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Posted By: Gary O Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Does a cow eat better than a bull? What are the best eating cuts? Thanks...
Posted By: Toolelk Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Yes. Backstraps and tenderloins. Nothing better....
Originally Posted by Toolelk
Yes. Backstraps and tenderloins. Nothing better....


+1


I'll add that i've had some chewy bulls, but normally they taste great. I've never had a bad cow, but I don't shoot the old ones.
Posted By: Rock Chuck Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Except for spikes, I'd say that cows are better eating. The bulls might not be big enough to get the breeding done but they still go through the rut and have lost some weight. They tend to be tougher.
Tenderloins are the #1 cut, followed by the loins & rounds. I've found that loin chops cut from the front half seem to be a bit tougher than those from the back half.
That's one of the perks of muzzleloader season here. The bulls have just started the rut if at all.
Posted By: shrapnel Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Tenerloins, it doesn't matter, bull or cow, it's all great. 5 easy steps...

1. Shoot the elk

2. Get the tenderloins (not Backstraps, because no one is really sure what a backstrap is)

3. Prepare the tenderloins

4. Cook the tenderloins in a smoker grill

5. Eat well...

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Ah hell! I was trying to get to bed without eating anything. Now i'm hungry.
Posted By: Spotshooter Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Cow is better than old Bull, a younger bull is usually fine.

After that its the same as deer, lion, blackstrap,...
Posted By: Jaguar Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
Except for spikes, I'd say that cows are better eating. The bulls might not be big enough to get the breeding done but they still go through the rut and have lost some weight. They tend to be tougher.
Tenderloins are the #1 cut, followed by the loins & rounds. I've found that loin chops cut from the front half seem to be a bit tougher than those from the back half.


Generally all true. The neck end of a loin (backstrap) is indeed tougher. The ribeye section may be tenderest (middle), but the strip steak part between the last rib and the the rump is also good fare. In a worn out old bull aging will help, and if the strip steaks are very flat, you can butterfly them to make a larger steak. By that it means to cut a 2-inch crosscut, then nearly crosscut that all the way through lacking about 1/8 to 1/4 inch, and fold the halves flat, away from each other, giving the look of butterfly wings with the uncut strip in the center.

Tenderloins, from inside the body cavity along the underside of the spine, are the filet mignon. If you try to eat them only a day after the elk was shot, you may find them tough, but all meat will become more tender with age. I have found that sometimes the tenderloins are more strongly flavored than other cuts, not just because of their position inside the body cavity, which may make them more prone to becoming washed in blood or other body fluids.

I generally find rounds to be tougher, and wanting cubing as steaks.

One should not overlook the sirloins (top part of the rump) as good steaks, or as a small roast. These, too, make nice steaks.
Posted By: billrquimby Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
About 20 years ago, I shot a 6x6 bull in New Mexico and a spike bull in Arizona just one week apart. The spike was gamey and tough, the old bull was tender and good tasting. Go figure.

My favorite cuts are the tenderloins, butterflied as described above, and round steaks. We cut them about 1/4- to 3/8-inches thick and beat them with a tenderizing hammer before dipping in flour and frying.

Bill Quimby
Posted By: baldhunter Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
I have an old Hobart electric tenderizer.I ran my elk steak through it twice and was quite pleased,with the tenderness.They came out just like the cube steak you see in the stores.Life's too short to chew on tough meat.
Posted By: kawi Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Aw heck that is what you do with potenchel putred pork not elk.
Posted By: kawi Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
grin.
Posted By: flagstaff Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Originally Posted by Toolelk
Yes. Backstraps and tenderloins. Nothing better....


+1
Posted By: Les7603006 Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Originally Posted by shrapnel
Tenerloins, it doesn't matter, bull or cow, it's all great. 5 easy steps...

1. Shoot the elk

2. Get the tenderloins (not Backstraps, because no one is really sure what a backstrap is)

3. Prepare the tenderloins

4. Cook the tenderloins in a smoker grill

5. Eat well...

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You sir know how to cook a mean tenderloin
Posted By: 1minute Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Calves are absolutely primo followed by yearling cows and then spike bulls. I'd be perfectly happy if I could put two calves in the freezer per year.
Posted By: vapodog Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
While I've not eaten it....I'm told a dry cow is the best....and that they can be identified by their color somehow.

