Wild Elk BBQ’d blackstrap & 6 bean chili

A good friend of mine had the opportunity to video a elk hunt this past October in Wyoming. He’s an amazing videographer and films hunts all over the west cost. Anyway he was up antelope hunting in mid October and was asked to come and film a guided wild elk hunt, of course he jumped at the opportunity to film an amazing creature and some of the best hunting a sportsman could do. After seeing a couple elk he finally saw the bull he wanted to take. He took his shot and dropped the elk like a sack of bricks. After getting the animal back to the ranch house the hunter informed my buddy and the guides he is a trophy hunter and did not want the meat.

Now if you know me and the way I hunt, then you know I hunt for substance , for the meat, not the trophy. My friend who was filming feels the same way I do. The hunter hearing his thoughts then offered the elk to the ranch and my buddy, who all jumped at the bounty of fresh red meat.

This bull elk yielded a couple hundred pounds of meat, more meat then a couple guys could eat, so in true hunter gather fashion it was shared! I gladly excepted my favorite meat in the whole world, Elk. My wife and girls have never tasted elk before, they’ve eaten many other wild game meats but never my favorite. I cooked up a chunk of blackstrap, tri tip style. My 3.5 year old daughter devoured it. She kept saying “daddy, I’m eating Elk, I like elk!!!” Those words coming out of a Southern California city girls mouth almost brought tears to my eyes.

I decided to take the leftover steak and chop it up and throw it in the slow cooker & make a elk chili. Again my daughter and wife got excited to once more eat this bounty of the land. We got home in the afternoon to an aroma of chili cooking and couldn’t wait for the moment to grab a bowl and chow down.

It always blows my mind to think that 99% of the earths population will probably never get a chance to try wild game meat! to hunt for their own food! to put their hand to the land and harvest dinner. I can’t wait to share my recipes with friends and family, bringing them to my table with a knife and a fork..

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