Elk "roast" advice needed

[DeusDingo]

So i hope everyone had a great thanksgiving (that celebrate it that is).

My father in law bagged an elk last october and he gave me an elk "roast" to make. i would guess it's like 3lbs. he did not specify what kind of roast it is because honestly i don't think he knows.

So i need some help with this:

is there a cut of elk that i would want to cook up to pulled meat range? i don't think so since wild game is usually so lean but i know nothing so i need to ask.

do i smoke it or is elk not something one would smoke? if i do smoke it what wood would you use?

how do i season it? i plan on dry brining a couple of days beforehand but beyond that i can only assume i would season it like tri-tip. does BBBR work well with elk?

thanks for any help you can give!

[CurlingDog]

DeusDingo , treat it like a beef loin roast. BBBR worked good on a venison roast that i did, albeit it was not that large. I wrapped it in bacon and brought it to 135-140 and it was de-lish!

[Henrik]

It's hard to say, really. But when most people say 'roast', that usually means the meat comes from the rear half of the animal. That also means you don't need/want to bring it up to pulled pork temps. The only part of an elk I would cook for a long time would be elk brisket or front leg. So, if it is a roast, bring it up to temp, but not higher. You want just a bit of pink in the middle. Not too much, but don't overcook it. Check it when the inner temp is 140° F, you shouldn't go higher, as DeusDingo also says.

That being said, elk is rather "mild" in flavor, i.e. it doesn't have as much game flavor as deer or hare for example. I would either go dalmatian (black pepper n salt), or crush some juniper berries in a mortar and rub it in well. BBBR would most likely work well also.

Good luck, and post pictures when cooking!

[SaturdayShoppe]

DeusDingo I went to an Elk Roast BBQ. The guy doing the cooking was very meticulous about removing the membrane from the outside of the roast before cooking.

[DeusDingo]

that's very good to know

[DeusDingo]

so i guess treat it like beef roast, take it to mediumish, BBBR should be fine, remove membranes. i think i got this

[DeusDingo]

​it cooked nicely. it was almost 4lbs exactly. i put it on around 5pm because i was running behind but it was way to far to turn back. dry brined it 2 days before. used Mrs.Oleary beef crust because i gave my wife the option for peppery or herby. i should have BBBR in hindsight. i smoked it with 2oz of hickory at around 270 and it took around 3 hours. i took it off at 140.

overall i was very happy with the cook. it came out juicy and tender. i let it rest for about 10 minutes while i saute'd some mushrooms to go with it along with some purple potatoes and corn.

i now know that i am not a super big fan of elk. i would enjoy eating it until i had a bite that had some "game" to it and it kind of threw me. this is all good to know if i ever make prime rib though. i'm not sure i would smoke a roast again though i would likely still cook it outdoors. i'm not sure the smoke flavor helps it much.

a question i have for meathead: in the cow crust recipe it just says a tsp of thyme or oregano. which is prefered and in what form? i used powered thyme and i think it overpowered the cow crust considerably.

[(floorguy)]

I put wild meat in the freezer every year, either elk or deer. Wild meat is lean, which is why we prefer it to beef. When cutting it up, I am meticulous about trimming out every piece of tallow, and our meat never tastes gamey. Add olive oil or bear fat or bacon, but trim all the tallow before cooking. It has a very high melting point so it will coat the mouth at the table, and gamey flavours concentrate in it.

Don't overcook is another basic rule for elk roast, being so lean it goes from delectable to chewy quickly when done more than medium rare. Doesn't look like you had that problem!

Was trying to figure out from the pic where the piece of meat came from: there looks like veins of white connective tissue through it which suggests it may have come from the blade.

Trimming fat and membrane out of a piece like this can leave you with muscle groups that aren't connected anymore, but tying it (back) together with butcher twine as in the later pictures fixes that.

[fuzzydaddy]

Welcome (floorguy)! We'd love to get an intro from you over in the Introduce Yourself channel when you get a minute. https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...troductions-aa Thanks!

[HorseDoctor]

Excellent tips on how to prepare/cook game meat (floorguy)! This looks like a muscle group from the upper hind leg (round) to me.