If you want superb elk meat just can some.....the stuff is terrific.
Posted By: Bighorn Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Butterflied Tenderloin steaks, grilled to medium rare- makes no diff whether they are from a cow or a bull, IMO, they are just about the best wild game on the planet.
Posted By: smokepole Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
I'll agree with loins and backstraps but a lot depends on how you plan to cook it. I used to let the dogs eat the shanks until I slow-cooked some (low heat, 8-10 hrs.) in the oven. The meat slid off the bone and was very tender and tasted great. Now I cook shanks and other gristly cuts in a crock pot. If you do that with a good cut like a backstrap, it doesn't turn out as good, because the collagen (connective tissue) in the shanks turns soft with slow cooking, and the good cuts don't have much of it.

My son's girlfriend doesn't eat much meat but she'll eat the elk I cook. Her favorite is the stuff I cook in the crock pot.
Ok, I'll be the scurvy dawg and say for me there's nothing better than an elk burger grilled while out in the hills... cool

Dober
Posted By: Bighorn Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Originally Posted by Mark R Dobrenski
Ok, I'll be the scurvy dawg and say for me there's nothing better than an elk burger grilled while out in the hills... cool

Dober


There's nothing better than an elk burger grilled while out in the hills, with a slice of cheese and a roasted jalapeno.....
Posted By: wyoelk Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Originally Posted by smokepole
I'll agree with loins and backstraps but a lot depends on how you plan to cook it. I used to let the dogs eat the shanks until I slow-cooked some (low heat, 8-10 hrs.) in the oven. The meat slid off the bone and was very tender and tasted great. Now I cook shanks and other gristly cuts in a crock pot. If you do that with a good cut like a backstrap, it doesn't turn out as good, because the collagen (connective tissue) in the shanks turns soft with slow cooking, and the good cuts don't have much of it.

My son's girlfriend doesn't eat much meat but she'll eat the elk I cook. Her favorite is the stuff I cook in the crock pot.


Agreed. Except I cut mine off the bone in one inch chunks. Flour and brown. Into a dutch oven for 8-10 hours at 200-225 with some taters and onions. My new favorite. I used to leave them in the woods until a friend told me I was nuts and to give his cooking method a try. He was right.
Posted By: Mule Deer Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
One of the basic rules for meat from any four-legged animal the meat is more tender the further back and higher on the body.

To some people tenderness is the only quality necessary for good meat, but another old rule is that tougher meat has more flavor. This is why filet mignon is usually wrapped in bacon. Otherwise the flavor is pretty bland.

It's also the reason tougher cuts are used in wet-cooking methods, whether braising, pot-roasting or crock-potting. They not only tenderize in the moisture but have more flavor when mixed with herbs, spices and vegetables.

ALL the cuts off a good elk are excellent eating, if we know how to cook the different parts to get the most out of 'em.

We tend to prefer spikes and raghorns to cows and old bulls, but all can be very good, depending on when they're taken and how they're cared for in the field.
Posted By: smokepole Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Originally Posted by Bighorn
There's nothing better than an elk burger grilled while out in the hills, with a slice of cheese and a roasted jalapeno.....


You guys are making my mouth water. But I am gonna have to try somma' that filet mognon Mule Deer is talking about..... grin
Posted By: smokepole Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/27/12
Originally Posted by wyoelk
Agreed. Except I cut mine off the bone in one inch chunks. Flour and brown. Into a dutch oven for 8-10 hours at 200-225 with some taters and onions. My new favorite. I used to leave them in the woods until a friend told me I was nuts and to give his cooking method a try. He was right.


That sounds good wyo, but throw some carrots in there next time! Do you just put the Dutch oven inside the regular oven?
Posted By: bigwhoop Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/28/12
Just had two elk steaks tonight. The wife said I'd better shoot straight next week! eek
Posted By: timbo762 Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/28/12
I like it all when properly prepared. Elk is my favorite red meat.
Posted By: wyoelk Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/28/12
Yep. Brown in the Dutch, add some beef broth, throw it in the oven. Go to work and come home to a great meal.
Posted By: MattMan Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/28/12
Sorry, gotta bust yer ballz. For a guy that don't know the difference, or how long they keep cold, cows, on average, yield the best eatin'...

