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Printable recipe below! I've guided many elk hunts, but come with me on this episode to go on my very first elk hunt where I'm hunting! A big thanks to Reggie Gonzalez of Hook 'Em Processing.
Used in this video:
DJI Mic 2 https://amzn.to/4ewAHAw
Cowboy Hat: Chazhatz.com
Smokey Woods Wood: https://smokeywoodsbbq.com/
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Printable Recipe: https://kentrollins.com › blogs › beef › grilled-elk-tenderloin-with-green-chile-wine-sauce
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0:03
[Music]
0:23
[Music]
0:26
There we go.
0:35
[Music]
0:42
My name is Reggie Gonzalez. I uh owner
0:44
of Hook and Processing and I also uh
0:47
help Brian guide on some of his cow
0:49
hunts, top-notch outfitters. And I'm
0:52
here fixing to take Kent Rollins on his
0:54
first elk hunt ever. Luckily, yesterday
0:57
I came in here and took a little quick
0:59
drive and I and I found the elk. You
1:00
know, I noticed there was probably 30 to
1:02
40 in that herd and and I just turned
1:05
around and drove on out and and kind of
1:07
had an idea of where they should be this
1:09
morning. That's why we came over to the
1:11
top of them. I didn't know we were going
1:13
to come that close to them, but close
1:15
enough for Kent. So, so I get out here
1:17
on this ranch with Reggie and uh we
1:20
parked back up here on top of an old
1:21
flat mace up here on the hill. And
1:23
Reggie said, "I've been in here
1:24
yesterday. I put about 40 cows to bed
1:27
out here. I seen where they was. Maybe
1:29
they'll be there this morning." So, we
1:31
walk up on one hill and look down one
1:33
draw with binoculars and we don't see
1:35
nothing. Walk down a draw and up on top
1:37
the next hill and look, don't see
1:38
nothing. But then we go down the ridge
1:40
and as we're going hear them old cows go
1:43
to chirping a little. So, you know
1:44
you're in the right spot. And to walk up
1:47
on that last hill and we heard them cows
1:49
chirping. And then when you pull that
1:51
gun up and you see down there in that
1:52
sight, there it is. Get it done. Let's
1:56
let's get the job done that we come out
1:58
here to do. And that's not hunter
1:59
trophy. That's to put meat in the
2:01
freezer. You know, God put these animals
2:04
out here for us to harvest, not to take
2:06
advantage of. And eating.
2:08
That's what I was after. Can't eat
2:10
horns. You know what I mean?
2:12
This is Kent's first elk hunt, you know,
2:14
and and that he actually got to hunt
2:16
one. And this is a memory we made
2:18
together that uh I'll never forget.
2:20
You know, in 1982, I had an uncle call
2:22
out there in the Hila Wilderness, wanted
2:24
me to come and guide hunters, but I
2:25
think more than anything else, he wanted
2:26
me to come and cook and guide hunters
2:28
both. Got to see some really beautiful
2:30
big elk out there. We always had two
2:33
hunters at a time. He'd take one, I'd
2:35
take the other. But, uh, you get one
2:37
shot on the ground and most everybody
2:39
was after a trophy there. It was big
2:41
bull hunts, you know, something that
2:42
scored 380 to 400 is what everybody was
2:45
wanting. And it's a lot of work when
2:47
that animal hits the ground. I had some
2:49
really good hunters and I had some
2:50
hunters that sit over there under the
2:51
tree and watch me do all the work. But
2:53
when I get to go with Reggie and we're
2:56
on foot in in a way, you get to see some
2:59
of some of the most beautiful country
3:01
God has made. When you're walking out
3:02
across there and it was so quiet this
3:04
morning, you could hear every little
3:06
twig break. You know, we when we first
3:08
heard that that cow, they sounded like
3:11
they was more this way, you know.
3:12
Yeah.
3:13
Reggie, thank you so much, my friend.
3:15
You're welcome. You're very welcome.
