Bear Backstrap Street Tacos, Camp Version
Thin-sliced backstrap in a sesame-garlic marinade, seared hard and folded into mini tortillas.
- calories
- 610
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 68
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 30 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 50 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Black bear backstrap | 1.5 lb | venison or beef sirloin works the same way |
|---|---|---|
| Olive or canola oil | 1/4 cup | marinade base |
| Sesame oil | 1 tbsp | toasted, a little goes far |
| Garlic | 4 cloves, minced | or 1 tbsp granulated |
| Chili powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Ground cumin | 2 tsp | |
| Ground turmeric | 1 tsp | |
| Dried oregano | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Mini corn tortillas | 12 | |
| White onion | 1 small, diced | |
| Cilantro | 1 bunch, chopped |
Method
- At home, whisk both oils with the garlic, chili powder, cumin, turmeric, oregano, and salt in a zip bag.
- Trim the backstrap and slice it thin across the grain, about a quarter inch. Add it to the bag, press the air out, and keep it in the cooler.
- In camp, get the fire down to hot coals and set a skillet on the grate until a drop of marinade snaps.
- Sear the meat in two batches, one layer at a time, turning once. Bear must reach 160F all the way through, so check the thickest piece with a thermometer before you call it done.
- Push the meat aside and warm the tortillas directly on the grate, a few seconds a side, until they puff and go flexible.
- Double up the tortillas, load with meat, top with raw onion and cilantro.
Slicing the backstrap thin is the whole plan. Bear carries trichinosis risk, which means cooking it through, and a thick steak cooked through turns to leather. Quarter-inch strips hit 160F in under a minute a side, so the meat is safe and still tender. Use a thermometer, not color.
The marinade does double duty. Oil carries the spices onto every surface of the sliced meat and keeps it from sticking to a hot camp skillet. Turmeric and cumin are there for the earthy backing note; the sesame oil is the odd one out and the reason these do not taste like every other camp taco. Mixing it at home means camp work is fire, skillet, thermometer.
Packing
Meat and marinade go in one doubled zip bag in the cooler bottom. Tortillas ride flat on top of the cooler so they do not tear. Onion and cilantro whole, cut at camp.
Variations
- Venison, elk, or beef sirloin all work; only bear needs the 160F rule.
- A squeeze of lime and a spoon of hot sauce at the end covers what the marinade does not.
https://realtree.com/timber-2-table-wild-game-recipes/black-bear-backstrap-street-tacos