For Wyoming residents who earned their degrees at the state’s only university, the Buckhorn in Laramie is a place where generations have made memories.

Laramie’s oldest watering hole means different things for different people. Some may recall the story behind the infamous bullet hole, while others may remember the Cowboys’ 1999 upset of BYU when students tore down the goalpost at War Memorial Stadium and paraded it to the Buckhorn. Most may even recall seeing or even performing the so-called “Buckhorn roll.” While the bar’s history has certainly had lively chapters, this is a food column. This week, we’re concerned about a particular piece of the Buckhorn’s storied past: its elk roast dinners.

The Famous Buckhorn Elk Roast

One of the entries in the University of Wyoming’s “Black Tie and Cowboy Boots: Timeless Traditions from the New West” focuses on the dinners that took place at the Buckhorn during the 1970s. According to the cookbook, the owner would prepare free elk roast dinners for UW students. The book states students would look forward to the annual dinner, with alumni still reminiscing about them whenever they meet up at reunions. With so much hype surrounding this roast, it’s hard not to think it will be anything less than spectacular. Yes, I can confirm it is a tasty dish, and I can’t help but feel like I missed out by being born a couple of decades too late.

What you’ll need:

• 1 elk, antelope, or venison roast ranging between 5 and 8 pounds
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 10 ounce can of tomato soup
• 1 10 ounce can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup of ketchup
• 1/2 cup of Heinz 57 sauce
• 1/2 cup of A1 steak sauce
• 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 large onion, sliced into rings
• 1 cup of chopped carrots
• 1 cup of chopped celery

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Using a heavy roasting pan, sear all sides of the roast in olive oil. Combine the soups, sauces, ketchup, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Pour it over the roast and add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cover, then roast for 2-3 hours until it is very tender, basting every half hour with the sauce. 

Notes: I ended up using a beef roast that was a little over 2 1/2 pounds because 1.) The size of roast in the recipe is way too much meat for me to deal with and 2.) I couldn’t source an actual elk roast affordably. As such, I had to halve the recipe. It worked out quite well. The cookbook notes the roast can be cooked in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours. It also recommends serving it with mashed potatoes and mentions the sauce makes a great gravy (which I can confirm.)