Originally Posted by Rancho_Loco
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And if you're asking about which cuts are best, I'm left to assume you plan on tossin', givin', or leavin' the rest, which is pure [bleep] IMHO.

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Posted By: Elkmen Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/28/12
What are we talking about? Hmmmmmmm., OH! I remember, elk! If you shoot a 100 cows you will undoubtedly shoot several 10 or more years old. I have killed a few that were very tough. Shoot 100 Spikes and you will eat the best meat you can get The tenderloin is by far the best cut, back straps # 2, but there are a lot moe to them.

Off topic, can we see her front? The back end is sooooooooooooo nice"
Originally Posted by Elkmen
What are we talking about? Hmmmmmmm., OH! I remember, elk! If you shoot a 100 cows you will undoubtedly shoot several 10 or more years old. I have killed a few that were very tough. Shoot 100 Spikes and you will eat the best meat you can get The tenderloin is by far the best cut, back straps # 2, but there are a lot moe to them.

Off topic, can we see her front? The back end is sooooooooooooo nice"


It doesn't have to be that way if you're hunting for meat. It's just as easy to shoot a younger cow as a young bull.
Posted By: saddlesore Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/28/12
Pretty hard to shoot a spike in Colorado. Not all, but most areas are now 4 pt or better. Watch a group of cows and it's easy to pick out the younger ones.
Posted By: troutslayer Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/28/12
In the last ten years or so I only keep the backstraps, about 30 pounds of cube steaks, and the rest is good ol' elk burger. I'm getting to the point that a good beef ribsteak is pretty hard to beat. But, oh, how I do love elk burgers!
Originally Posted by saddlesore
Pretty hard to shoot a spike in Colorado. Not all, but most areas are now 4 pt or better. Watch a group of cows and it's easy to pick out the younger ones.


Yeah, I should have said easier to shoot a younger cow. No reason to ever shoot the old cows.
Posted By: Elkmen Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/28/12
Quote
Originally Posted By: saddlesore
Pretty hard to shoot a spike in Colorado. Not all, but most areas are now 4 pt or better. Watch a group of cows and it's easy to pick out the younger ones.

I do my best to pick out both cows and does "without" calves/fawns. When you see single elk, size and age is extremly difficult. I killed a wet cow last year and had to put up with the calf bawling for the rest of the afternoon. So I usually end up with an older one, with out a calf. Three years ago I got a cow with about 1/2 of her teeth left. She turned out very good but I was concerned. I did not shoot a doe this year because I could not find one without a fawn in tow. Ended up with a nice buck however. So I guess my point is that I do try and support management as best I can.
Posted By: kalbrecht Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/29/12
Number one rule of elk hunting is never ever shoot the lead cow. Had a partner shoot the lead cow on an antlerless hunt north of Bozeman once. Fish and Game aged her at 13 years. My partner wanted to give me some meat for helping pack her out but after cooking up the first package of steak I asked him not give me any more (it was that tough). The best eating elk I ever got was a bull calf (if he was a deer we'd call him a button buck); My, was he tender and tasty
Posted By: Mule Deer Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/29/12
Shot the lead cow in a herd moving below me at about 50 yards on Thanksgiving Day in 1984. Turned out to be a 1-1/2 year-old "heifer." Dropped her with a neck shot through both carotid arteries, so she was well bled out. The temperature was about 20 degrees so gutted her and left her spread-open on the snow, as it was late in the day. She cooled out well, of course, but her meat had a slight liverish flavor. Dunno why, as other elk treated the same way, including big bulls, haven't had the same flavor.

Have killed elk of various sizes from early September through mid-December, from New Mezico to Alberta, and have seen flavor vary considerably. Killed a relatively young 6x6 during the early rut in mid-September. The meat was tender but very bland. dunno why flavor varies. The only constant seems to be younger bulls.

I'm not a fan of calf elk or moose, or fawn deer. Their meat is bland compared to mature animals, and there's less of it. But to each his own.




