Rib meat and brisket

mad_angler

Lil-Rokslider
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May 10, 2013
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I've never killed an elk... But I've done gutless on whitetail, caribou, and moose.

Do folks take the rib meat on elk?

With whitetails, it isn't really worth it. The little bit of meat has a lot of fat and the fat isn't very tasty.
With moose, it was the law in our unit. We had to take the rib meat and brisket out of the woods on the bone.

If I took the rib meat from an elk, I would probably use the "rib roll" method. But is it worth it? How does elk fat compare to whitetail fat?
 
I still don’t care for the fat itself but it’s easier to remove, and still actually have meat left on the bone, when dealing with an elk. I packed out a side of ribs from mine last year and it was good. It wasn’t the best thing I ever had, but it was good. And I got to eat elk a couple more times.
 
I keep the ribs and brisket. The ribs are cut off the spine with a hacksaw. The I cut them again. Saw parallel to the other cut, you have 4 long sections. I freeze then individually. When I cook them, I pressure cook them for 8 to 10 minutes and let them cool. Then put them on the rotisserie and keep the BBQ at about 200 to 225 for and hour or until the meat is tender. I spray with apple juice every 10 minutes or so. Crank the heat up to 350 a brush on you favorite BBQ sauce. Cook another 15 minutes. Cut them up and enjoy.

I grind and make burger or smoke the brisket.
 
Depending on the state, you have to take the rib meat. We always do. We just cut the meat out between the ribs and throw it in the burger bag. I saw someone do a rib roll once. Not sure it was worth it.
I'm curious (maybe I've even broken the law yikes) to which states besides Alaska require rib meat to be salvaged?

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I’ve hunted Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and none of them require you to take the rib meat. I did take ribs years ago, they were nasty.
 
I stand corrected. I think my confusion is the game regs for the states I listed require not wasting any edible meat. New Mexico, Utah, and WY never required it so I didn't list them. The states that define edible meat often do not include rib meat. Like I said, I'm not sure how strict they are. It takes a few minutes to take the meat. I think one state doesn't require taking neck meat which sounds like such a waste.
 
Colorado does not require rib meat salvage.

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I personally fillet all of the neck, brisket, and external rib meat with my front quarter. The way the regulations read, you are not even required to take the neck meat. I am not going after the little strip between the rib bones.
 
Colorado does not require rib meat salvage.

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I personally fillet all of the neck, brisket, and external rib meat with my front quarter. The way the regulations read, you are not even required to take the neck meat. I am not going after the little strip between the rib bones.
Thanks. I deleted the errored post to eliminate confusion.
 
I take the ribs off whole. I've cut the rib meat out but it always ended up a mess, and didn't seem like much actual meat by the end. A fixed blade knife in the right spot can joint them off the sternum pretty quickly, then a small folding saw takes them off by the spine. Cut them up into better portions at home.

Pressure cook to get them tender and render most of the fat out, then baste and grill or broil to crisp them up a little. It's not the best meal off an elk, but it definitely makes a lot of extra dinners.

Brisket and neck meat... I fillet all that off, I can't imagine wasting any of it. Makes the best barbecue and stew meat.
 
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