Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Anyone try elk liver?

We've always been meaning to try it but either forget or it gets damaged. Beyond that, has anyone here kept the liver and how do you prepare it? Can I do the standard "liver and onions"?

Everyone that I know that has tried it (and likes liver generally) has said they would never touch it again. I have never been brave enough.

Liver and onions, just like beef liver.
Sposta be good for you!

Most seem a little squeamish about the liver, but will eat the heart.

My Dad had a hunt camp trick, he would cut holes in the liver to disguise it as heart, and fry it.

The more squeamish would glean the pan for the heart meat (with the holes) and never knew they were eating the liver.

Yup, it's pretty darned good. Karen is the cooked liver-lover in our family and she adores elk liver.

Heart? Dang, I never, ever met a heart I didn't LOVE.

Raw elk liver is quite excellent. I actually like it a lot. Better than deer, but ANY raw liver is fantastic.

Steve

Properly prepared elk liver is just plain awesome. I would suggest trying a spike elk liver soaked over night in salt water rinsed and sliced about 1/2" thick. Cook the onions first then cook the liver medium rare. Salt and pepper to taste. Push the onions and liver to a separate plate and make gravy with the pan leavings. Serve over toast with a splash of Tabasco - that is GOOD eating!!

That aint right!!

Exactly!!!

Here is a visual aid for those who need a picture

It has its own taste, not bad just its own. Much like cow liver. Fried up with goodies its very good. I also like the heart better.

Heart ROCKS


Steve

Elk liver is great, well done with onions. Secret is to skin it before slicing to cook. Roll in flour and fry.

I've never cared for liver, elk, beef, or otherwise, but it's very healthy meat. If it has white spots don't keep it. They're parasites. That's pretty rare around here, though. I've only seen it a couple times in my life.

The heart, now, that's a different story. I love it baked with dressing, stovetop or homemade.

Take a parasitology course and then tell me how appealing that liver is.

It was always a tradition in elk camp to have a meal with fresh liver and onions. Wasn't all that fond of it as a kid, but it is fantastic given a chance. The best way I have had it is a simple recipe..soak in salt water for several hours. Remove and bread with a 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/4 tsp Mrs Dash. Fry till golden brown and remove from heat. Sliced onions are then cooked till tender..add liver back in with the onions to warm then serve.

I have found that I love raw elk liver cut up into 3/4 inch squares! Makes great catfish bait and then you really have some good eating.

I love elk liver as well as deer liver. Bigwhoop, just cook it as you would any other liver. Personally, I like it done medium well with onions. Good stuff!

Brine overnight, rinse, pat dry and thinly slice.
Slowly sautee 4 onions thinly sliced and set aside (covered and warm).
In the pan where the onions were, heat to high, and add several slices of pancetta then the liver.

Cook the liver briefly on all sides until done, add the onions and toss together to mix.

Place in a serving dish and drizzle with a good balsamic vinegar and salt/pepper to taste.

The one time I tried elk liver it tasted very bitter. Does the salt water bath help this? I like bovine liver just fine.

Like DZ I think heart is the MEAT. Too bad I practically blew this years elk heart to smithereens.

I've only tried 3 kinds of liver: deer, elk, cow. To me, cow liver is "strong", deer liver is "mild", and elk liver is just like deer liver but big like a cow liver. If you like it, there's lots of it. If you don't like it, there's lots of it.

Personally, I quit eating liver. I used to think I liked it, but then one time mom mis-labeled a package as steak to fry. It stunk like [bleep] when I cooked it. It had this weird texture like it was badly lockerburned or something. It was just NASTY. A couple days later I looked at it again and realized what had happened. I decided if I don't like it when I don't know what it is, I don't actually like it, so I quit eating it. I give it to my dad and aunt instead.

I've never been a fan of liver and onions. I don't like onions cooked with meat. We'd roll it in flour and fry it in bacon grease. Mom would fry taters, then make gravy from the liver drippings. I'd usually ask for spinach to go with it. Back when I thought I liked liver, that was one of my favorite combinations.

Tom

I eat livers of cow elk and calves, and they are consistently good. But, after trying rutting bull elk liver twice - never again. So, the answer depends on the elk.