Posted By: Jaguar Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/29/12
It is true that one of the best meals from an elk is a potroast; whether from some tough chunk of meat from a hamstring or shoulder makes little difference. Slow cooked in a little pot roast juice saved from the last roast, and with onions, cooked as long as the meat, and then potatos, carrots, and parsnips (even turnips) added for about the last hour, it is almost impossible to beat. You have a warm, wonderful scent enveloping you as you wait for dinner. In a crockpot, you can set it to going in the morning before a day afield, and come home to dinner waiting, even if you are late after a hard day out. Frozen potroast leftovers reheated makes a great meal to start off elk camp.

I think we all thought "choice" cuts with the question, but without a doubt many wonderful meals can be produced from the less choice cuts, as well. And, yeah, elk burgers are wonderful. Hapiness is a freezer full of elk, every scrap.
Posted By: Rock Chuck Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/29/12
Quote
Shot the lead cow in a herd moving below me at about 50 yards on Thanksgiving Day in 1984. Turned out to be a 1-1/2 year-old "heifer."
If she was in the lead, it was temporary. A lead cow gets the job by being the meanest old bitch in the herd. Elk society operates by size and strength.
This isn't unlike a 4x4 bull with 20 cows that we ran into while bowhunting some years ago. We did some head scratching about how the little guy got all those cows. I'm thinking he stole them while the herd bull was fighting somewhere. We ran into them again an hour later when the 4x4 was bawling his head off and nursing his wounds while a nice 6x6 was admiring his new ready made harem.
Posted By: Alamosa Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/29/12
Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
Quote
Shot the lead cow in a herd moving below me at about 50 yards on Thanksgiving Day in 1984. Turned out to be a 1-1/2 year-old "heifer."
If she was in the lead, it was temporary. A lead cow gets the job by being the meanest old bitch in the herd. Elk society operates by size and strength.
This isn't unlike a 4x4 bull with 20 cows that we ran into while bowhunting some years ago. We did some head scratching about how the little guy got all those cows. I'm thinking he stole them while the herd bull was fighting somewhere. We ran into them again an hour later when the 4x4 was bawling his head off and nursing his wounds while a nice 6x6 was admiring his new ready made harem.

There is no correlation between the way a herd cow and herd bull control a group. I've seen many times dissenters refuse to follow a cow's lead and split a herd, but escaping a harem is dangerous and risky. I do agree that a 1-1/2 year old would almost never be the herd cow.
Posted By: saddlesore Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/29/12
I have foud that some elk that have the "liverish taste " has to do with what they were doing right previous to the kill. ie, lounging about vs traveling a distance at more than a walk.

Prettty hard to quantify though as no one can shoot that many elk to gain meaningful statsistics.
I do know a big bull I killed in 2009 is lasting a lot longer in the freezer because he is so tough. Old guy 12-13 years.

I have all that meat,about 40 lbs left, in an onion sack in the freezer.I take some out every once in awile and grind a pound or two of steaks in a little Kitchen Aid grinder for that days use. I swear,even the ground meat is tough. Crock pot doesn't help. Might try a pressure cooker some day.
Posted By: rl11 Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/29/12
Nobody's mentioned bulls right after the rut. I've eaten meat off of quite a few raghorns killed the last week of October, and it's been a real crap shoot and how they taste. Most of them have been so skinny from the rut and they've been pretty tough.

In comparison my wife killed a seven year old bull in January one year that tasted wonderful, I figured he had plenty of time to fatten back up again.
Same thing with muley's.
Posted By: Elkmen Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/29/12
The first elk my dad killed in 58 was a Roosevelt, and a mature 6 Point several years old. The bullets preformed poorly, flatening out against the front shoulder blade. The chase lasted several hours, several miles, and several more shots before he was on the ground. Undoubtdly the toughest elk I have ever eaten. Mom would tenderize the steaks, marinate them, and then cook them. I think shoe leather would have be easier to chew. The second worst was a (lead) cow killed in a farmers field near Elgin Oregon. One shot dead right there, dressed and quartered within the hour. Thats the year I learned not to shoot the cow in front. Not as bad the bull, but a challenge just the same.
Posted By: VarmintGuy Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/30/12
Gary O: I had occassion a few weeks ago to take some fresh 5 point Bull Elk Filet Mignon (the tenderest most forward cuts of the true tenderloin!) out to the west coast and prepare an evening meal for my mother, brother and oldest son.
They simply raved about the taste and tenderness of that recently harvested meat!
I was impressed myself.
It seems this Elk was one of the multitudes who due to Wolf predation and the incredible over-abundance of Wolves of recent had taken up residence on a cultivated pasture belonging to a huge ranch complex.
According to my friend the ranch manager the Elk had been there all fall and had been feeding predominantly on alfalfa stubble.
I have been eating wild game for over 50 years now, most of which I harvested myself, and I previously held the opinion that Cow Elk noticeably taste better than Bull Elk - but now I am of the opinion that under certain circumstances and times of the year that the meat from Bull Elk can equal or very nearly equal that of Cow Elk meat.
If, harvested correctly, cared for properly and not over cooked.
There is simply NO portion or cut of meat on an Elk that is better eating than the Filet Mignon!
I am making myself hungry just thinking about some filet.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
Posted By: rl11 Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/30/12
Originally Posted by VarmintGuy

