Ginger Infused Bacon Wrapped Elk Backstrap

3/4 lb elk backstrap, cut into 4 steaks

4 slices bacon

Dash Hi Mountain Elk Seasoning (optional)

Marinade:

1/3 c. beef broth

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. Worcestshire

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

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This recipe was created based off of a ribeye marinade I used to make when I was cooking for summer packtrips. The marinade of beef broth, worcestshire, brown sugar, ground ginger, and garlic salt give the meat a distinct tangy flavor, and then adding in the bacon wrap makes it juicy and tender.

Combine marinade ingredients in a gallon-sized ziplock bag and add in elk steak to coat completely. Allow to sit in refrigerator for at least 8 hours and up to two days.

 

1. First, cook bacon on a grill or griddle until it is half-way cooked. You want it to remain flexible enough to wrap around the steak, but cooked enough so that the bacon will be done when the steaks are.

2. Then remove bacon from griddle and immediately wrap one slice of bacon around one elk steak. If your bacon is on the shorter side like mine, make a cut up the center of the bacon to create a wishbone shape.

Then proceed to wrap totally around the steak. (If I was using the outdoor grill I would probably have secured the bacon with toothpicks, but since I was using the griddle on the stove I could watch the bacon and easily re-arrange it when necessary.)

3. Put bacon-wrapped steak back onto the griddle and cook over medium heat in the bacon grease. Flip occassionally to make sure the bacon does not burn on one side or the other. I sprinkled some Hi Mountain Elk Seasoning on my steaks at this point for a little extra flavor. While working at our old jobs, Joe received a large sampler bag of their seasoning products after a guide job at the lodge. We are still happily using them up!

My steaks took about 10 minutes to cook through to what I would call medium to medium rare (still pretty pink inside).

I served these steaks with green bean casserole on a snowy Wyoming evening. I had worked up more of an appetite than I thought after a 5 mile afternoon ski in 14 degree weather. It was nice to have some fresh snow to ski in again, and I hope to get in at least one or two more trips this spring.