First Ground Elk

[heidih]

I fell into the lure of Wild Fork and an item I bought was ground elk - 1 pound. My plan was to turn it into meatballs much like @Shelby does with venison. Then afer a horrid day but with kitchen time & space & sleep not happening I decided on free form "meatloaf" in case it did not hold together as balls.  I'd already thought to add my neices undercooked mushroom rissotto (not her fault - shrew asking is it ready yet repeatedly). So I broke 2 eggs in bowl, pepper, generous sprinke of spicy dried onion/garlic, meat, dashes of soy. asdded in the rice dish but it didn't feel right so added a pacml of seasoned small croutons from  salad kit. Forned it into a patty and baked at 350 for approx half hour. The elk does not have a lot of strong taste but is to me SO much nicer than say ground beef. No granular taste or fat taste you get even with low% fat and still moist. If you can get it - worth experimenting.

[Smithy]

How interesting! I'm not sure I've ever had elk in any form. Venison, antelope -- yes. Not elk. Thanks for the report.

[heidih]

I just finished it off tonight. I'll definitely buy again. Thanks again to @KennethT for the prompt. 

[lemniscate]

During the winter months, I will order the ground elk offerings from Costco, only when they go on sale (sometimes up to $50 off on special).  They've had more offerings like preformed elk burgers and elk medallions. 

**  EDITING to add that the elk burgers and medallions are still on the Costco site as of 9/7/2023 and the preformed burgers are onsale online $50USD off.

This is not economical meat but for game meat it's more affordable if you have the space to store it.

I'd say elk is my number 3 fave, bison is first, wild boar is second.   The venison I've ordered hasn't been loved by the household so I quit buying it.

 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2023 by lemniscate
correction (log)

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

Elk is one of my favorites. I first had it a zillion years ago in a Bavarian restaurant in Black Hawk, Colorado (now replaced by yet another casino) and loved it at first bite. A friend has a swoon-worthy recipe for elk with porcini, but it's been a few years since he was able to get an elk during the season. Which is just as well, since my stash of dry porcini is pretty much depleted.

[Cleobeach]

I have many hunters in my life and elk regularly makes an appearance on the table.  I enjoy it very much. The only time Elk has disappointed me was a bar/grill style restaurant, the elk burger was very dry.

[heidih]

1 hour ago, Cleobeach said:

I have many hunters in my life and elk regularly makes an appearance on the table.  I enjoy it very much. The only time Elk has disappointed me was a bar/grill style restaurant, the elk burger was very dry.

Hello @Cleobeach The elk I used was from Wild Fork and is "pasture raised, grass fed, and grass finished". I imagine hunted elk have varied diets and living circumstances which can affect taste and texture. Skill in handling such lean meat of course also big deal.

 

As an aside I've gone on this feed rids - fascinating to be so close up.  https://www.highonadventure.com/hoa17mar/yvette/idaho-winter.htm

[TdeV]

Hello @Cleobeach. Many fabulous folk here. Welcome to eGullet.

[Cleobeach]

2 hours ago, heidih said:

Hello @Cleobeach The elk I used was from Wild Fork and is "pasture raised, grass fed, and grass finished". I imagine hunted elk have varied diets and living circumstances which can affect taste and texture. Skill in handling such lean meat of course also big deal.

 

As an aside I've gone on this feed rids - fascinating to be so close up.  https://www.highonadventure.com/hoa17mar/yvette/idaho-winter.htm

The bad elk burger was at a "dive" bar type of place that likely wasn't sourced from a higher-end provider.  

 

When I moved after college, I was unpleasantly surprised by the different taste of venison from what I knew growing up. 

 

I might need to make a Costco run for elk medallions.  

[lemniscate]

I had always been told of a "old wives tale" that elk meat should not be cooked or paired with milk due to creating a slimy feeling on the tongue when eating.

 

Tonight I totally forgot about that tale and cooked some elk burgers in the green chile/tomatillo crema sauce and served over noodles.

 

No one reported any weird sensations except that the chiles were pretty hot in the crema sauce.  To me, the spice was perfect.

 

I had heard the elk/dairy warning from multiple sources over the decades, but now I know there's no basis to it.  

 

 I did drink a nice strong tripel beer with it though.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I was introduced to elk by relatives who hunted.    When first married, we were bombarded with all cuts of elk in efforts to help our starving student budget.    I never really learned to love it.    It is "sweet".    Needs to be cooked as rare as is safe since it dries out easily.    Ground was good in chili.    Stews/braises okay.   Steaks certainly not beef.    Just my take.