Hunting & Cooking: Elk Pho

One of the perks of harvesting your own animal is the opportunity to utilize different parts of the animal. An elk can provide a family with a freezer full of various steaks, ground meat for hamburger or sausage, and cuts for roasts, stews, and even homemade jerky. Expanding past the basic harvesting narrative of steaks and burgers, a hunter can also process and prepare meals from the heart, tongue, kidneys, and liver. 

Beyond cooking, other parts of the animal can be used for a variety of purposes. The list is only bound by the limits of one’s creativity. I have seen antlers, horns, feathers, and teeth manipulated into gorgeous jewelry pieces. The ivory teeth from elk make incredibly beautiful rings or pendants. Antlers are fantastic yard art. There are even projects like crafting a Christmas tree from antlers. 

One of my favorite extras from harvesting my own game is homemade stock. I try and make as much stock as possible from any animal I hunt, such as pheasant, chukars, wild turkey, elk, and deer. The process is pretty much the same every time, roast the bones and any desired supplemental vegetables such as onions, carrots, celery, and season to fit the desired recipe.

For this elk pho, the bone stock is seasoned with coriander, lots of star anise, and salty fish sauce. The marrow from the elk bones adds hearty fat to the broth and makes for a silky and smooth texture. The elk steak is gently cooked using the homemade stock and then the entire bowl is seasoned to one’s personal desires. I personally like to make mine sweet and salty with the hoisin and soy sauce, then kick up the heat with chili paste and fresh jalapeno slices. And of course, you can’t forget the fresh basil leaves, crunchy bean sprouts, and a squeeze of tangy lime wedges. 

Stock ingredients

• 4 pounds elk bones
• 1 large yellow onion
• Fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 4 star anise pods
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 4 quarts water
• 8 oz. package dried rice noodles, medium size
• 1½ to 2 pounds flat iron elk steak

Suggested garnishes and condiments

• Thai or Italian basil
• Cilantro or culantro, if you can find it
• Lime wedges
• Dandelion greens
• Green onions
• Bean sprouts
• Jalapeno slices
• Fresh mint leaves
• Hoisin sauce
• Fish sauce
• Chili paste
• Sriracha
• Soy sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  
2. Place soup bones, onion, and ginger on large baking sheet. Bake the bones for one hour, onion for 45 minutes, and ginger slices for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. In a large crockpot, place roasted elk bones, onion, ginger slices, fish sauce, star anise, salt, and coriander. Cover with four quarts water and set to low simmer: simmer the broth for at least a few hours, and up to ten.
4. Once broth is finished simmering, run through a fine mesh sieve to remove bones, onion, ginger, and star anise. Spoon off any excess fat.  
5. Place rice noodles in bowl of water and allow to soak for one hour.
6. Add noodles to pot of boiling water and boil for one minute.
7. Thinly slice elk steak. The steak is cooked using only the heat of the elk stock, so slice the elk into as thin as possible sheets! 
8. Heat elk broth in large stock pot until thoroughly warmed.
9. Fill bowls with hot elk stock and add in the elk steak slices. Allow to cook into the stock for two or three minutes before adding the rice noodles. 
10. Flavor the bowls with garnishment and condiments, as desired.
11. Enjoy! 

Lindsey Bartosh is an eighth-generation Moab girl who loves hiking, hunting, fishing, cooking, writing, photography and working on her website: www.huntingandcooking.com.