elkdreamer

I'm wondering if anybody is haveing the same problem? i got a cow elk and mule deer this year but the burger is real gamie tasting the chops and steaks are great . does anybody have any ideas on how to cook the burger . we did our own prossessing and does it matter what kind of suet to use? I hope i can get some ideas this was my first elk and mule i would hate to throw out all that meat.

racowboy

Thaw it out and try mixing it with an equal part of the cheapest beef burger you can find. Don't mix so that you come out with less than 6% fat or it won't hold together and will cook up dry.. Sometimes it really isn't all that gamey so much as it just tastes different than burger you are used to eating. I've also never had trouble thawing and refreezing red meat.

eatsleephunt

Two main things I would suggest:

1. Use fat/meat mix (60-70% fat/beef is what I like), not suet. Fat melts quicker, where suet stays congealed more when you fry it. I use about 20% fat/beef with 80% wild game.

2. Make sure you skin an elk out pretty quick so it can cool down.

I haven't had much problem with mule deer except for one area in the state of montana. When we shoot deer from this particular spot, sausage is about the only thing you can make to save it.

Idaho hunter 58

how did you go about processing it?

Go to a local butcher and ask for some reg. beef suet. Re grind you elk meat with a ratio of 3/4 beef to suit, not rocket science. And then you will be good to go.

pyclub1

I personally have a hard time eating venison burger unless it is in chili or spaghetti or something like that..I love venison almost every way possible but for some reason the burger doesnt do it for me and I know alot of people who also dont like the burger...Must be something too it, I also dont know what it would be...

skeeter 7MM

A lot of this has to do with what some will putthrough thegrinder. Whether it is destiny is steaks, roasts or grind I treat it all the same and trim it up nice- remove fat, hair, silver skin, damage, blood shot, etc. This makes a big difference IME.

With that said I have still had grind that wasn't as good as it should be, so in this caseI do as suggested above and add either beef or pork grind to it. Unless i am doing sausage i don't use fat but rather ground. Regular at 30% beef/pork to 70 % venison. If lean beef is used I go with a 50/50 mixture instead.

Of course this is assuming that proper care was given in the field!!

DM

I do all of my own processing too, and i always have... There's NO WAY i'm going to buy anything to put into my burger and then have to store it (mixed into my burger) while it's takeing up room in my freezer. I prefer to mix a bit of ground pork with my burger, so i buy the amount i need when i take my game meat out of the freezer!! The pork is nice and fresh and i mix it after my game meat thaws out!

Fat always goes rancid before the meat is too old, so why add it at processing time and have it shorten the shelf life of the meat? Plus i have the option of leaveingthe meatlean too, if i want it lean..

DM

andrewjoseph

I think that taking the most fat from the animal makes for the best flavored meat. If I get all of the silver skin and fat off of my venesin it tastes as good or better than fine beef steaks. Sometimes its easy to get sloopy on your burger pile when it comes to getting rid of silver skin and fat.

I like to use fatty ground pork along with my ground wild game at a 80/20 - 85/15 mixture. Try this and I think you will like it.

121553

I've never had a mulie taste worth crap unless you mix it with something to hide the strong taste. I know it depends on if their eating sage as opposed to a ranchers grain/corn, butif you want goodeatingdeer, shoot a whitetail. I have shotmulies and whitetailin the same area and feeding on the same vegetation and the mulies have a real strong taste, not a bad taste but just strong in my opinion.
The elk you shot, how old was that? That makes a lot of difference.Depends if you want to eat a piece of veil or a set of antlers. Theres a lot of good advise thats been mentioned, but you have to start off with a goodanimal if your looking for quality taste and make sure its properly taken care of from field to cooler/freezer.

Bobby

andrewjoseph

Where did the Elk come from?