Elk and Ramen Skillet
Ground game, beef ramen, and dried vegetables in one pot. Built for hunt camp, sized for two.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- 500 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Backpacking
- Winter / snow
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dehydrated ground elk or venison | 3 oz | browned lean and dried at home, or a pouch of freeze-dried ground beef |
|---|---|---|
| Beef flavor ramen | 2 blocks | keep both seasoning packets |
| Dried stir fry vegetables | 1 cup | pepper, onion, carrot, edamame |
| Oyster sauce | 1 tbsp | in a small leakproof bottle |
| Soy sauce | 2 tsp | packets from a takeout drawer work |
| Vegetable oil | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Put the dried meat and dried vegetables in the pot with 500 ml of water. Bring it to a boil, then hold a low simmer for eight minutes so both rehydrate before the noodles go in.
- Stir in one seasoning packet, the soy sauce, and the oyster sauce.
- Lay both ramen blocks on top, cover, and simmer five minutes. Do not stir yet or the blocks fall apart unevenly.
- Break the noodles apart with a spoon and fold everything together. Add the second seasoning packet only if it needs the salt.
- Pour the oil over the top off the heat. It carries the flavor and puts the calories back that drying took out.
The original is a college-apartment skillet: two pounds of ground elk, frozen stir fry vegetables, four packs of ramen. None of that travels. Home-dried ground game and dried vegetables get the same dish down to about six ounces a person, and the water comes from the creek instead of the freezer.
Order matters more than technique. Meat and vegetables need the full simmer to come back; ramen needs five minutes and no more. Run them together and you get soft noodles floating over hard carrot. The oil goes in last because drying strips fat out of the meat, and without it this reads as salty broth rather than dinner.
Packing
Dried meat and vegetables in one bag, ramen and packets in another. Oil and oyster sauce ride upright in a side pocket, bagged.
Variations
- No dehydrator: a foil pouch of chicken or a can of ground beef works at a car camp, drained and stirred in at the end.
- A spoonful of chili crisp or a squeeze of sriracha covers for the seasoning packet you left out.
https://realtree.com/timber-2-table-wild-game-recipes/elk-burger-ramen-recipe