Elk Backstrap with Red Wine Mushrooms
Perfectly medium-rare elk backstrap seared in a cast iron pan with rich and flavorful sauteed mushrooms and a hint of rosemary and red wine. This recipe is a great way to elevate a beautiful steak!
Servings: 2
Calories: 351kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 oz elk backstrap (or venison, moose, antelope, etc.)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon pork lard
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ½ cup red wine
Instructions
- Pat steak dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and pepper.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot but not smoking, add lard and swirl to coat pan.
- Place steak into pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until bottom of steak develops a nice crust without overcooking the bottom half of the steak.
- Flip the steak and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Flip again and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, repeating as needed until the internal temperature reaches 120-125°F for medium-rare. If the sides of the steak still look raw, briefly sear each side for 20–30 seconds. Depending on the thickness of your steak, you may not need the shorter flipping intervals. Begin checking the temperature after the second flip.
- Remove steak to a plate to rest for at least 10 minutes. This is arguably the most important step in cooking a perfectly juicy steak.
- While steak is resting, cook mushrooms. Add mushrooms to hot pan. Don't clean the pan before adding the mushrooms. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the mushrooms release their liquid and reabsorb it.
- Add butter and rosemary sprigs to mushrooms. Stir to melt the butter, about 1 minute.
- Add in red wine and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until wine is reduced and there is a small amount of sauce in the pan. Taste the mushrooms and add salt and pepper if needed. They may already have enough from what was left in the pan from cooking the steak.
- Slice steak into ½" slices and serve with mushrooms on top. If you have any sauce left in the pan, drizzle it over the steak. Enjoy!
Notes
- Patting the steak dry with paper towels helps achieve the perfect crust on the outside of the steak.
- If you come across a bottle of wine you're not too fond of drinking, save it in the fridge and use it for recipes like this!
- Allowing the mushrooms to release their liquid and reabsorb it without adding cooking fat intensifies the flavor of the mushrooms and leads to a more delicious finished product.
Nutrition
Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 273mg | Potassium: 1211mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 179IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 5mg
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