And it turned out moist and scrumptious!

Most of the roasts we end up with have a bone in them or are some ‘unknown’ cut (not labeled on the package) and I always throw them in the crock pot with some broth.  I was intending on doing that agin….but the roast I thawed on Monday said “loin” on the outer wrapper, and when I removed that the inner wrapper said something along the lines of rolled and tied.  Hmmm… sure enough, it was a rolled roast with strings on it!  That means a dry-roast method, not a pot-roast method.

So I googled cooking options and nearly every site said slow roasting or dry roasting an elk was NOT preferred since the meat is so incredibly lean, and this cut is particularly tender to start with.  But I found one recipe.

First I prepared the marinade and let the roast soak in it for about 4 hours.

I shoved a few slices of butter in the middle of the roast, then I seared all sides on a hot cast iron skillet.

I put it in a casserole dish and covered it, stuck our oven temperature probe inside and started roasting it at 200 degrees for 45 minutes per pound, plus an extra 45 minutes (according to directions).  It started cooking faster than I wanted it to, so I turned the oven down to 185 to let it finish cooking.

Done is 137 degrees.  I turned the oven off and let it stay at that temperature for a while.  Once cooled (about an hour later) I seared all the sides again.

Oh my gosh, it cut like butter, it’s so incredibly tender and not a hint of game taste.  It was absolutely delicious.  Even Trevor said it was the best elk he’d ever had!  YUM!

The leftovers were sliced up with the meat slicer to use as lunch meat.   I’ve been adding strips to my salad, the meat is just so darn good!

Here’s the recipe and method for slow roasting an Elk Loin:

SLOW ROASTED IMPERIAL ELK TENDERLOIN

First, prepare the marinade:

ROYAL MARINADE

1 cup Dry Red Wine (drinking quality)
1 cup Soy Sauce
½ cup Olive Oil
1 3-4inch piece of fresh Ginger, peeled and sliced into quarter size rounds, ¼ inch thick (or just use powdered ginger!)
3-4 large cloves of Garlic, sliced

Marinate tenderloin, turning occasionally, for 5-8 hours in refrigerator.

Make several deep slits in the roast and press some fat into the holes. This can be butter, margarine, drippings, etc. The fat penetrates the meat as it cooks, but comes out and can easily be skimmed off the gravy.

Brown the meat all over to seal, add a little liquid, and roast at 200 degrees in covered dish for a minimum of 45 minutes per pound plus another 45 minutes.

I used a casserole dish and covered the meat with foil.

Like most slow cooked dishes, the longer and slower, the better. Baste frequently with liquid (every 30 minutes, using beef stock, chicken stock, water, beer, orange juice, or wine, etc.) It will help produce superb flavored gravy.