Eland, like all game meat, is very lean, so fat has to be added for a stew such as this potjie recipe. The eland does in fact have more fat than most other wild animals, but the meaty muscles are free of it. I added pork spek, always a good option for venison. Mutton fat can be used too.

It truly is so close to beef in flavour that you may be hard-pressed to tell them apart. But focus your palate on the meat’s flavour and texture and you should find that its flavour is just that bit more delicious.

By contrast, earlier we had braaied a piece of eland fillet with only salt, pepper and olive oil, over hot coals, to get the unadulterated flavour of the meat. 

This recipe is paired with this column about the king of venison.

Ingredients

150 g pork spek, chopped

2 large carrots, finely chopped

3 leeks, washed, rinsed and chopped

200 g fatty back bacon

2 kg eland meat, cubed

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock

Coarse salt to taste

Eland marinade:

1 cup red jerepigo

1 cup Merlot

2 Tbsp brown grape vinegar

½ cup Mrs HS Ball’s original recipe chutney

3 garlic cloves, chopped

Peel and juice of 1 late-season orange

4 rosemary sprigs

1 Tbsp Szechuan peppercorns

1 tsp chilli flakes

2 tsp crushed coriander seeds

1 tsp crushed black pepper

½ tsp coarse salt

The marinade, ready for the cubes of meat. (Photo: Tony Jackman)

Method

Start the previous day. Mix all marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the eland meat and massage it with clean hands so all the meat is well covered. Refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge an hour before cooking it.

Have coals ready and a clean potjie. Put coals underneath and let it get hot. Add the pork spek and leave it to sizzle for a few minutes.

Add the carrots and leeks, cook for five minutes, stirring now and then, and then add the diced back bacon. Cook, stirring, for another five minutes.

Add the meat and all its marinade ingredients (everything including the peel) and the vegetable stock, season with salt, stir, and put the lid on.

Keep the coals low but regular for several hours while the meat becomes tender. Mine cooked for four hours. The cooking stock should remain wet throughout, but if it does begin to dry up (which will mean you’ve been putting too many coals under the potjie), add water or stock and let it return to a simmer.

Serve with mashed potato, pap or rice. DM/TGIFood

Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Champion 2021. His book, foodSTUFF, is available in the DM Shop. Buy it here. 

Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks. Share your versions of his recipes with him on Instagram and he’ll see them and respond.

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