Grilled Elk Tenderloin with Green Chile Wine Sauce
There are moments in life that take a long time to arrive, but when they do, they stick with you forever. This experience was one of them. After decades of guiding hunters, quartering elk, packing them out, and cooking wild game, I finally stepped into the field on my very first elk hunt.
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I was out there with my dear friend Reggie Gonzalez of Hook’ Em Processing, and from the start, it felt right. Reggie had scouted the day before and found a good herd of cows. Not trophies. Not horns. Just good animals.
We parked high, glassed a few draws, and listened. That quiet out there is something you cannot explain unless you have lived it. Every twig snap carries. Every sound matters. When we heard those cows chirping, we knew we were close. That is when everything slows down, and your focus sharpens.
When the moment came, it was not about taking something. It was about harvesting meat. God put these animals here for us to responsibly care for and use, not to waste.
This hunt mattered to me not just because it was my first elk, but because of who I was with. Reggie knows wild game. More importantly, he knows how to take care of it from the second it hits the ground. That is where good eating truly begins.
Tip: The way meat is handled in the field matters just as much as how it is cooked later.
I have seen too many folks rush in with a razor knife and turn a good animal into a mess. Reggie uses separate knives for gutting, skinning, and quartering. That keeps hair, dirt, and contamination off the meat. It also preserves the cuts the way they should be.
Cooking Elk Tenderloin
One of my favorite cuts, whether beef or wild game, is the tenderloin. Not the backstrap, but the true tenderloin tucked inside near the backbone. That cut does not work hard, and when handled properly, it is as fine as anything you will ever put on a plate.
We marinated that elk tenderloin in a buttermilk base to gently tenderize and add flavor, then gave it a good rub with our Original Seasoning, garlic, onion, and smoked paprika. Low and slow on the smoker with a chunk 0f cherry wood came first, followed by turning up the heat to 400 and searing on all sides until the internal temperature comes to 125F for medium rare.
Tip: For tenderloin, two hours in a marinade is plenty. Any longer and you risk losing the natural texture.
While the tenderloins rested, we finished with a sauce of green chili wine, butter, garlic, and herbs. That meat sliced like butter. It was deep red, tender, and full of flavor. Low in cholesterol, high in protein, and rich in taste. That is the reward of doing things the right way.
Hunting, to me, has never been about killing something. It is about the land, the people you share it with, and the responsibility that comes with the harvest. Seeing those elk move through the snow capped mountains that morning reminded me how blessed we are to live in a country where moments like that are still possible.
I will always be thankful for this hunt, for Reggie’s friendship, and for the chance to finally eat an elk I helped harvest myself. And as always, I tip my hat to the servicemen and women who protect the freedom that lets us live this way of life.
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