Recipe: Crispy Orange Elk

A hot rice bowl is an excellent idea for lunch, dinner or hunting camp after a long day afield. Extra meat and flavorful sauce are hard to beat. Vegetables could be added to this recipe, but tangy orange meat, fried with a crisp edge, can easily stand alone.

This recipe works well with any wild game, and experimenting will make it better every time the dish is prepared. From goose to moose, it is sure to please. Make extra, as the sauce and meat reheat well for a quick meal of leftovers. To ensure the meat stays tender, do not overcook it in the frying oil.

Ingredients
• 2 lbs. elk sirloin or round roast
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup cornstarch
• ⅓ cup rice flour
• 4 cups of oil, for frying 

Directions
1. Cut meat into strips ½-inch wide and 2 inches long. Add soy sauce and oil to the meat pieces and toss to coat evenly.

2. Mix the starch and flour in a sealable bag or container and add meat pieces. Toss to coat the meat evenly.

3. Using a wire rack on a cookie sheet, spread the meat pieces out in a single layer. Freeze for 45 minutes. A quick freeze will dry the meat and make it crispy when fried.

4. Heat the oil in a large Camp Chef cast-iron pan or Dutch oven. Bring oil to 375°F and add small batches of meat so they are not touching. Fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, depending on size. Continue cooking in small batches until all the meat is fried.

Sauce Ingredients
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• ⅔ cup fresh orange juice
• juice from 1 lemon
• 3 Tbsp molasses
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• ¼ cup of orange zest

Garnish
• ¼ cup green onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted 

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients and whisk them together while being brought to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened (about 3 minutes).

2. Place the cooked meat in a serving bowl and pour the sauce overtop. Toss to coat all pieces, then garnish with green onion and sesame seeds. Serve with rice.

For more delicious wild-game recipes, click here.