Cooking elk steaks

[loggerchas]

How thick a cut due you have ill have to give this one a try

I cut my steaks 1/2” to 3/4” thick, steak everything I can down to silver dollar size pieces (or smaller!) grind or stew-meat the rest.

On a typical medium size mulie buck/doe I get 35+ packages steak (family of 3) and 15 packages burger (1.25#) if that gives a reference, don’t count elk packages usually as deer are my main go-to for success!


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[Azone]

I cook on a wood burning pit using Red oak and local seasoning mix. Even hot dogs and hamburgers are better on a real wood fire.

Oakwood makes everything better! That's the only thing that would suck about moving to the Rockies. Having to buy a gas grill would be painful to say the least.

 

[Downeaster]

At my house if you dont eat it rare or medium rare, there's some ham and bologna in the fridge to make sandwiches with because I'm not in the business of ruining venison

Snorted laughing. Thats how we feel around here but i like your verbage. You win quote of the day... That and $2 gets you a "free" coffee

 

[BK Ammenwerth]

I like it fairly simple. Olive oil, Montreal on grill with smoke. But everyone in my fav LOVES McCormick n Schmitt smokehouse maple rubbed on elk steaks. It is pretty amazing. Med/rare and let it rest for 10 min. Then dig in. Yum. Gonna have to make some tomorrow night.

We love pressure cooking crappy cuts and misc for tacos too. Dice 1 large Sweet onion, 6 cloves sliced garlic, mango orange juice concentrate, cumin, curry powder, red pepper flakes, chili powder, smoke paprika, garlic and onion powder. Sear all chunks of meat. Mix everything else up and throw in. Close lid, 55 min later it’s falling apart and there will never be leftovers.

 

[hayesplow]

As others have stated but sometimes we over cook or grill wild game meat which will surely make it tough and with no flavor.
When I process an elk, I only use the back straps and tenderloins to grill (Med Rare and then eat it right away)(do not let it set as it will keep cooking past the med rare stage) and then bake a ham roast. Every thing else goes for "hamburger" (10% kidney fat) and or stew meat.
Never had an elk meal I did not like.
My best,

 

[jmcd22]

How die they hold up over time
Looks promising

The grates? They are still running strong. They do get gunked up depending on what you are cooking but they clean up well.

 

[GreenV]

When I’m cooking for other people I don’t mind dolling it up a little, like in a popper, or with bacon. BUT I still don’t know if you can beat a briquette bbq cooked elk steak, not over cooked, simple seasonings.

 

[GreenV]

Stew in the crock pot is always a winter time favorite as well, easy to go out on a morning duck hunt and have hot stew ready when you get back.

 

[Tank76]

I season my elk and deer steaks with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder and let sit until room temp. I then melt a little Kerry’s Gold butter in a cast iron skillet and cook them for a couple minutes a side, allow to rest and slice.

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[Newtosavage]

Is it sacrilegious to use some oil and Montreal steak spice?


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Not in my house it isn't. That's just about all I use.

 

[JShane]

try a gorgonzola butter sauce simple salt and pepper garlic on the elk then the sauce

 

[Tranger03]

This is the perfect application for a sous vide. You set the temp, I do 130F, then it can't get over cooked and it tenderizes. Then you super hot sear on each side and it is perfect.

That sounds amazing. Off to buy a sous vide now before my elk harvest gets here.

 

[GibbyRX1]

Following

 

[jspradley]

One thing I recommend is not cutting your meat into steaks prior to freezing. That makes the cuts more versitile and cuts down on freezer burn losses due to less surface area

I'll take a big 1-2lb cut, sear the crap out of it all around, let it rest then slice it thin and serve carpaccio style. So good and makes it much less likely to overcook

 

[shedav14]

We use Sous Vide for almost all our steaks now. The flavor and texture is amazing. After cooking you can give it a good sear and your good to go.

 

[Boxerboxer]

Tons of good info here, but a few things I find make a big difference:

• Apply salt ahead. This works for just about any meat, but I like to get it on a steak at least 3 hrs in advance.
• Make sure the outside of the meat is as dry as possible. Moisture is the enemy of a good sear. Once way to do this is to put it on a grate/rack (so both sides are open to the air) in the freezer for just 30-40 minutes right before cooking. It's not long enough to freeze it but the freezer environment will take moisture from the surface just enough to get that good sear.
• I don't normally like to reverse sear, but there are two big exceptions. One is for sous vide, but the other is doing most of the cooking in a smoker over low (225-250F) heat. You get a lot of smoke flavor on the meat and get it up to maybe 115, 120, then sear it in a rippin hot pan, right over super hot coals, etc. A little smoke flavor goes a long way on a steak of any kind. It's great for fatty beef steaks too, as the fat will take even more smoke flavor.
• Less is more when it comes to seasoning. Marinades and rubs can be delicious, but my absolute favorite way to eat a steak is simply salt, maybe coarse ground pepper and a little hickory or oak smoke, and a really good sear top and bottom (sides too if it's thick).
• If you're cooking inside and searing up front, a great way to finish it (get it to temp) is to throw it in the oven on a bed of fresh rosemary. If you haven't tried that, you gotta.

 

[jspradley]

Tons of good info here, but a few things I find make a big difference:

• Apply salt ahead. This works for just about any meat, but I like to get it on a steak at least 3 hrs in advance.
• Make sure the outside of the meat is as dry as possible. Moisture is the enemy of a good sear. Once way to do this is to put it on a grate/rack (so both sides are open to the air) in the freezer for just 30-40 minutes right before cooking. It's not long enough to freeze it but the freezer environment will take moisture from the surface just enough to get that good sear.
• I don't normally like to reverse sear, but there are two big exceptions. One is for sous vide, but the other is doing most of the cooking in a smoker over low (225-250F) heat. You get a lot of smoke flavor on the meat and get it up to maybe 115, 120, then sear it in a rippin hot pan, right over super hot coals, etc. A little smoke flavor goes a long way on a steak of any kind. It's great for fatty beef steaks too, as the fat will take even more smoke flavor.
• Less is more when it comes to seasoning. Marinades and rubs can be delicious, but my absolute favorite way to eat a steak is simply salt, maybe coarse ground pepper and a little hickory or oak smoke, and a really good sear top and bottom (sides too if it's thick).
• If you're cooking inside and searing up front, a great way to finish it (get it to temp) is to throw it in the oven on a bed of fresh rosemary. If you haven't tried that, you gotta.

This guy knows what's up!!!

Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs with any red meat. Sage and Juniper Berries are awesome with venison too!