Elk shoulder roast - suggestions please

[JCBII]

My neighbor gave me a 1.1 pound shoulder roast from an Elk he hunted a while ago. I've never cooked/smoked Elk before so would appreciate any suggestions you all might have. I watched a Meat Church video on Texas style chili and was wondering if I could substitute Elk for Venison that was suggested in that video. But if this is a waste of good Elk, I'm open to other recipes. Thanks!

 

[Maylar]

From what I've seen, a shoulder is apt to be tough. A larger roast would do well as a pot roast in a slow cooker. A small one pounder I think I'd treat it as a London Broil - marinade, smoke to medium rare, sear on a hot grill then slice it thin. Seasoning is your choice.

 

[Grain Belt]

Smoke with a SPG type rub until about 155-160 internal. Put roast in foil pan with seasoned beef broth. Braise until shreddable. Shred and add a little cooking liquid back to the shredded meat and keep warm. Sauté mushrooms and onions then make a gravy with the braising liquid and mushrooms/onions. Serve meat and gravy over starch of choice. I have done this with elk, moose, and deer venison.

 

[thirdeye]

So... elk is milder than venison, and front leg roasts are a little tougher than rear leg roasts. My first thought is to grind it, add 30% ground pork and make a meatloaf. Baking or smoking to 155°, and it will rise wile resting.

Next up, I would suggest making a pot roast, braising until tender in the oven or a slow cooker. -OR- Lean a little in he direction of Mexican seasonings, braise tender (think barbacoa) and use it in hard shell or street tacos. Here is a good recipe, although I don't go as heavy on the veggies as this one.

https://fromfieldtotable.com/elk-shoulder-pot-roast/

 

[Itsdone]

I second the treat it like a london broil. Normally i would marinade a london broil, but having never had Elk, i think i wouldn't want to overpower the flavor and just use a Jaccard to tenderize, and just go simple S&P and grill till medium rare. If it ends up still being too tough, or too gamey, you can always cube it up for chili.

 

[SmokinAussie]

My only suggestion is boil it like ribs.

 

[Itsdone]

My only suggestion is boil it like ribs.

Yikes, and i thought i was sarcastic.

 

[toys4dlr]

My friend came to the house with three elk quarters that I parted out for him. I had never had elk, but it is very lean and very mild for game. That is As long as you don’t cut that gland in parting. But the meat church chili would be good. I ground a few of the roast and made reconstructed jerky annd some snack sticks and it was great.

If keeping in its whole form, I would think a braise would be best

 

[Seefyre]

Cube it up and treat it like stew meat in any recipe you desire, it'll be fantastic.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I like thirdeye's suggestions. I would also check out cowgirl's blog and see if she has anything

 

[Juggy D Beerman]

Yo JC, I give my friends and relatives ground venison all the time. If they have never had my burger before, I ask them to not make chili with the venison burger. I would prefer they have the burger as a burger so they can taste the meat as when you make chili with it, the spices overwhelm the taste of the venison. That being said, I always use my venison burger when I make chili, but I know what it tastes like unadulterated. Now those stew recipes look good as they are not overloaded with spices. What I am getting at is if you want to see what elk tastes like, use a recipe that allows the flavor of the elk to come through. As Wayne stated earlier, it has a mild flavor and is not as strong as venison.

 

[SmokeOCD]

Grain Belt's idea over some loose polenta sounds great. Let's the meat be the star of the dish.

 

[JCBII]

My only suggestion is boil it like ribs.

:lol:

 

[JCBII]

Yikes, and i thought i was sarcastic.

What's funny (or not) is that my sister likes to boil ribs before putting them on a grill. She says they come out great, so what do I know? :lol:

But I think I'll stick with low & slow on the smoker.

 

[JCBII]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I like the idea of doing something where you get a chance to actually taste the Elk, so I'll probably go that route -- but whatever I decide to do, I'll post a photo of the end product.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Looking forward to you post