3:18
It's an honor and a pleasure to get to
3:20
hunt with a fell that, you know, knows
3:24
wild game, but he knows how to take care
3:27
of it when he hits the ground. And
3:28
that's the most important part to me. Uh
3:31
I don't hunt horns. I'm looking for
3:33
something that's sort of like, how's it
3:35
look in the skillet? That n there looks
3:37
pretty good in the skillet.
3:39
Yes, sir. When you get that animal on
3:41
the ground, a lot of people just going
3:42
to jump in there with a knife and
3:44
they're going to make a mess. This guy
3:46
is is I would call an expert.
3:48
So, after we dropped the cow, I uh I
3:51
grabbed a log to lay it up on the side
3:53
of it to kind of hold it up so we can so
3:55
Kent didn't have to hold up the other
3:57
side as much on his own.
3:58
You know, in the 80s,
4:01
probably four seasons, uh got a lot of
4:04
elk hunters.
4:06
uh quartered a lot of elk, skin a lot of
4:08
elk, packed a lot of elk out uh but
4:11
never hunted an elk till today with my
4:14
dear friend Reggie. And that's what
4:16
makes this special. I mean, we're
4:19
harvesting meat for the freezer and what
4:22
better thing than a cow, a young tender
4:24
cow, nor so it's it's good from 1981 to
4:28
85 to finally get a chance to do this
4:31
and I think, "Oh, I'm going to get to
4:32
eat some of this one."
4:35
Yes, sir. Start from start to finish,
4:37
from the time the animal animal hits the
4:40
ground, you know, to to the time you get
4:42
it to me, it it's a major factor in how
4:45
it's going to taste on your table. I
4:47
have a a processing business myself.
4:50
It's it's hookum processing. They're on
4:52
Brian's place, Top-Notch Outfitters. Um,
4:55
I processed many many elk in my life.
4:58
And the biggest, you know, I I don't
5:01
want to down the knife, but the biggest
5:03
mistake that they have, I honestly
5:05
they've ever come up with is those razor
5:08
knives. I use three different knives. I
5:11
used one to gut with, I used one to skin
5:13
with, and I used one to quarter with.
5:16
You don't want to get that gut all over
5:17
your meat for one thing, and you don't
5:19
want to get the hide, the dirt, and
5:20
everything on on on your meat as well.
5:22
So, I separate my knives and and that's
5:25
one thing I've noticed, you know, people
5:27
bringing in animals. Um,
5:30
they slice through the back straps
5:31
trying to take them out cuz that knife
5:33
is so sharp and they destroy them. You
5:35
know, taking off the hind quarters, they
5:37
leave half the hind on there because
5:38
they're slicing through that meat. You
5:40
know, you need a sharp knife, but you
5:42
don't need that sharp of a knife. You
5:44
know, we're not doing surgery. self.
5:45
When you process meat like Reggie does
5:47
and you take care of it in the field
5:49
like he does, this is going to be some
5:51
really good eating right here. We might
5:53
even ask him over for supper.
5:54
Cook it a little and uh
5:57
on the smoker first, then we're going to
6:00
glaze it with a little green chili wine
6:02
and butter, garlic.
6:03
All right.
6:04
It's pretty good eating.
6:08
[Music]
6:19
[Music]
6:26
You know, there's just something about
6:27
that sound that just really gets deep in
6:30
my heart and makes me remember. Man, I
6:33
love to be out here where I can hear
6:35
them elk bugle. It's great to hear it in
6:37
the fall when you get an elk on the
6:39
ground or a deer or whatever you're
6:41
hunting. That's when really the process
6:43
takes place of how you take care of it
6:45
from that moment till the moment you put
6:48
it on the plate. One of my favorite
6:50
cuts, whether it be beef or wild game is
6:53
a tenderloin. Now, when we're talking
6:56
about tenderloin, we're not talking
6:57
about the back strap that's running down
7:00
the very back right here. We're talking
7:02
about underneath the cavity side up
7:05
there against the top of the rib cage by
7:07
the backbone. There's two pieces of meat
7:10
laying there on each side, which is
7:12
called the tenderloin.
