FROM QUARTERS TO STEAKS - How to Butcher an Elk

Our elk has now aged for three weeks in the cabin. Today it became burger, steaks, roasts and tenderloin. Mmmmm. Here's how we did it.

First, we cut the hard, dry outer layer of the meat away and discarded it. This had formed over the last three weeks while the meat aged, due to enzyme action.


The remaining meat was then cut off in sections and any excess fat and gristle was removed.




For this we needed sharp knives.We used our hunting knives, made of good quality steel.


Once the meat was cut from the bone we washed it thoroughly in cold water.


Shoulder meat tends to be a little tougher than other cuts, so we turned that into elkburger.The rest has been saved as steaks and roasts.

All the meat has been wrapped in good quality meat packing paper. We prefer to double wrap. We separated the elkburger into one pound packages. Each package is labeled with the type of meat (elk), the cut (burger/steak/roast/tenderloin) and the year (2006). The meat will now be stored in our freezer for the winter.