Elk Neck Meat

[Coveyleader]

Serious question, what do you do with neck meat from an elk? I love elk meat, but at the same time, I have a nose/taste bud that detects the smallest hint of game taste due to fat, etc. I always pack the neck out, but struggle with what to do with hit. It's just one big ball of fat with multiple layers of meat, fat, meat fat.

What do you guys do with it to make it edible?

 

[Austink47]

Mississippi roast.

 

[Harvey_NW]

Clean it up a bit and package it as a roast, or toss it right into the throat of the grinder.

As @Austink47 suggested, the Mississippi pot roast is a good one for those chunks. Some of the soft stuff will render, and the bigger stuff separates easily once it's fully cooked down.

 

[fisherman983]

I cut out the fat veins, tendons out best I can and then its ground up into burger or taken to a processor for pepperoni or beer dogs.

Any good muscle off the hams and backstraps is steak meat.. everything else is either burger I grind up with 25-30% beef fat or specialty meats from a processor.

I've only ever done a couple roasts with venison/elk and they were horrible. Save that for beef with good fat/flavor.
Steak it or grind it

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

 

[Steve from GA]

I think it’s one of the best cuts. I make stews with it and recently made a batch of chili that was awesome. For the chili, I simply cut it up in small pieces rather than grind it. Neck roasts and shanks are magic.

 

[KevinClimbs]

The key with neck meat is to slow cook it until it is tender (in crock pot, Dutch oven, etc). Most slow cooking or braise recipes will work. If it's not tender you are not cooking it long enough.

 

[WaWox]

Neck is perhaps the second most prized cut after backstrap for me in general across species.

Slow cook / braise for 6h+. Ideally bone in. All the collagen disintegrates into gelatine and it makes for the richest most amazing stew. My kids love it too. More than any other venison dish.

I haven't ever noticed any gaminess to it, across several necks from blacktail, goats, and admittedly only one elk. But that guy was ancient, tail end of the rut, and in sagebrush terrain. So you'd think he'd be the worst type of elk to turn into meat. But nope, it's been great.

In my experience, the gaminess doesn't come from any neck fat. The candlewax texture comes much stronger from fat around the organs and ribcage.

 

[Soj51hopeful]

All the elks I’ve killed haven’t had an excessive amount of fat in the neck. What you’re describing sounds more like ribs. ?

 

[Jake Larsen]

2nd most prized cut of meat on the entire animal, behind loin. Surface clean and package in 2 1/2 - 2 3/4 lbs packages. Fast and easy on the cleanup…worry only about blood, dirt and hair. I’ve got about a dozen recipes that all rely on slow cooking in various stock bases for 10-12 hours, until all the connective tissues melt away. Creates a delicious texture of shredded meat that makes incredible curries, stews, barbacoa, pot pies, ect.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MuleyFever]

Crock pot. Always tuns out great.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Not that much fat in the neck that is described. All goes in the grind pile.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I don't remember seeing any fat on elk necks - ever. I just bone it out and it goes into the hamburger pile.

 

[peterk123]

One of my favorite parts of any animal. When I field dress the animal I take the neck in two pieces. The right side and the left. I just filet the meat of the neck bones. At home I roll them up and tie it off with string.

Then it gets slow cooked in wine and bone broth, herbs spices and veggies. All the fat and whatever else is on it cooks off and adds flavor to the broth.

At the end, thicken that broth for a wonderful gravy. Only thing better may be elk osso bucco. Only because I love eating the marrow.

 

[Thebigbaby]

Grind

 

[wapitibob]

roast or grind

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

One of my favorite cuts. Dutch oven 325 for 5-6 hours, comes out better than any other cut for slow cooking.

 

[Coveyleader]

All the elks I’ve killed haven’t had an excessive amount of fat in the neck. What you’re describing sounds more like ribs. ?

In the words of our last great president “ come on man”

I know where the ribs are, I shoot through through them! Ha.

 

[Coveyleader]

One of my favorite parts of any animal. When I field dress the animal I take the neck in two pieces. The right side and the left. I just filet the meat of the neck bones. At home I roll them up and tie it off with string.

Then it gets slow cooked in wine and bone broth, herbs spices and veggies. All the fat and whatever else is on it cooks off and adds flavor to the broth.

At the end, thicken that broth for a wonderful gravy. Only thing better may be elk osso bucco. Only because I love eating the marrow.

That’s how I take them off.

 

[butcherboy]

I grind mine. My family eats a lot of dishes with hamburger. Other options I would slow cook it and then shred it to make burritos, bbq, tamales, or chimichangas.

 

[JoeB]

slow cooker with beef stock and some other seasonings. Long and slow