The different cuts of an elk?

[roadrunner]

How do you cut your neck roasts?

Bone out and tie together or use a hand saw. Pressure cook like a roast and will be more like a "shredded beef" product when done.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I like bones in with my braising recipes.

I like bones too, but rarely have them because 1) I killed it a long ways from the truck and/or 2) I have to bone out meat for CED transport laws.

 

[JeffP_Or]

Bone out and tie together or use a hand saw. Pressure cook like a roast and will be more like a "shredded beef" product when done.

Agreed! Fillet each side off the vertebrae and leave whole until you get home. Roll them up and tie them with butcher twine a couple time per each 3 or 4-inches or so. Brown and braise or barbacoa!

 

[LongWayAround]

Shanks intact. I cut the ends off and save for stock. Front and rear shanks.

Top, bottom, and eye rounds for jerky.

Sirloin and sirloin tip for roasts.

Backstraps in thirds. Tenderloins whole.

Heart intact. Tongue maybe.

Neck roast and chuck roasts. Boneless, whatever I don't feel like grinding.

Grind the shoulders, flanks, and whatever is left.

We love elk burger, but don't do much for steaks. I mostly braise roasts or shanks and grill the backstraps.

 

[sndmn11]

Don't grind the shanks.

And dont grind the front shoulders; with the above those are the two best flavors on the animal.

Eat the heart
Eat the nuts

 

[Ucsdryder]

And dont grind the front shoulders; with the above those are the two best flavors on the animal.

Eat the heart
Eat the nuts

Of course someone had to come and turn it weird.

The sirloin is my favorite cut of elk. I think a lot of guys have it ground because it’s a “roast”, but cut it into steaks. It’s more tender than backstraps and the flavor is more mild. I also don’t think a lot of people know where it is so it ends up getting hacked to hell when doing the gutless.

 

[Dave_]

Here's what I usually do. We eat alot of ground and steaks but I usually keep the clean whole muscle groups and freeze them individually until I figure out what I want to use them for.

Backstrap & Sirloin steaks

Top round steaks (great for chicken fried steak, stir fry, kabobs, etc (or if tough= jerky/pastrami/roasts)

Tenderoins whole

Bottom and eye rounds for jerky, pastrami or roasts

Brisket for bbq or tacos.

Shoulders mostly grind maybe a roast or 2. I'll get the mock tenderloin steaks out if I remember.

Heart steaks

Tongue maybe.

Neck - 2-3 roasts, grind the rest

Bones for stock. (If easy pack out and not under cwd travel restrictions).

Shanks grind. All the rec I've tried have been too greasy for my taste. Maybe I just haven't got the technique down.

Whatever is left I grind or pre-cube & freeze for later (canning, making sausage or unfreeze or just grind later. )



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[butcherboy]

There are a lot of different cuts to do on an elk. What it comes down to is what your family eats and likes. I’m actually not very fond of most of the steak cuts except backstrap, tenderloin, and sirloin. Never been big on elk roasts. If I do cook one it’s usually shredded then bbq sauce added for bbq sandwiches. I leave the best steak cuts whole and cook on the pellet grill then slice for steaks when it’s done. I tenderize a few for country fried steak or steak fingers. We eat a lot of burger so that’s what gets made the most. I’ll make jerky from the hb and sausages as well.

Basic cuts:

Backstrap, tenderloin, sirloin, sirloin tip, tri tip, bottom round, top round, eye of round, roasts. Everything else people have mentioned aren’t your common basic cuts. They are specialty cuts and have to be requested at the butcher shop. Examples are tri tip, flank, brisket, shanks, flat iron. All good cuts but aren’t considered standard if done at a shop. Same thing with specialty sausages and jerky. Those are extra and cost a lot.
I recommend just getting it all cut into roasts and labeled what type it is. When you get home you can decide what do with it. thaw and cut for steaks and repackage or leave as roasts and use it for whatever when it’s time.

 

[TradLife406]

Same as a deer. Make sure you save the neck meat. Sort of obvious but I think some people leave it. It's like 15-20 lb of meat. Also grab the heart. If you do the gutless method just bust a couple of ribs out and get them.

 

[The Guide]

We do 3 basic things with an elk. What your family eats may be different. Steaks, burger (lots of burger as we rarely eat beef burger), and the canned meat pile. We can all the tough cuts of meat and the cuts with lots of sinew as canning melts that down. On a day when you forgot to thaw dinner or everyone is tired and you need a quick meal we use canned meat (venison, elk, turkey, chicken (I can 40 or 50 pounds when breasts are on sale for $0.99/#), or turkey) in gravy over mashed potatoes or stuffing with a vegetable side. Quick meal that is darn better tasting than a frozen meal and cheaper than eating out for a family.

Jay

 

[taskswap]

I was going to invest in a nice grinder but my wife told me she actually preferred taco, stew, and kebab meat from the coarser cuts that most folks grind. That just adds 10 minutes with a knife and we're done. One less machine to store and clean...

 

[mtnbound]

I was going to invest in a nice grinder but my wife told me she actually preferred taco, stew, and kebab meat from the coarser cuts that most folks grind. That just adds 10 minutes with a knife and we're done. One less machine to store and clean...

Happy wife for the win. I have found that using the course grind plate on our grinder is what the wife likes.


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