Old Timber Outdoors
More elk recipes

Elk stew meat, cubed from the shoulder or neck

Campfire Dutch Oven Elk and Stout Stew

Elk stew meat browned over coals, then simmered for hours with dark beer, mushrooms, carrots and potatoes in a cast-iron Dutch oven.

Serves
6
Hands-on
1 hr
Total
4 hr 10 min
Skill
Some experience

Cooks on: Campfire · Dinner

Ingredients

  • 2½ lbElk stew meat, cubed from the shoulder or neck, cut into 1½-inch cubes
  • 3 tbspFlour
  • 1Onions, diced
  • 3 clovesGarlic, minced
  • 8 ozCremini or button mushrooms, halved
  • 3Carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1½ lbYukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1½-inch chunks
  • 2 tspSalt, kosher, plus more to taste
  • 1 tspBlack pepper, ground
  • 3 tbsp neutral oil, divided
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 12 oz stout or porter beer
  • 2 cups beef or game stock
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves

You'll need

  • Campfire with grate or coals
  • Dutch oven

Helpful: instant-read thermometer.

Contains

Gluten. Stout and porter are brewed from barley and are not gluten-free. Stock brands vary.

Method

  1. Build a fire and let it burn down to a deep bed of coals. Set the Dutch oven on a grate or trivet over a hot area of coals to preheat.
  2. Pat the elk very dry and season it with the salt and pepper. Add 2 tbsp of the oil to the pot and, when it shimmers, brown the elk in two or three batches with space between the cubes, about 4 minutes per batch, turning once a dark crust forms. Set each batch aside on a clean plate. Leave the flour off for now; floured meat scorches fast over coals.
  3. Add the remaining oil, the onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute, then sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir 1 minute more.
  4. Pour in the stout and scrape up the browned bits. Add the stock, thyme, bay leaves and the browned elk with its juices. Bring to a boil.
  5. Cover and move the pot to a cooler area of coals so it holds a gentle simmer, just a few lazy bubbles. Simmer 1½ hours, checking every 30 minutes and adding coals or a splash of water as needed.
  6. Add the carrots and potatoes, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and a cube of elk is tender enough to break apart with a spoon, 1½ to 2 hours more. If the meat is still firm, it needs more time, not more heat.
  7. Pull the pot off the coals, remove the bay leaves, and rest 10 minutes. Taste and add salt a pinch at a time until the broth tastes rich rather than flat, then serve.

When it's done: fork-tender

It is done when a fork slides in and the meat pulls apart with little effort. Tough cuts pass 160°F long before they turn tender, so keep going until they do; if it is still firm, it needs more time, not more heat.

If it goes wrong

Scorching on the bottom
The coals under the pot are too hot. Move it to a cooler spot and stir from the bottom every 20 minutes.
Stew stopped bubbling
The coals have died back. Shovel fresh coals under the pot from the side fire.
Bitter edge from the beer
A long simmer usually softens it. Stir in a teaspoon of brown sugar or a splash more stock at the end if it lingers.

Leftovers. Keep the raw meat in a cooler below 40°F until it goes in the pot. Refrigerate or ice down leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 165°F.