After Last Light
Elk Backstrap and Onions at Camp After a Long Pack Out
The first meal off my 5x6 bull, cooked on a griddle back at camp after a couple of hours hauling him off the mountain.
Quick Take
Fresh elk backstrap needs very little help. Cut it into strips, cook it hot and fast on a griddle with onions, and pull it at medium rare. Ours was cooked the same day we shot the bull, after a pack out that left all of us worn out and hungry.
Grandpa's cough syrup
When the bull went down, the first thing we did was pass around three flasks of what our family calls grandpa's old cough syrup.
My sister in law Jaquel engraved the flasks herself. She owns Quel's Engraving in Escalante, Utah, and does custom work on flasks, patches, magnets, hunting hats, and more. My favorite of the three reads "This is, in fact, my first rodeo."
The pack out
It was me, my brother, and Jaquel. We found the bull, called to him, got him located, and then started the real work of getting him off the mountain. The pack out took a couple of hours.
I think every one of us fell at least once on the way out. My brother had the worst of it when he slipped and landed in cow manure.
We had planned to strap the meat and antlers on top of the Jeep. Right as we got back to the vehicle, my dad happened to pull up in his RZR, so we loaded everything into the side by side instead. After sweating out all of the cough syrup on the hike, a warm bottle of water from his RZR was the best thing I have ever tasted.
Backstrap and onions on the griddle
Back at camp, my brother put a griddle on the pellet grill and cooked the first backstrap in strips with onions. Nobody was looking for anything fancy. We needed food after the pack out, and fresh backstrap was the easiest and best thing we had.
We aimed for medium rare for everyone except my mom, who only eats her meat well done. We have tried to change her mind for years and have not had any luck.
Quick Answers
- What is elk backstrap?
- Backstrap is the long loin muscle that runs along both sides of the spine, outside the rib cage. It is lean, tender, and the first cut anyone in camp asks about.
- What is the difference between backstrap and tenderloin?
- Backstrap runs along the outside of the spine. Tenderloins are smaller muscles inside the body cavity and are even more tender, which is why they rarely make it home.
- What temperature should elk backstrap be cooked to?
- Many hunters pull backstrap at about 130 to 135°F for medium rare. USDA guidance for whole cuts of meat is 145°F. My mom prefers hers somewhere closer to charcoal.
- Can you eat elk meat the same day you shoot it?
- Yes, as long as the meat is clean and cooked properly. After a couple of hours packing out an elk, nobody in our camp was willing to wait.
