Ground Elk Recipes

[Zeke-BE]

Im with more d, ill do i with out the cumin.

[mpriest]

Chorizo should not have cumin.....ever. 95% of authentic Mexican food does not use cumin. At least in kitchens of my family. I know everyone and everything varies. ..just saying.

 

The recipe is good except for the cumin. We also never put pepper flakes.

What is very important is Santa Cruz chill powder. If you use the paste you can pass on adding water.

Post up a recipe

[Allforelk]

I like all the ideas posted. Hard to go wrong with elk burgers though. I cheat a little bit and add a small Roma tomato(seeded and finely diced) and an equal portion of onion finely diced to the grind. Sprinkle a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce around the bowl before you lightly mix up the grind. Stays moist on the grill and tastes awesome. All I use is salt and pepper for these. I should add that I'm usually working with 1.25-1.5 lbs.

[Allforelk]

I also like cumin in my chorizo. I love the stuff I grew up with here, but the first time I had the Spanish and Portuguese stuff I knew what real love was.

[azslim]

Sausage Recipes

I typed this up to share with family about 20 years ago, these are some of my favorites, it's worth $25 to buy the book they came from. Anywhere is says a specific amount of fat I just make up that weight with meat, my sausage is real lean except for stuffed links, then you need the fat or they come out dry, I'll make them about 15 to 20% at most.

Chicken & Apple Sausage - I like stuffed, like bratwurst - wife and girls like bulk for breakfast w/pancakes or french toast & syrup. I tried this recipe with mtn lion and it was a waste of good lion meat, is a lot better with birds - chicken, turkey (white meat) or quail. Have used ground turkey from Costco, works great, just add spices and mix. I grind the apples thru a #10 hand crank grinder.

1 cup apple cider

31/2 lbs chicken - I use boneless, skinless thigh's

3 oz dried apples

4 tspns kosher salt

2 tspns freshly ground black pepper

2 tspns dried sage

1/4 tspn ground ginger

1/8 tspn ground cinnamon

1/8 tspn ground nutmeg

1 chicken bullion cube dissolved in 2 tblspns boiling water

boil cider down to syrup, about 2 - 3 tblspns, cool & reserve (or use frozen concentrate, easier and quicker because I am lazy). Grind meat with 1/4 plate, mix in spices and liquids and knead together well. Cook small patty and decide if you want to add anything else.

I use this recipe for chicken & apricot & cranberry. I use apple juice concentrate for the apricot and cranberry concentrate for that version.

Hunter Sausage - I like to make hash with this one, mix in potatoes and maybe scramble an egg or 2. Book stuffs and makes links, I have made them and they are good too. Good with deer, elk & javelina.

2 lbs pork butt

1 lb smoked bacon - also is good with maple flavored bacon too.

1/2 cup cold water

1 tblspn whole mustard seeds

2 tspns minced garlic

2 tspns coarsely ground black pepper

2 tspns sweet Hungarian paprika

2 tspns dried mustard

1 tspn kosher salt

1 tspn ground coriander

1 tspn freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tspn ground ginger

grind meat/bacon together, mix in spices/water and knead together, then grind again. Cook small patty and decide if needs anything.

Italian Sweet Fennel - is real good in spaghetti sauce. Good with deer, elk, chicken and javelina. I have a baggie of these spices mixed up. If I want quick Italian food I just add a couple spoonfuls of the mix to a lb of burger, makes cheap sauce taste expensive.

3 lbs pork butt

3/4 lb pork fat

1/2 cup dry red wine

4 cloves garlic minced

2 tblspns fennel seeds

1 tblspn freshly ground black pepper

4 tspns kosher salt

1 tspn dried oregano

1/8 tspn gound allspice

I like to add a tsp of basil to this and if I don't want to mince up the garlic will use 2 tsps minced garlic, also add a tsp or 2 of minced onion. A blast of red pepper flakes is good too, your choice on how much.

grind meat/fat together, mix in spices/water and knead together, then grind again. Cook small patty and decide if needs anything.

Venison Sausage - I didn't have any brandy so I used Maker's Mark bourbon, an extra tblspn or 2 wouldn't have hurt either. Good with elk, deer.

1 1/2 lbs venison or elk

1 lb pork butt

3/4 lb pork fat (make up with meat)

1/2 lb bacon

3 tblspns dry red wine

2 tblspns brandy - (and a shot for the sausage maker)

4 tspns kosher salt

2 tspns coarsely ground black pepper

2 tspns minced juniper berries - I bought a jar, but you can get same thing off of the trees out camping

1 tspn minced garlic

1 tspn minced shallots - I didn't have any, (or know what they were at the time), so used diced green onions.

1 tspn fresh rosemary or 1/2 tspn dried.

cut meat, fat, bacon into 2 inch pieces and mix in lg bowl with spices & liquid, marinate overnight. Grind twice, mixing in any juices from the bowl. Cook small patty and decide if needs anything. I only marinated 5 hrs first time I made this, kids came back for seconds so guess it was okay.

Smoked Country Sausage - makes wonderful biscuit and gravy meat, is Cheri & girls 2nd favorite behind chicken & apple. Good with deer, elk, mtn lion & javelina. In addition to brown sugar we add in lots of honey. You have to watch the heat when cooking though because it is easy to burn.

