Hearty Hunter Stew

What a bunch of brawny outdoorsmen the picture below portrays... mules snorting steam in the background, snow flakes falling, and three "trophies" proudly displayed in the foreground.  The handsome man on the right (with the red hat and cameo overalls) happens to be the man I married.  A month ago, he joined up with a group of men from Colorado and Wisconsin for an extended elk hunting trip in the heart of mountain country. 

Elk hunting trip,
Grand Mesa National Forest,
October 2011.

The sport of hunting is not a familiar one to me.  I'm not quite innocent myself from my research years, but killing for the sport of it is something I had to learn to appreciate from my gentle Joe. The fact is, hunting is in our human blood. As long as it is done with respect and dignity, what better way to know where your meat is coming from?  And so, thanks to his successful hunting adventure, our freezer is chalk-full of elk meat to sustain us through the upcoming winter season, and probably beyond! 

Joe brought home about 40 pounds of elk meat, which
we wrapped in freezer paper and distributed
among gallon sized freezer bags.

Thawing one portion of solid meat takes
a few days if done properly in the fridge.

Generous slabs of the most beautiful red meat I have ever seen: cold, clean, crimson, and delicately marbled.  Bravo, my brave hunter!  

Fresh elk loin.

The first question I asked after we had the meat safety packed away was, what do we do with it now? I decided a hearty stew, slowly cooked with rich with spices and root veggies would be a safe choice to begin with. After a bit of recipe research, I settled on substituting elk for The Pioneer Women's beef and beer stew. Her pictures alone made me salivate!  

The first step was to cube a few pounds of thawed "stew meat." Check!  I had plenty of that!  The recipe called for about 2-lbs of meat, but I cubed up 3.  

More admiration of this high quality elk meat.

Time to dust off a large stock pot to begin the cooking!  The meat cubes were blotted with paper towels to remove most of the moisture (if you don't do that, your meat will not brown). Small batch-by-small batch, I browned the elk cubes in a bit of hot oil and butter (again, if you don't give your meat enough room, your meat will not brown).  Set the cooked pieces aside for later.  

Dry, uncrowded meat is the key to successful browning.

Time to saute chopped onions and minced garlic in the delicious oiled meat juices, about 10 minutes over medium heat.  

Now add the following ingredients to create a tenderizing "broth." From past experience, light lager (beer-pong) beers provide the best results for cooking. So, pick out your favorite and try not to drink it before adding what is needed! 

Beer and beef broth. 

After the broth simmers for a smidgen, "kick it up a notch!" as Emeril would to say. Add the following ingredients according to the recipe below.  The paprika and tomato paste will make the broth blush an appetizing red. 

Add your browned elk or stew meat back to the pot, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. The key here is low heat. You want the meat juices to combine and mature with the spiced broth without over cooking the flesh. Tender and flavorful = a fine balance of temperature and time. 

While the meat and stock are cooking and reducing, prepare the vegetables. Wash and chop carrots, as well as quarter new potatoes. No peeling necessary, yay! 

After broth as reduced a bit, add the veggies and cook another 30 min to 1 hour, or until carrots and potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. Dish up immediately or prepare the day before to allow flavors to mingle. This stew keeps very well up to 1 week after preparation. The flavors just get better and better with time.

Come and get it!

Plan ahead to get your hands on some crusty bread and fresh parsley.  They make for excellent additions! We happened to pair our pipping hot bowls with some sweet bread and a movie. Nothing like cozying up on the living room floor in wool socks and warm bellies while the bitter autumn air rattles jealously on your window panes... 

Some seriously delicious stew!
If you don't have elk meat, go hunt for some
stew beef at your local grocery store.

Hearty Hunter Stew

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman blog

Serves 8-10

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. butter

2 lbs. stew meat (beef or elk)

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (12 oz) lager beer

4 cups beef stock

2 cups water

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 Tbsp. salt

1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

4 whole carrots, unpeeled, roughly sliced

4-5 new potatoes, unpeeled, quartered

Fresh parsley (optional garnish)

Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat in multiple small batches, setting aside in a large bowl when browned.  Add diced onions to the pot and cook 5 minutes until softened, then add garlic and cook another 1 minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, sugar and spices. Add beef back to the pot and stir well. Cover and simmer 2 hours over low heat.  Liquid should cook down to a thicker state. Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook an additional 30 min to 1 hour. If stew gets too dry, just add more water to desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasons as necessary. Delicious if served with hot, crusty bread and garnished with fresh parsley.   Keeps fine in the fridge for up to 1 week.