Ground Elk fat %

Zappaman

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Fat HAS to be in there or it's "dry" and flavorless-- ESPECIALLY on sausage. I make a BEEF fat sausage (15%) and a PORK fat sausage (25%)- they are different but equally tasty. I serve the beef sausage with (any) steaks on the grill and the pork sausage goes well flattened out with eggs (and stews or anything cajun!)
 

CoStick

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Adding fat to elk would be like putting ketchup on bacon or steak sauce on a high end steak.
 

Marble

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I found a butcher shop where I live that sells a lot of wagyu beef. About a month before season I remind the butcher and he holds close to 50 pounds for me. I use it to add to all of our deer and elk. It makes better burger than any other burger you've ever had. Unbelievable. I almost prefer it to my backstrap and tenderloin it's so good.

We usually do close to 20%, maybe a bit less.

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CoStick

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I found a butcher shop where I live that sells a lot of wagyu beef. About a month before season I remind the butcher and he holds close to 50 pounds for me. I use it to add to all of our deer and elk. It makes better burger than any other burger you've ever had. Unbelievable. I almost prefer it to my backstrap and tenderloin it's so good.

We usually do close to 20%, maybe a bit less.

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Why not just have a wagyu burgers if you prefer it to elk?
 

Doodle

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Northern California
I found a butcher shop where I live that sells a lot of wagyu beef. About a month before season I remind the butcher and he holds close to 50 pounds for me. I use it to add to all of our deer and elk. It makes better burger than any other burger you've ever had. Unbelievable. I almost prefer it to my backstrap and tenderloin it's so good.

We usually do close to 20%, maybe a bit less.

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Yikes man, that must be a serious tab! Love me some wagyu but holy smokes, I don’t think I could stomach the bill for 50lbs of the stuff. More power to ya though. I’ll definitely try it with a smaller batch at some point.
 
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Marble

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Why not just have a wagyu burgers if you prefer it to elk?


I'm just cutting it with some left over fat from his trimmings. I should have been more clear.

I have 250 to 300 pounds of grind from my elk and the wagyu is free. They are just throwing it out so it's cheaper and tastes wonderful.

And we don't particularly like beef after eating elk and deer for so long. The texture and flavor of elk is different and better.

We make tacos, burgers, spaghetti, stroganoff, meat loaf and some bratwurst.



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Marble

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Yikes man, that must be a serious tab! Love me some wagyu but holy smokes, I don’t think I could stomach the bill for 50lbs of the stuff. More power to ya though. I definitely try it with a smaller batch at some point.
It's free. It's the trimmings from the larger cuts he taking fat off of.

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Doodle

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I'm just cutting it with some left over fat from his trimmings. I should have been more clear.

I have 250 to 300 pounds of grind from my elk and the wagyu is free. They are just throwing it out so it's cheaper and tastes wonderful.

And we don't particularly like beef after eating elk and deer for so long. The texture and flavor of elk is different and better.

We make tacos, burgers, spaghetti, stroganoff, meat loaf and some bratwurst.



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Beat me to it.
 

Zappaman

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To each their own. But I prefer a (juicy) rib eye to a (dry) sirloin and so when I can add it in- I do. But I save the pork fat for sausage I make from the rougher cuts (from elk and deer) I grind. Otherwise I use top grade (Cargill) beef fat in a HOT black iron skillet- much perferred! But I'll do bacon wrapped around grilled back-strap and tenderloins as it's easy and gives it some flavor on the grill.
 

Marble

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I think he’s saying that he prefers his wagyu blended burgers to backstrap (almost), not that he prefers wagyu to elk.
Almost is right.

I made carpacio out of some cold smoked, seasoned backstrap Saturday evening from my mule deer from 2020. Holy smokes it was melt in your mouth tender and delicous. Not game eaters were asking for more

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Pacific_Fork

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Adding fat to elk would be like putting ketchup on bacon or steak sauce on a high end steak.

Except natural grass fed animal fat has significant nutritional benefits when added to lean protein rich game meat, where as ketchup and steak sauce is generally the opposite.
 

Zappaman

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I also had some back-strap from my 2020 deer just tonight- grilled with some beet fat set right to the sides on the grill for some "flame" (and I rub the fat on the steaks while it's "flaming")... super flavor and beats $25/lb beef prime tenderloin all day long-- aren't we lucky to have such amazing food!!!
 

CoStick

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Do you put anything on your burgers? Or just meat on the bun?
Meat, bun and lettuce and tomato from garden. We make the buns as well. We mostly make meat balls or mix in for bolognese sauce. Kids love it. Elk and deer are the only meat we eat.
 

Zappaman

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Eastern Kansas
Except natural grass fed animal fat has significant nutritional benefits when added to lean protein rich game meat, where as ketchup and steak sauce is generally the opposite.
This is a fact... according to Jim Mayo (who is retired biology faculty at ESU Kansas, and a "prime" beef rancher)... grass fed beef is HIGH in healthy Omega3. But if sent to the feed lot, beef looses almost all the beneficial Omega3 and converts to Omega 6-- which isn't so good for us. He is also the same guy who (against all Kansas law makers) stated back in the 90s that "hemp" oil is the most nutritious oil we could be using for cooking. Leave it to Kansas to be the LAST state in the Midwest to "get it" AND be one of the largest producers of GMO Soybean oil-- pure garbage!
 

Doodle

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Northern California
Almost is right.

I made carpacio out of some cold smoked, seasoned backstrap Saturday evening from my mule deer from 2020. Holy smokes it was melt in your mouth tender and delicous. Not game eaters were asking for more

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Sounds killer - cold smoking is one of my favorite methods for a quick blast of flavor.
 
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