I served this smoked moose roast recipe with crispy baked potatoes, fresh green beans, and Yorkshire pudding with beef demi-glace. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
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I love a good fruit sauce with wild game, so for this moose roast recipe, I chose cranberries – a fruit that moose might eat in their boggy habitat. If only I had access to wild cranberry and mint to make the sauce from scratch, which complemented the moose well; a dash of cardamom added a unique savory-sweet taste. What does moose taste like? Surprisingly mild, like lean mutton.
Everything about this recipe says the holidays. If you’re a big game hunter and would like to skip the turkey or prime rib this Thanksgiving or Christmas, try this recipe with moose, elk or deer. Adjust smoking time accordingly to accommodate the size of your loin or roast.
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Smoked Moose Roast with Cranberry-Mint Sauce Serves: 6 Prep time: 2 hours Cook time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 ½ pounds of moose loin or tender roast Traeger Big Game Rub , or your favorite rub2 teaspoons olive oil 1 (14-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce 1 tablespoon freshly chopped mint, packed ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom Kosher salt, to taste Freshly cracked pepper, to taste Special equipment:
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Directions:
Tie moose loin or roast with kitchen twine, and then season with kosher salt and allow to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours. After salting your moose roast, let it sit for a couple of hours at room temperature. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Prepare smoker and set temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. While smoker is preheating, heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. When the oil begins to smoke, quickly sear the meat on all sides for a golden crust. Take meat off heat and sprinkle generously with rub. Searing the moose on all sides will give it a delicious crust. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) Smoke the meat at 275 degrees until the internal temperature reads 125 degrees, about 1 hour. I recommend using a probe thermometer to take out the guess work. Take the meat off heat and wrap loosely in foil to allow the meat to carry over to 135 degrees for medium rare. Use a probe monitor to check the temperature of your moose roast. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) While the moose is smoking, make the cranberry-mint sauce. In a saucepan, combine the cranberry sauce, mint, cardamom, and a pinch of salt and pepper, to taste. Heat on low until warmed through, stirring occasionally. The cranberry-mint sauce in this recipe complements the smoked moose roast perfectly. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo) After the meat has rested for about 10-15 minutes, slice against the grain and serve with the cranberry-mint sauce with your favorite sides. Allow the smoked moose roast to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. (Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley photo)