It seems this Elk was one of the multitudes who due to Wolf predation and the incredible over-abundance of Wolves of recent had taken up residence on a cultivated pasture belonging to a huge ranch complex.

VarmintGuy


Couldn't have had anything to do with the extreme drought huh?
Posted By: Mule Deer Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/30/12
The drought certainly displaced a bunch of game (not just elk) this past year.

Not so oddly, I have also noticed elk hanging out on ranch pastures and hayfields for as long as I can remember. In fact there's a ranch nearby where they've shown up every year for the 20-some years I've lived here.

One recent interesting piece of elk behavior observed here in Montana by both hunters and reseachers is that elk are often willing to tolerate wolves on unhunted or lightly-hunted private land far more than the intense human hunting pressure on nearby public land.
Posted By: Rancho_Loco Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/30/12
Amazing!
Posted By: rl11 Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/30/12
My post was supposed to be sarcastic.

Wolves go where the elk go, regardless of who owns it. The idea that wolves push elk on to private land has always made me scratch my head.
Posted By: saddlesore Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/30/12
Here in Colorado,there too are ranch hay fields that elk have been on for years as winter pasture.However this year we have seen them in early to mid October, whereas in past years typically they don't show up until late November-early December.

The 2nd rifle season which was mid October, the elk in the Gunnison valley were already on the hay fields at night and then retreated to nearby timber during the day.

Except for those elk on the hay fields on private land,this was the first year in about 20 that during ten days of elk hunting I never saw one elk during the rifle season. We hunted in a 10 mile circle from 7000 ftto 11,500 ft in elevation. In ML season when there was still some water about and some green forage, I did kill a cow elk.
This is just me but I feel that the elk are hitting the hay fields and getting away from the hunters and dealing with the wolves cause for one thing they get away from the hunters. Plus they've been doing this forever for good feed.

And, they get the wolves more out in the open where they feel like they can see them more so than in the hills.

Make any sense?

Dober
Posted By: Rancho_Loco Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 12/30/12
does to me.
Posted By: Jaguar Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 01/02/13
Originally Posted by smokepole
I used to let the dogs eat the shanks until I slow-cooked some (low heat, 8-10 hrs.) in the oven. The meat slid off the bone and was very tender and tasted great. Now I cook shanks and other gristly cuts in a crock pot.


You got any recipies you can share on these methods of cookery? Especially how you did the slow cooked shanks that made you a convert?
Posted By: Anjin Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 01/02/13
Originally Posted by Toolelk
Yes. Backstraps and tenderloins. Nothing better....


I do love this list. And I think I know what backstraps are, after John Knowles, PH in Zambia, said we weren't going to waste the ones in my cape buffalo on lion bait and cut them out for our dinner that evening. Delicious, as was the ox tail soup.
Posted By: Rock Chuck Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 01/02/13
Last night my wife cooked a couple of very nice elk tenderloin chops. I have some animal breeding experience. I wonder what it would take to breed an elk that's all tenderloin.
Posted By: 24mileboy Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 01/03/13
Rock Chuck,
Don't they raise those elk tenderloins by you in Filer?
Posted By: Mule Deer Re: Best cuts of elk meat? - 01/03/13
rl11,

My response was supposed to be to VarmintGuy, not you. That's who I clicked on "reply" to. Dunno why my post ended up to you.
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