The Elk Roast

My husband was given some elk meat from someone at work. There was some ground meat and some sausage and a top sirloin roast. I was thrilled. So I decided to fix the roast for Valentine's Day dinner.

Now, you may not be aware of this, but elk do not normally stride across my back yard. This may be because my backyard is an in-ground swimming pool, but mostly it's because I live in Torrance. Most elk do not...members of the Elk's Lodge notwithstanding.

I'd never eaten elk before, much less prepared it. There isn't very much fat. If you aren't careful, it will be dry and tough to the point of inedible. I asked for opinions online, looked up online recipes, and checked my Joy of Cooking in the "how to cook game" section.

There were two varieties of recipes: the slow cooker method which cooks the meat in a sauce and the "treat it like a steak" type. I chose the latter because it was a top sirloin roast and because my family hates sauces on meat.

When I unwrapped the roast, it was a dark burgundy, like raw beef liver. I removed the small amount of fat, and the silver skin from one side of the roast using a boning knife. The fat can give an off taste to the meat, which my husband definitely does not like. The silver skin is actually a tendon (I think) and would have caused the meat to curl up while cooking. I rinsed the roast and patted it dry with paper towels.

Next thing was the spices. I mixed a tablespoon each of kosher salt, sugar, onion and garlic powders, and black pepper. I also added a teaspoon each of thyme and dill. Then I mixed the spices with a quarter cup of olive oil. I combined it with a fork. It comes out like one of those fancy skin scrubs that you pay megabucks for in one of those bath shops in the mall, only tastier. I spread it all over the roast with my fingers. Next, I tied it and put the roast into a gallon zip lock bag. I set the bag in the refrigerator for between a half hour to an hour.

Meanwhile, my son fired up the charcoal grill. When the coals were ready, we took the roast and seared it for about 5 minutes on each side. While he was doing that, I cut two onions into slices, coated the cast iron skillet with olive oil, and set the slices in the skillet. 

I then transferred the roast from the grill (with tongs) to the skillet and put the skillet into a 350 degree oven. I checked the interior temperature of the roast every ten minutes with an instant read thermometer. I turned the roast over every time I checked the temperature. I took it out when it read around 130-ish degrees, set it on the stove top and covered the pan with foil and let it sit for around 10 or 20 minutes.

You have to let the meat sit for awhile. It keeps cooking while it's covered and the temperature will rise about 10 to 15 degrees. If you cut right into it, it will gush juice and the roast will be dry and leathery. I do this for any roast or bird I'm cooking, not just game.

The spice rub is essential, as is the time spent marinating in the fridge. It's a meat tenderizer. If you don't believe me, go to the grocery store and look at the first five ingredients listed on a bottle of "meat tenderizer". The oil helps the spices to release their flavors. With something that has more fat, like pork or beef, you don't need the oil as much.

Next time I make the spice rub, I will add less pepper...maybe a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon. My husband liked it, but I thought the pepper was a little overwhelming. Sometimes I couldn't taste the meat, just the pepper. I may also leave it on the grill a little bit longer...not much, maybe a minute or two more per side to get a bit more sear/smoke taste.

The roast came out beautiful. It was almost silky. I made mashed potatoes and broccoli to go with it and we had a wonderful dinner. Even my youngest liked it and did not dissect her food. Happy sighs all around.

Update: December 25, 2014

Christmas dinner! I got my hands on another elk roast. This time, I put in only one teaspoon of pepper, and I used table salt, instead of kosher, because I forgot. I cooked the roast in the oven to about 90-100-ish degrees, and then my oldest finished it on the charcoal grill. The temperature times remained the same. This time around, there was not the overwhelming taste of pepper in some bites. Merry Christmas!