7:14
And it don't get no better than that to
7:16
me. Now, a lot of people when they cook
7:18
these, they would just sear them real
7:20
heavy. But today, we're going to give
7:22
them a smoke bath and then we're going
7:24
to finish them up hot. And then we got a
7:26
what? A green chili wine sauce that goes
7:29
on top. So, it is going to be fine
7:31
dining. But first, we got to get it to
7:33
marinating. Now, before we get this to
7:35
marinating, a lot of times when you get
7:36
this out of the animal, there may be
7:39
some silver skin right there on the
7:41
back. And really, if you can chill that
7:43
really good first or just put it in the
7:45
freezer and let it freeze for just a
7:46
little bit to where it's pretty stiff,
7:48
then you can just take a fillet knife,
7:49
just cut that silver skin off there.
7:51
Now, we're talking about eating elk or
7:53
wild game, something like this. So,
7:56
beneficial to your what? your body
7:59
because it is low low low in
8:01
cholesterol. One of the best things I
8:02
like about it too is look at this deep
8:04
dark red color. This has got some great
8:07
flavor to it. So, I really like to use a
8:10
buttermilk base because it's got lactic
8:13
acid in it. Now, a lot of people when
8:15
they think of a marinade and they think
8:16
of acid, they just would grab something
8:19
like balsamic vinegar. Now, we're going
8:21
to have some of that, but I don't want
8:22
it to be just overwhelmed with that. So
8:25
really, when you're talking about
8:26
buttermilk, you're getting the acid, but
8:29
the milk solids in there and the fat
8:32
penetrate, and you're going to get a
8:33
more tender piece of meat, but a more
8:35
flavorful piece of meat. So, we're going
8:37
to add some buttermilk,
8:40
which is about that much, some of that
8:42
Lean Perin W sauce,
8:47
and just a dab of balsamic vinegar.
8:52
Give that a good mixing.
8:54
So, it's mixed up well. Let's just go
8:56
ahead. I want you to just fold these
8:58
back over here just a little. Pour you a
9:01
little base there on the bottom.
9:05
Now, I love to do all wild game like
9:08
this, but really any coarse grain meat,
9:10
too. Works well on skirt, flank, tri
9:14
tip, anything like that. Make sure that
9:16
everybody is covered and soaked well
9:19
with this buttermilk.
9:21
Now, I'm going to let this set about 2
9:23
hours. This is a tender loin. Now, if we
9:25
were using a different part of this
9:27
carcass, whether it be like a roast or
9:29
something like that, I would probably go
9:31
more towards six or eight hours before I
9:34
brought this out and got it ready to
9:35
cook. But being a tenderloin, 2 hours
9:38
will be enough to make it delicious and
9:40
tender in every bite.
9:43
[Music]
9:52
Well, it soaked about two hours. It did.
9:54
And then I just rinsed it off with
9:55
water. Now, we need to pat that dry. So,
9:58
we're going to get us some paper towels
10:00
to lay right here. And I don't want Shan
10:03
to pan around. When you break out meat,
10:06
you have a lot of help that shows up. I
10:09
remember was doing our favorite fall
10:11
soups. wasn't nobody hanging around
10:13
much, but they do love some elk, too.
10:16
So, we'll bring one of them out here,
10:19
then the other because they don't they
10:22
come two to a unit. They do. We just
10:24
want them good and dry.
10:27
So, we need to mix a little rub up.
10:32
Your table is really unle.
10:35
Is it? Well,
10:39
how about that?
10:40
That's good. I've never been really
10:41
levelheaded in my entire life, but we're
10:43
getting close. Our original seasoning is
10:46
the base. Add about
10:49
that much. And to that, some garlic
10:52
powder,
10:54
onion powder, smoked paprika.
10:58
We're going to give that a good mixing.
