Breaded Elk Steak, Camp Skillet Version
Salted, breaded, and fried in a cast iron pan over a fire. The crust makes game meat read as ordinary steak.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 10 oz
- cal / oz
- 72
- protein
- 52 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 35 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 45 min
- water
- 60 ml cold
- 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
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Elk ribeye steaks | 2 steaks, about 1 inch thick | venison or antelope works the same way |
|---|---|---|
| Kosher salt and coarse black pepper | 1 tsp each | |
| All-purpose flour | 1/2 cup | |
| Powdered whole egg | 3 tbsp | reconstitutes with 60 ml cold water, no cooler space needed |
| Worcestershire sauce | 2 tsp | |
| Smoked Spanish paprika | 1 tsp | |
| Seasoned Italian breadcrumbs | 3/4 cup | |
| Vegetable oil | 1/2 cup | enough for about 1/8 inch in the pan |
Method
- Pull the steaks out of the cooler and let them sit thirty minutes while the fire burns down to coals. Salt and pepper both sides, and flip them once partway through.
- Whisk the egg powder with 60 ml of cold water in a cup, then stir in the Worcestershire and paprika. Put the flour in one bowl and the breadcrumbs in another.
- Coat each steak in flour, then the egg wash, then press it into the breadcrumbs until it is covered.
- Set the cast iron on a grate over the coals and add oil to about 1/8 inch deep. Wait for it to shimmer and just start to smoke.
- Lay the steaks in and cook three minutes a side for medium rare. Slide the pan off the hottest coals if the crust is darkening early.
- Move them to a plate and leave them alone five minutes before cutting.
The breading is doing more than adding crunch. Elk is lean enough to dry out fast, and a flour-egg-crumb shell holds the surface moisture in while the crust browns. It also mutes the flavor that makes some people suspicious of wild game, which is useful when you are cooking for a group you did not hunt with.
Two changes from a kitchen version. Fresh eggs are replaced with egg powder and water, so nothing fragile rides in the cooler. And the pan sits on a grate over coals rather than a burner, which means you control heat by moving the skillet, not by turning a dial. Bank the coals to one side so you have a cooler landing spot ready.
Packing
Flour, breadcrumbs, paprika, and egg powder go in separate zip bags inside one dry box. Oil in a leakproof bottle. The steaks stay frozen at the bottom of the cooler and thaw over the drive.
Variations
- Skip the breading and just salt, pepper, and sear if the fire is running hot and fast.
- Instant mashed potatoes and a foil packet of greens round it into a full plate with no extra pot.
https://www.huntingpa.com/threads/elk-steaks-for-dinner.4179