Take a length of back strap that is about 1-2" shorter than a strip of bacon. Aggressively season the outside with you're preference of grilling spices (mine--Tony's, Montreal Steak seasoning, pepper, some salt, onion powder, garlic powder).
Make a bacon lattice which is wide enough to fully wrap around the strap and long enough to cover the ends (which is a bit of trouble and I use thick-cut bacon because it is harder to tear and protects meat better). Wrap the back strap in the bacon lattice. Secure sides by tying with cooking string every 3" or so. Can season the outside of the bacon, but that's not necessary if the elk is aggressively seasoned. Leave in fridge over night wrapped in Saran wrap. [font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I used metal skewers on the ends, so didn't place night before. They do good job supporting meat and making it easier to handle.[/font]
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Pre-heat your grill. Will need some high-direct heat and moderate indirect. My grill does a good job on sear setting at high heat. Grease the grill plates. Put meat on the grill. Rotate it and avoid over-cooking the bacon. This is tricky as the meat is often difficult to turn since it's not perfectly round. (That's why the metal skewers are handy to give you a grip with tongs). This process does not take long if the fire is hot, just a few minutes. After bacon is cooked, but not overly, move meat off heat to indirect part and cook another ~10-12 mins (longer if you like it more done, but not longer than 15-20 mins--can check temp with meat thermometer to desired doneness). Take off heat and let it rest. I like my meat pretty rare. Elk, like deer and other game, is very easy to overcook and it gets tough. Can always put meat back on grill after slicing to sear the sides for ninnies who don't like "cool red center".[/font]
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]If done right, bacon sears to form an almost solid coating. It is quite good, unless hopelessly charred. The ladies tend to peel the bacon off and just eat the meat. Shouldn't be dry and tough like a lot of elk ruined on the grill...[/font]
[font=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I like it with roasted potatoes and creamed spinach. [/font]
We bought a smoker (Louisiana pit boss) to do our own jerky.. and that was awesome.. but in a near the same fashion as macrulz we'll prepare back strap for a number of dishes.. We cut all our own meat and used to steak out everything and then freeze it. We've found that's a mistake and if you can leave it in chunks it saves on freezer burn.. cut the back strap into 3rds or about 8" to 10" chunks, use a dry rub (Montreal) is a great one and wrap in a few slices of bacon and then smoke it till it hits around 160 inner temp. Others might have other preferences but that works for us. This salad for instance didn't even require a dressing, the juices from the meat alone was just right...
Elk and mushroom crock pot.
Elk roast straight from freezer to crock pot
Condensed cream of mushroom soup (we like Trader Joe's portabella)
Potatoes, carrots, and onions. That is it.
Then there is the simple elk skillet
Elk burger browned
McCormicks steak seasoning mix
Add to rice pilaf