11:04
So good it is. And then we're going to
11:06
sprinkle
11:15
Give it a little pat pat pat.
11:17
[Music]
11:23
Well, we got the legacy fired up here.
11:26
And today we're cooking indirect again.
11:28
That means all the heat is on this end.
11:30
Nothing over here. We shut that lid.
11:32
Probably we're going to be running about
11:34
350°.
11:36
put them down here since they've warmed
11:37
up a little. We're going to go to a
11:40
target temp of 110°.
11:42
So, we'll lay them on there.
11:45
I did add two sticks of cherrywood to
11:48
give them a little flavor, little smoke
11:50
bath. We'll shut that lid.
11:54
Let the smoke go to rolling across them.
11:56
Let that flame go to licking on them,
11:58
giving them all that flavor and that
11:59
good char. When we reach 120, we're
12:01
going to pull them because we want this
12:03
elk to be more towards the rare end of
12:05
it. Then we'll make that wine sauce
12:07
while it rest.
12:10
[Music]
12:18
[Music]
12:44
pretty. It is. I can't wait to take a
12:46
bite. Now, when I got her down here on
12:48
the hot end of the grill, you want to
12:50
make sure you get that perfect sear, but
12:52
let that temperature get to 120. No more
12:55
than that. Take them off, tin them with
12:57
foil. It's going to rise to about 125.
13:00
Now, while it was sitting here resting,
13:01
we done had us some butter. Then, we
13:04
done put some thyme in there, some
13:06
honey, and some green chili wine. Now,
13:08
if you don't have green chili wine or
13:10
you don't like it, get you any white
13:11
wine. That will do. Just let it cook for
13:14
a minute. Always remember, put the
13:15
garlic in last so you don't burn none of
13:17
it. And then just drizzle it over either
13:20
the whole loin or each slice as you do
13:22
it. But always remember, too, do not cut
13:25
this away. cut against the grain every
13:28
time. So, Dooker, I'm gonna have a bite
13:31
of this one. And that's what I'd call
13:33
medium rare, more leaning towards the
13:35
rare.
13:40
So, I'm going to tell you that is
13:41
tenderness in every bite. I do get the
13:44
flavor that the seasoning brings out in
13:46
it, but mostly I get that green chili
13:48
wine with that garlic, but that elk is
13:51
so tender. Just remember to let it rest
13:53
before you cut it. You can't go wrong
13:56
with this. You can serve this as a main
13:58
course. You can have this leftover, put
14:00
it in a salad. You can make a sandwich
14:02
out of it. But I guarantee you, it's
14:04
what the hunt is about. Harvesting the
14:06
best meat. You know, I heard Fred Bear
14:09
say one time,
14:11
it's not about going out there and
14:12
killing something every time. It's about
14:14
getting to go out there and see the
14:16
country and the wildlife that's in it.
14:18
Now, when we walked up on top of that
14:20
ridge and got to see them mountains back
14:22
over our snow cap this morning, and you
14:24
see them elk down there in that bottom
14:25
as they're just filtering along, this is
14:28
this is God's country. This is what we
14:30
got to do. So, I'm very thankful that I
14:32
got to do this. But still, and always I
14:35
will, I'll tip my hat to all the
14:36
servicemen and women and all the
14:37
veterans that kept that old flag of
14:39
flying. No matter where we be, we
14:41
commend you each and every one. Rest of
14:43
you and get up on in here, Reggie. Come
14:45
on, brother.
14:49
rest of you. Me and Reggie going to give
14:50
you a big old hug. God bless you each
14:53
and everyone and we'll see you down the
14:55
best hunting trail ever been on.
14:58
Good job. You good people.
15:03
I got to feed the pups a bite cuz they
15:06
have been out here helping all the time.
15:10
Have y'all ever had elk?
15:12
Any of y'all a elk dog? Dooker says he
15:15
thinks he is. Snouse, are you a elk dog?
15:19
Loose stole it.