Rocky Mountain Elk Stew
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
3 hrs
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Total Time
3 hrs 20 mins
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Servings
10 servings
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Calories
282 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Soup, Lunch
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Cuisine
American
Rocky Mountain Elk Stew
Description
This stew starts by salting and flour-dusting elk meat before browning it in butter or oil for a caramelized crust that builds flavor. Onions are browned in the same pot, followed by blending roasted chiles with stock for a spicy, savory base. Adding garlic, crushed dried mushrooms, beer, and fresh herbs builds layers of complexity and richness.
The stew simmers gently, tenderizing the meat and allowing the flavors to develop fully. Carrots provide sweetness and texture, while optional ingredients like parsnips, corn, barley, beans, or greens can extend the stew and add nutritional variety.
This dish is well-suited to cold weather and pairs well with crusty bread if starchy ingredients are omitted. Using tougher cuts like neck or shank and taking care with the browning steps enhances the final texture and taste. The use of canned green chiles is an acceptable shortcut in the absence of fresh roasted ones.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter or canola oil or sunflower oil
- 2 to 3 pounds elk meat for stew
- salt
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 onion chopped, large, yellow
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms or some other dried mushroom, crushed
- 5 Hatch chili pepper roasted, seeded, and chopped, or Anaheim or poblano peppers
- 1 quart elk stock or venison or beef stock
- 1 pint beer anything malty, Belgian style
- 2 carrot peeled and cut unto chunks, large
- 1 tablespoon sage minced, fresh
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
- 1 parsnip peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1 cup barley cooked; or wheat berries
- 1 ounce great northern beans canned
- 1 cup Cooked greens like spinach, nettles, or chard, chopped
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil in a large soup pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Salt the stew meat well, then dust in the flour. Brown the meat in batches, making sure they do not touch each other. Remove the meat to a bowl as it browns and reserve.
- When all the meat is nicely browned, add the remaining oil and the chopped onion. Stir well, and brown this well, too.
- While this is happening, put 2 of the roasted chiles into a blender with the stock and puree.
- Add the garlic and stir to combine. Return the meat to the pot, along with any juices that have collected in the bowl. Pour the contents of the blender into the pot. Crush the dried mushrooms in your hands and add to the pot. Fill the blender bowl again with water and pour that into the pot. Finally, add the beer. Bring all this to a simmer, add salt to taste, partially cover the pot, and let this cook gently.
- If you are using dried beans, wheat berries or barley and greens, now is the time to cook them. If you are using canned beans, wait.
- After about 2 hours, add the carrots and the sage, as well as the parsnip, if using. When they are tender, about 40 minutes or so later, add the remaining green chiles, and any of the other optional ingredients you happen to be using. Taste for salt and black pepper and serve.
Notes
- For the mushroom component, fresh chopped mushrooms can be used if dried are unavailable, adding them with the onions.
- Use tougher cuts like neck or front shoulder sliced against the grain or shank chunks; slow cooking will tenderize these well.
- The browning step of the meat and onions is essential for developing deep flavor in the stew.
- Roasting chiles is preferred but canned green chiles work as a substitute.
- If you include starchy ingredients like barley or beans, the stew can be a complete meal; otherwise, serve it alongside crusty bread.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 10servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 282 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 282kcal | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 25g | 8% |
| Protein | 26g | 52% |
| Fat | 8g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Cholesterol | 50mg | 17% |
| Sodium | 389mg | 16% |
| Potassium | 733mg | 16% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 3876IU | 78% |
| Vitamin C | 9mg | 10% |
| Calcium | 55mg | 6% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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