1 1/2 lbs game meat (nice, clean meat - no wild fat)

1 lb clean pork (I use fatty pork butt, whatever fat is there is all that goes in)

3/4 lb pork back fat (I skip and make up with meat)

1 tblspn brown sugar or how we like it add 3+ tblspns desert honey

1 tblspn kosher salt

1 tblspn paprika

2 tspn red pepper flakes (cut back if not into spicy stuff - like my daughters)

1 tspn ground sage

1 tspn dried tyme

pinch of allspice

1/2 cup cold water (may use little less based on moisture in meat) - is also good to use 1/4+ cup water & couple few tblspns brandy or sweet whiskey - wild turkey, southern comfort, etc. Once again it is some for the meat and some for the maker......

 

grind meat & fat together into bowl, then mix in all spices/water, knead together and then grind again, depending on how well things mixed you can grind a 3rd time.

Chorizo - this is what I turn my javelina into, yum, yum. Have used deer & elk too. I have also made this using a 50/50 mix of game and 70/30 hamburger, gives it a different flavor. Different vinegars add different flavors also. I have used white & red rice wine & red raspberry vinegars and been pleased with the results. Nakano Seasoned Rice Wine Original is what I use most. Have been making this with boneless, skinless chicken thighs for a few years, makes wonderful chicken taco's & enchilada's.

1 1/2 lbs pork butt - I usually make 6 lb batches and use 4 lbs game 2 lbs fatty pork butt

1/2 lb pork fat - I skip and make up with meat

1 bunch (4 to 6 oz) fresh cilantro, chopped, about 1 cup – I have used 2 - 3 tblspn dried also

1 fresh serrano or jalapeno or other hot pepper, seeded and finely chopped – I use 2 per 2 lbs

1/4 cup red wine vinegar - I have used red wine, rice wine & red raspberry vinegars, each adds it’s own distinctive flavor.

1 tblspn New Mexico or other dried chile powder

1 tblspn sweet Hungarian paprika

2 tspns kosher salt

1 1/2 tspn whole cumin seeds

1 tspn ground cumin

1/2 tspn coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 tspn ground cayenne pepper

1/4 tspn ground coriander

I like to add a Tbl each of minced garlic and minced onion.

grind meat/fat together, mix in spices/water and knead together, then grind again. Cook small patty and decide if needs anything. If you want to add more bite leave the seeds in the peppers. I keep a bag of all these spices mixed, minus fresh peppers & cilantro, that I use for all my Mexican food. Throw in a couple spoonfuls with a lb of burger and you have taco meat, thin slice a roast or chicken breasts and you have fajita's. I use dried jalapeno's & dried cilantro in my spice baggie.

Iowa Farm Sausage - Here is a recipe I really like. Have used deer, elk, javelina and mtn lion.

2 1/4 lb pork butt or sirloin (I use 1 1/4 lb game and 1 lb pork)

3/4 lb pork fat

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 tblspn kosher salt

2 tspns ground sage

1 tspn dried tyme

1 tspn dried basil

1 tspn red pepper flakes

1 tspn coursely ground black pepper

1 tspn ginger

1/2 tspn minced garlic

1/4 cup water

I dice my meat into small chunks, add the spices & liquid and mix good then run through the grinder once. Book says to grind first then mix spices in, your choice here, I like double grinds and my way cuts down on handling time. Also, if you can get ground pork I mix 50/50 game to pork, for this recipe I would use 1.5 lbs game to 1.5 lbs ground pork. I grind them together so the meat mixes good, chunk of game and chunk of ground pork with the spices already mixed in.

Bratwurst - Have made this with elk & javelina, pretty tasty. This recipe needs the fat or comes out dry, be liberal with it.

 

1.5 lbs game

1.5 lbs fatty pork butt

1 T kosher salt

1 T coursely ground black pepper

1 T coursely ground mustard seed

2 t minced garlic (I like fresh but have used dried also)

2 t sugar

1 t ground mace

1 t dried sage

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1/2 cup water

 

I dice my meat up into 2" chunks, mix in the spices and water and run thru the grinder with the 3/8" plate. This mixes things pretty good, I don't grind again, use your hands if you want a better mix. If you over-grind the meat comes out like hot dogs. I stuff into hog casings, tie into 4" links then hang them in my meat locker (old refrigerator on the back porch) to let the casings dry.

Recipes are from the book "Bruce Aidell's Complete Sausage Book" - ISBN # 1-58008-159-2. Published by Ten Speed Press - www.tenspeed.com and available at Barnes & Noble or Border's Books.

[mpriest]

Awesome thanks for the recipes. That's what I was looking for

[cactusjack]

I make green chilies bacon elk/deer summer sausage. I will upload the recipe later if you are interested

[PRDATR]

Disregard all the hippie/paleo/organic crap and this chili recipe is awesome.

 

http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/recipes/beef/spicy-elk-chili/

 

That sounds good, minus the veggies and thankfully no beans.

[mpriest]

Here is one on my personal favorites that I make all the time. Cook up one cup of rice and a can of retried beans and add to meat for easy premade burritos.

 

Sauté one diced onion with a dash of red pepper flakes and set aside

 

Cook one pound ground meat seasoned with black pepper, garlic powder, salt, and chili powder.

 

After meat is cooked add sauted onions back in and add one and a half 7 3/4 oz cans of El Pato Salsa De Tomate Con Jalepeno salsa. Let it simmer until almost all liquid is gone

 

Serve in a tortilla with your choice of fixings or add previous listed ingredients for burritos

[CatfishKev]

Cabelas ring bologna mix is really really good. It doesn't taste the stuff I grew up having back in Amish country its actually better in my opinion. One package is good for 25lbs I believe.