Venison and Elk and Big Horn Sheep

[Mark Kuipers]

Thanks so much for the recommendation to go charcuterie. I was heading in that direction myself for three reasons. First, my game has already been aged, about 21 days for elk and 14 days for the venison and big horn sheep. It is all very tender. Aging it again would lead to more waste and might be gilding the lily.

Second, I’ve cut it up into 1 pound steaks with a few 2 pound backstraps. I’m afraid that is too small for dry aging and will lead to a lot of waste. Maybe I’ll treat it like a tenderloin, as the site suggests, and dry age just for a few days.

Third, I’m concerned about the low fat content and how that might affect the flavor. Could it bring out the gaminess?

So here’s what I’m going to do.
1. I’m going to experiment with a few steaks and see what happens.
2. If I like it, next season I’ll be sure and use the Umai bags from the start so I don’t double age and I’ll be able to use whole pieces such as a venison haunch.
3. I’m going to get the book by Ruhlman and try some of his suggestions.
4. I’m going to try a few of the recipes on the site. I’m particularly interested interested in the bresaola, capicola and pancetta.
5. I’m going to enlist a few of my hunting buddies who are also into cooking into this project.
6. Finally, I’m going to report back to the forum what I learn.

But first, can you give me any tips with elk? Maybe a recipe or two? What is the ratio of elk to pork for example?

This is all very interesting to me, but I’m a bit nervous as well.

Appreciate it!