If you are looking for another option to dish up for dinner that uses some of your elk stew meat in the freezer, try braising the meat with red wine and a few aromatic ingredients. Braising is a popular technique that involves browning meat, and then cooking it in a small amount of liquid, covering with a lid and cooking on the stove or in the oven for a slow simmer. The result is fork tender cuts of meat that you can easily serve alongside mashed potatoes, creamy polenta or a mixed green salad.
As a side note… I added a few frozen hash browns to the Dutch oven 20 minutes prior to serving instead of making mashed potatoes. It saved me time and still tasted amazing.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Elk stew meat, cubed
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 cup red wine, cabernet or merlot
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tomatoes, quartered
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon thyme
Directions
Preheat a Traeger Grill to 350 degrees. If you don’t have a Traeger Grill, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Generously season the elk stew meat with garlic powder, sea salt and coarse black pepper.
Heat a 4 to 6 quart Dutch oven over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the seasoned elk meat until you hear it sizzle. Cook the meat until browned on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. NOTE: It’s best to do this in batches so not to overcrowd the meat while browning.
When all the meat has browned, add the red wine, red wine vinegar, quartered tomatoes, garlic clove, thyme and oregano. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and set on the Traeger Grill. Close the lid and cook for 2 hours or until the meat is tender.
