Recipe for Zinfandel Infused Elk Ribeyes with Red Wine Reduction

1. 60 minutes before you are ready to cook, place the infusion plank into a bucket or sink filled with water to soak.
2. 45 minutes before you are ready to cook, season the elk ribeyes generously on all sides with the salt, garlic and pepper. Set them on a rack to dry in the refrigerator. If they aren't the same thickness, you can tie them up a little to ensure that every steak cooks around the same rate.
3. After an hour, remove the infusion plank from the water and place it onto your grill. Preheat the grill to 300°F.
4. Once the grill is up to temperature and the plank is beginning to smoke a little, carefully pour some of the Zinfandel from the bottle into the plank. Place the game steaks onto the plank and cook for up to an hour, until an internal temperature of 125°F. Remove the steaks from the grill. 
5. While the game is gently cooking, being infused with the delicious flavors of the wine and plank, make the shallot oil. Peel and slice the shallots thinly. Place a medium-large saucepan on the side burner or on your stove. Heat the oil to between 350°F and 365°F. Once at the right temperature, add all of the shallots, frying until they are golden and crispy. Turn off the heat and remove the shallots from the oil, onto a paper towel to drain. Season with salt to taste. The oil has now been infused with intense shallot flavor. Use this as a cooking oil, garnish and finishing oil or the base of a salad dressing. Once drained and cooled the shallots are nice and crispy and will make a fantastic garnish. 
6. This step is optional and will only remove your garnish for the final plating.  
7. Make the Red Wine Reduction by adding 1 tbsp. of shallot oil, 1 cup of Gnarly Head Zinfandel, balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer the wine mixture until reduced and syrupy. Remove the fresh herbs and drop in the cubed butter, one square at a time, mixing until fully incorporated. 
8. Once the meat has reached the perfect temperature, about 10°F away from done, remove them from the barbecue and allow them to rest while you heat up the infrared sear station side burner or main burners to high. Sear the elk over high heat until delicious grill marks form. Serve them with your favorite seasonal vegetables and potatoes. Top the steaks with a drizzle of wine reduction and a handful of crispy shallots.

PRO TIP: Use the shallot oil when cooking the veggies and mashing potatoes for extra tasty goodness

This recipe for Zinfandel Infused Elk Ribeyes with Red Wine Reduction is great. Feel free to substitute steaks of beef or even lamb for the main protein in this recipe. Zinfandel is a fantastic wine to pair with barbecue and red meats in particular. Traditional red wine reduction sauces require you to strain the shallots out or have a chunky sauce. I didn’t want that and found a way to infuse the delicious flavor of shallot in the sauce. Yes, making your own shallot oil is an extra step, however, the reward is worth it in the end. Not only do you have loads of extra infused oil to use for other recipes, but you have a fantastic garnish too. What game meats do you barbecue? Share your favorite game meat BBQ recipes and photos on our social pages like Facebook and Instagram, using the hashtags #SummerJustGotLit, #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonGrills.

Happy Grilling!