I know people who like to hunt deer, squirrels, bears, elk and many other things. They also enjoy eating them! It always makes me wonder what they taste like.
Since we have elk in Arkansas, I decided to investigate the taste of elk myself.
Everyone has different tastes. Some people think deer taste gamey while other people don’t. Some people don’t even like the taste of fresh chicken eggs!
So this is strictly an opinion piece but hopefully it will give you an idea of what elk tastes like.
What does elk taste like?
Elk and deer are very similar in taste and texture. so if you enjoy those deer nuggets in the fall, you will also enjoy elk nuggets .
Personally, I am not a big fan of deer.
When I was younger, my family would have a big reunion every year at my cousin’s house. We called it “Deer Fest.” All the hunters in the family would bring deer meat and they would make it into deer nuggets, deer chili and anything else you can make out of deer.
I do not like the taste or smell of deer meat so I always went for the little dish of chicken on the side.
To me, deer tastes very gamey and so does elk.
If you have never tried deer, you could also compare elk to a very lean beef. There is a big debate as to whether elk tastes better then beef.
Is elk meat healthy?
Yes! Elk meat is very nutritious and contains many nutrients that your body needs.
Elk meat is jam-packed with essential vitamins and minerals while providing a healthy dose of protein and healthy fats. The main nutrients you can find in this game meat include zinc, vitamin B12, niacin and vitamin B6.
source
As with any meat, the benefit of elk is that it is a wild meat and not farm raised. I won’t go into the details of it here but wild meat and locally raised meat have been trending for a long time.
There’s a reason for that!
How to cook elk
You can substitute elk anywhere you would normally use beef. The flavor is similar enough that it won’t affect your recipes much.
Just be careful with elk because it is so lean that you can overcook or dry it out much easier than you can with beef or chicken.
The key to cooking elk well is to either cook it hot and fast, or low and slow.
source
Favorite Elk Recipes
There are many different ways to cook elk. Some favorites are:
- Elk Steaks on the Grill
- Elk Stroganoff
- Elk Burgers
- Elk Roast
- Elk Chili
How to get rid of the gamey taste in Elk
Many hunters that cook wild game will often tell you that one of the most effective ways to get the gamey taste out of wild meat is by using a salt water brine.
However, don’t try this on the interesting Grinnel Fish. That’s a story for another day.
The salt helps pull a lot of the gamey flavors right out of the meat. Just be sure to wash the salt off before you cook it!
Related articles