
Top round, bottom round, and eye of round are ideal roasts for pastrami. Smaller roasts from larger game animals also work well for pastrami, like blade roasts. Check the roast for
any silver skin and trim clean.
Mix the contents of “Cure – Salt” and “Cure – Seasonings” bags thoroughly.
Coat the roast thoroughly, packing on the cure generously leaving no surface uncovered. Place roast in gallon bag (put any cure that did not stick to the roast in the bag) and put the roast in the refrigerator.
Turn the roast daily. After a couple of days, liquid will start to pool in the bag. Pro tip: it is a good idea to double bag just in case toprevent any leaks in the refrigerator.
Total curing time varies depending on the thickness of the roast, but a curing time of 8 to10 days has consistently produced good results on small to medium sized roasts and 15 to 18 days on large thick roasts. Pro tip: you cannot “over cure” a roast but you can “under cure” one, it is never a bad idea to err on the side of caution keep the roast in the refrigerator a couple of days past when you think it is fully cured.
When curing is complete, remove the roast from the plastic bag and rinse thoroughly. Be sure to rinse all the cure seasoning off the roast.
Soak the roast in cold water, this removes excess cure and makes the end product less salty.
For small to medium roasts, soaking overnight in cold water in a large mixing bowl placed in the refrigerator works well. For larger roasts, soaking in a small cooler in ice and water for 2 nights with a fresh change of ice and water after 24 hours works well.
Coat the roast with the contents from the packet labeled “Rub”.
Pre-heat your smoker to your preferred temperature for slow smoking (200 to 250°F) and cook to an internal temperature of 150˚F. Actual cooking time will vary depending on the temperature you select on your smoker and the thickness of the roast. Wrap tightly in foil with ~¼ cup of stock (beef stock or game bone broth work well) and let cool.
Remove from foil, slice, and enjoy.