processing & freezing elk

[mt terry d]

Elk have no fat marbling in the meat like beef do. I do not believe you can ever really call an elk steak tender. The last 2 years I shot elk cows and if cooked med/rare I think thats about as tender as it gets.

No marbling like beef sure and definitely less fat but no fat?
I find that hard to believe.
I;ve had elk tender enough to literally cut with a fork
They are in a slow starvation mode from probably
November to greenup in the spring.
I believe what little fat there is in the meat is utilized to survive
as is the marrow in the bones, as can be observed when making bone broth.
I remember guys shooting cows in, I believe it was March, 1989 when F&G
gave out extra tags in the winter because of the lack of feed due to
drought and the '88 Park fires, and they were virtually inedible.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Elk have no fat marbling in the meat like beef do. I do not believe you can ever really call an elk steak tender. The last 2 years I shot elk cows and if cooked med/rare I think thats about as tender as it gets.

Tenderness is based off age. It’s easy to kill a 5+ year old cow vs a bull. The majority of animals I kill every year are borderline fork cut. I also ice age 10 days and cook on a cast iron fast and hot which helps. Just under medium rare. Not sure where the breakdown is in your process but I’d guess something you’re doing is resulting in tougher meat.

 

[Wrench]

There's a LOT that goes into meat tenderness.

If you shoot a lactic acid filled critter that's been running with it's tongue dragging, you can't expect the same results as if you cns'ed it in it's bed.

If you boned it out and cut / wrapped the same day, you would find funny shaped steaks. If you hung it at 45* for 30 days you'd just about be able to cut it with a spoon......but you'd be cleaning off mold.

If you cut your steaks 3/8" thick vs 1-1/4" you're probably the worst kind of human as nobody can cook that steak fast enough to not destroy it.

If you season your steaks in salt of some kind on Sunday and eat it on Tuesday it's going to be better than if you defrosted it in the microwave and tossed it in a pan.

What I have found with elk, and mind you we have not eaten anything but elk and deer at my house since 1993 is that it needs to cook hot and fast....OR long and slow. A 15 minute fry job is hell on teeth. Give it lots of heat and be done in a few minutes.