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Home » Wild Game » Venison » Elk Tenderloin with Ancho Sauce

Elk Tenderloin with Ancho Sauce

By Hank Shaw on March 20, 2017, Updated October 14, 2021 - 10 Comments

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4.93 from 13 votes
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elk tenderloin with ancho sauce on the plate

Cooking an elk tenderloin is a special occasion. If you’re like most people, you don’t shoot an elk every year, and each elk only has two tenderloins, which are the same cut as filet mignon in beef.

Given that, almost everyone just sears or grills their elk backstrap or tenderloin simply. As jazz great Thelonius Monk would say, straight, no chaser.

Well, this recipe has a chaser. And it is a good one. No, a great one. It’s this ancho sauce.

I have become a student of Mexican cooking, and one thing that struck me was how reliant Mexican food is on sauces; I daresay even moreso than French cooking. Everything from chunky salsas to smooth dipping sauces and rich, complicated moles. Well there are simpler sauces, too.

This is one of them. I found the recipe in Chef Enrique Olvera’s book Mexico from the Inside Out, which is a beautiful book centered around Chef Olvera’s famous Mexico City restaurant. Most of his dishes are complex, beautiful, white-linen affairs. But if you tease out the components you can find simple jewels. Like this ancho sauce.

All it consists of are ancho chiles, caramelized onions and garlic. Olvera’s version is picante, as he uses the hotter arbol chiles. I wanted a more approachable, mellower base sauce here, and the mild, almost raisiny anchos do the trick; dried ancho chiles are easier to find, too.

Why a sauce at all? Well, let’s face it: Both backstrap and elk tenderloin are, as the name suggests, super tender. But they are also fairly light in flavor. Nothing like a ribeye or flatiron steak. The ancho sauce provides some bass in the music on the plate.

The zippy pico de gallo adds bright, high notes. It’s a basic pico — white onion soaked in lime juice, diced tomato, cilantro — only I use habanero chiles instead of serranos. You can use whatever chile you want. But it should be as spicy as you feel comfortable with.

finished elk tenderloin with ancho sauce
Photos by Holly A. Heyser

You may notice something on the sides of the tenderloin medallion. That’s dried, powdered green onion with some black pepper. It is a cheffy touch I like, as it adds one more layer of flavor. But you can skip that if you want.

No matter whether you like your deer or elk tenderloin simple or not, make this ancho sauce. Serve it alongside any red meat, pork, or turkey. Or hell, dip tortilla chips in it.

elk tenderloin recipe
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4.93 from 13 votes

Elk Tenderloin with Ancho Sauce

Obviously I use elk tenderloin here, but any red meat, pork or even turkey would work well with this ancho sauce. Dried ancho chiles are easily found in most large supermarkets, and if yours doesn't have them, look for a Latin market or get them online. The sauce will keep for a week in the fridge, so you can make it ahead or make more for chips later. 
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time45 mins
Total Time1 hr 15 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 478kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

ANCHO SAUCE

  • 1 large white onion, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons lard, corn oil or olive oil
  • 3 or 4 dried ancho chiles, seeded and destemmed
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt

ELK or DEER

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable, canola or grapeseed oil (high smoke point)
  • salt
  • 2 pounds elk or deer backstrap or tenderloin
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper, finely ground
  • 1 tablespoon dried, powdered green onion (optional)

Instructions

  • Make the ancho sauce. Heat the lard in a small pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook slowly until it caramelizes, about 40 minutes. You may need to cover the pan and/or add a tablespoon of water here and there to keep the onions from burning. Take your time with this step, as it's important to the flavor.
  • Meanwhile, remove stem and seeds from the anchos and pour boiling water over them. When the onions are ready, tear the anchos into pieces and add to the pan with the garlic and salt. Cook 5 minutes, then pour everything into a blender and puree until smooth. (this step can be done several days ahead.)
  • Take the tenderloin out of the fridge, salt it well and let it come to room temperature while you make the sauce, about 30 minutes or so. 
  • Cook the tenderloin. Heat the oil in a pan that will fit the tenderloin over medium-high heat. Pat the elk dry with paper towels and sear on all sides. Use the finger test for doneness to determine when it's done. 
  • Coat the meat in the black pepper and dried onion, if using. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Spread some ancho sauce on a plate, slice the tenderloin into medallions and top with pico de gallo, if using. 

Notes

Pico de gallo doesn't really need a recipe, but if you're lost, dice 4 plum tomatoes, 1 white onion, some cilantro and as much hot chile as you like. Soak the onions in lime juice for 20 minutes, then toss together. 

Nutrition

Calories: 478kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 705mg | Potassium: 1383mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 6953IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 7mg
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Filed Under: Featured, Mexican, Recipe, Venison, Wild Game

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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Comments

  1. Avatar for Chris DavidChris David says

    September 27, 2021 at 1:11 pm

    Actually I will use the gremolata on other dishes too from now on. And last – I used mashed potatoes (as I did not have polenta) it worked perfect. Thank you for the great recipe. Visit us: https://www.beckandbulow.com

    Reply
  2. Avatar for John BennJohn Benn says

    September 25, 2017 at 12:37 am

    Made this tonight with a venison backstrap …omg absolutely delicious! Just added a squeeze of lime juice and some water to the sauce and it was perfect. Thank you for a wonderful recipe. Definitely a keeper.

    Reply
  3. Avatar for EricEric says

    April 11, 2017 at 7:39 pm

    Wonderful recipe!

    Reply
  4. Avatar for JoeJoe says

    March 27, 2017 at 3:51 pm

    Love it when you put out a recipe that I already have all the ingredients in advance

    Reply
  5. Avatar for John KinardJohn Kinard says

    March 20, 2017 at 9:00 pm

    yup. this is going down with venison tenderloin… SOON!

    Reply
  6. Avatar for Mike MaloneMike Malone says

    March 20, 2017 at 7:26 pm

    Hey, what about the hunt story?
    Mike M

    Reply
  7. Avatar for JohnJohn says

    March 20, 2017 at 10:08 am

    Excellent! I’ll have to give this one a whirl, but most likely with something other than Elk. There isn’t much Elk going through our house : )

    In the photo, is that gravel the plate is sitting on? Whatever it is, it provides a really interesting background. Where did you get that idea?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      March 20, 2017 at 10:09 am

      John: It’s sand. Just wanted to mix things up, that’s all.

      Reply
  8. Avatar for Donald RauDonald Rau says

    March 20, 2017 at 8:45 am

    Looks great! How many anchos would you recommend for the sauce?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      March 20, 2017 at 9:03 am

      Donald: Haha! Oops, good catch. Adjusted the recipe. You will want 3 or 4 anchos.

      Reply

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Hi, my name is Hank Shaw. I am a James Beard Award-winning author and chef and I focus my energies on wild foods: Foraging, fishing, hunting. I write cookbooks as well as this website, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild game, fish, or edible wild plants and mushrooms, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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