Thaw the elk roast out completely the day before cooking. The night before cooking appy a "dry rub" to the roast, place it in a zip-lock bag, and refrigerate. The dry rub comprises 8 crushed juniper berries, a bay leaf crumbled up into small pieces, 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper.
Add a small amount (2 tablespoons) of oil or fat to a heavy casserole that you will cook the roast in. Heat the casserole on high heat, add the roast and sear the outside of the meat on all sides. This consumes about 5-10 minutes. Add three cups of water, bring to the boil, cover, place in a 350 degree oven. Braise covered for 3 hours, turning the roast over in the liquid about every half hour. Add additional water if the water level gets low. As the end of the cooking time approaches, let the water level reduce somewhat -- but do not let it all boil away!
Remove the roast to a cutting board. Add thickening to the remaining liquid in the casserole to thicken the sauce and make a gravy. I make a thickening by cooking two tablespoons of flour in 3 tablespoons of butter for about five minutes. Then I blend the mixture slowly into the liquids until I'm happy with the thickness. I adjust the level of salt in this gravy at the end of the thickening process. Slice up the meat in thick slices and serve with the gravy in a separate bowl.
If the elk is too tender, cook less time in the future for that specific elk kill. This time interval works well for deer. If your elk happens to be more tender than venison it may be better to cook less time.