What’s better than Beef tacos…? Elk tacos of course. Sunday’s Elk dinner was so good that we had to cook it up again for Wednesday’s dinner with the kids. I changed up the corn salsa ingredients adding some grilled red bell pepper along with sour cream and Cotija Mexican cheese. Absolutely one of the BEST wild game tacos I have ever devoured!
Grilled Corn Salsa
- 4 ears of white corn
- 1-2 serrano chili
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 green onions
- 1 small red onion
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ cup cilantro
- 1 tomato
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 jigger tequila (optional)
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Remove outer husks from corn but not all. Pull back and remove all silk from the corn. Close the remaining husks back and soak in water for 10-15 minutes.
Heat barbeque to medium-high heat. Remove corn from water shake off excess water. Grill corn for 15-20 minutes turning every 5 minutes. Cut bell pepper in half, remove flesh and grill until soft and slightly charred. Remove corn and bell pepper when ready. Remove kernels from cob using a sharp knife and dice red bell pepper.
Finely mince serrano chili (discard seeds for less heat), onion and garlic clove. Combine with coarsely chopped cilantro and tomato. Squeeze the juice from 1 lime and add rice wine vinegar and tequila. Add corn kernels and red bell pepper to salsa. Season with salt and pepper.
Elk Tacos
Combine 1 teaspoon of each of the following spices. Rub spice mixture on elk, cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for 1 hour before cooking. Remove from refrigerator and let meat come to room temperature prior to cooking.
- Elk Backstrap (2 – 5 inch wide steaks)
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Chili powder
- Oregano
- Corn tortillas
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Directions
Heat cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and sear meat on all sides until you get a rich dark coloring. Remove elk from skillet, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice elk backstrap into thin slices being sure to cut against the grain.
Serve sliced elk in a corn tortilla and top off with a generous portion of grilled corn salsa. Garnish with Cotija Mexican cheese and sour cream.
ENJOY!
