Night of the kill, what’s on the spit?

[Karl Blanchard]

Honestly tenderloin and back strap is a pretty chewy fresh off the carcass.  It needs to sit a bit or get a freeze/thaw on it. Liver is a hard pass. I dont have a first meal ritual but if I do eat something fresh it is gonna be heart. It really ticks off my kids if I dont bring the heart home though

Couple years ago in Idaho I took a tenderloin, sliced it paper thin and seasoned it with beef Ramen seasoning (all I had ). Threaded it onto a sad looking roasting stick and warmed it up a bit over a little warming fire. The whole setup was quite sad looking but it tasted pretty dang good.

[Buzz2401]

Liver and onions is only thing we eat before butchering. Like others have said usually it's the next day because we didnt get back till after midnight.  Also liver is better after it has soaked awhile to draw some blood out

[2MANY]

Beef rib steak grilled over fire, a can of baked beans, caesar bag salad, and a beer for desert.

[WapitiTalk1]

OK, I've changed the original post a bit to say "once you get a chance to cook up some elk"... Probably more fitting that way.

[7mmfan]

On the original post, I'm with @Stein, I almost never kill an animal with more than a couple minutes of light left. Not sure why, but that end of day always treats me well. I then dick around and take pictures, cut meat, stretch, walk around, cut more meat, dig a hole and break out my fancy back country bidet, cut some more meat, and hit the trail about midnight. By the time I'm back to camp I just want to slug a bunch of water and hit the hay. Even last year when I killed an elk at noon, we didn't get to camp until 1:00 am.

Now, on the updated post. If the meat can rest cold for a couple of days, I'll usually start processing in camp while waiting for other guys to fill tags. I'll usually take the back strap ends and pieces and season and fry on the woodstove in a cast iron skillet in a bunch of butter, salt and pepper. Pretty much the only thing I have eaten fresh. I plan on trying the heart that way this year though.

[bobear]

It's always the heart for us too.  Thinly sliced and cooked with some onions and potatoes.  Best meal ever!  Then wash it down with a nice cold IPA.

[7mmfan]

It's always the heart for us too.  Thinly sliced and cooked with some onions and potatoes.  Best meal ever!  Then wash it down with a nice cold IPA.

You ruined it with the IPA. To hoppy. Give me a good Hef.

[BULLBLASTER]

Usually whatever I had for dinner that day anyways. Sometimes frozen burritos or hamburgers or possibly a mtn house. Doesn’t really make any difference to me.

[pianoman9701]

Liver and heart, always.

[TommyGun496]

Heart cut up in cubes pan fried in butter...and some Snake River!

[Stein]

OK, if we're on first game meal and not night of the kill, I usually go with backstrap.  Most often it would be pan fried with whatever I have on hand and hopefully blue cheese on top.  I don't usually have an open fire or bbq so a simple pan fry is the answer.

What I should do is wait two days and then cook up the tenderloin, especially on deer and antelope.  They just don't freeze well (small size = freezer burn loss is too great), don't benefit from aging beyond a day or two and would make the best first meal IMO.

Heart would be a close second, but I like to save that unless with a hunter that has never had it.

I've also done the meals where you whack off a chunk of the front or rear leg and make some stew, tacos or whatever and that's great as well.

[wheels]

if i did heart in the pan

[WapitiTalk1]

I am not a heart, liver, etc. guy so once we get a chance to cook some elk up at camp, it’s loins cut about 3/4” thick and cooked quickly on a hot grill (little portable grill) I take to base camp (hickory smoke Alpine Touch is my camp meat seasoning of choice). A heap of fried, cubed tatos with red onions is the perfect compliment to the meat IMO (just salt n pepper here). Now, season (and area) permitting...a goodly amount of sliced up King Boleat or even Pine mushrooms, picked within the past few days, thrown on the grill in tin foil (a bit of butter and some Alpine Touch lemon pepper seasoning), truly shores up a feast fit for a king.  Now I'm getting hungry   

[Duckhunter14]

I always soak the heart in a salty brine overnight and then trim and cut into finger steaks the next evening an cook with bacon ends and an onion in the cast iron. There is never leftovers. Always do the bacon first, drain off most of the grease, then cook the onion and throw the heart in when the onion is almost done, along with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Once the heart is cooked to rare medium rare, throw the bacon back in and stir, then remove from heat. Serve with taters and salad and a cold brew. Well earned after packing out an elk.  @johnnyaustin44 always has seconds! 

[opdinkslayer]

 

That meal is 10 times better at hunting camp then at home though Clint. gonna have to cross paths at a huntin camp someday & break bread over a couple cold beers!