I shot a cow elk last week and had one of the roasts from it yesterday.  I've had elk before and loved it, but this was nasty.  It tasted just like it smells when you start butchering it.  I'm hoping it was just a bad piece and the majority of the rest of the elk will be good.  Anybody have any good cooking ideas for making elk taste really good?

Also, if I can't get the other pieces to taste good does anybody know if any soup kitchens type places will take donated wild game here in the provo area?

If it doesnt taste good to me I guess I could also donate to any family that any of you may know of that needs some extra food this year.

(I know it sounds rude to give away meat that doesnt taste that great but gamey meat probably tastes pretty good to a starving person)

GIve it a few weeks, if this was the first time you have shot and cleaned an elk you may still have the smell in your nose.

And lots of that smell comes from their diet, I found that the blood smells just like the animal in general.

I like to cook with lemon peper and garlic, it helps the gamey taste, also try playing around with BBQ sauce.

Did you keep the liver?
The blood taste should be lots stronger there.


And I will take all of the Elk you want to give to me.

Could smoke the meat to change the taste a bit.
Also marinate it.

How long did you hang the meat?

Did the elk run for long before/after you shot it?
That can change the taste of the meat from all the adrenaline.

My brother-in-law left a deer hanging to long, and that tasted like ass....

If it's just a gamey taste, one thing you could try is to grind some of it into hamburger and mix some cow fat in there, you should beable to get it free or very cheap a grocery store.

If you really don't want the meat I will take it, it will be eaten and enjoyed.

Well, I'm gonna try a few more roasts with a few different marinate recipes and see if that changes the taste for the better.

I didnt let it hang long since I had to leave the day after i shot it.  And it didnt run at all after I shot it.  So hopefully it was just a bad piece of meat.

How long after you shot it did you take the hide off?

I shot it, dragged it down the hill, quartered it, drove to my bro's house, and then cut it into roasts.  So the hide wasnt on long at all.

next roast you cook,  get *every single ounce* of fat off it.  Also take a fillet knife and remove every single sliver of silver skin and membrane.  Leave meat only.

Soak it in milk overnight in the fridge.  

then cook it. It should be pretty good.


matt


PS did you kill it down by fairview?  My buddy claims those elk are terrible.  I've never killed one down there yet so I don't know.

I killed it up in wyoming.

After I soak it in milk overnight, should I cook it in a crockpot or what?

thanks for all the help guys.

The one I got this year has been outstanding! Tastes just like lean beef.

I was talking to someone the other day, though, that said that one time they killed an old cow that was nasty as hell. They had to get rid of all the meat.