The marinade for this pan-seared elk steak recipe has just the right combination of ingredients. They help to tenderize the steak and give it a bold and delicious flavor! Serve with pear arugula & goat cheese salad or parmesan roasted rainbow carrots.
If you have a freezer full of elk meat and you're trying to find a few new recipes to try, you'll have to give this elk steak recipe a try!
The marinade is similar to my carne asada recipe marinade with a wonderful array of ingredients that do a great job of tenderizing the steak. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
If you're looking for a simpler marinade, give my elk backstrap recipe a shot!
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🧐 Why This Recipe Works
If you don't have elk meat, don't stop reading! This elk steak marinade can be used on other wild game or beef.
Elk and most game meat is lower in fat and cholesterol than beef. However, being lower in fat means it's a lean meat that you have to learn how to prepare correctly. The last thing you want is a tough, hard-to-chew steak, am I right?
Unlike ground elk, which is usually mixed with suet to make elk burgers and meatloaf, elk steaks need another way to tenderize.
The combination of lime juice, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, and oil in the marinade helps to tenderize the elk steaks, while the other ingredients, really enhance the flavor.
Sometimes elk steak is prepared in the oven or on the grill. I prefer to prepare elk steaks in a hot skillet to sear them. Cooking them quickly really locks in the juices and results in flavorful and tender elk steaks, in around 4 to 6 minutes depending on desired doneness.
🛒 What Goes Into This Recipe
🔖 Recipe Ingredient & Substitutions
- Elk Steak — When a butcher processes an elk, they will label the various parts of the animal. This includes roast, tri-tip, loin, backstrap, and regular steaks. The backstrap is the length of meat that runs along the spine of an elk, deer, or other game. Because it's in an area that's not weight-bearing, it's an extra tender cut and absolutely delicious. So if you have a backstrap, be sure to use it in this recipe. The cooking times listed are for ¾" thick steaks. If your elk steaks are thicker or thinner adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- Elk Marinade — The marinade is made with a delicious combination of flavors including orange juice, lime juice (or lemon juice), olive oil, soy sauce, and liquid smoke.
- Seasoning — You'll need the following seasoning for this recipe: Sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle pepper, and fresh or dried or fresh rosemary. If you don't have chipotle pepper, red pepper flakes can be used.
🥩 How to Make This Recipe
Step 1 | Prepare Elk Marinade
Whisk all the wet marinade ingredients into a bowl, then add the spices and whisk to combine.
Step 2 | Marinate the Steaks
Add the steaks and the marinade to a large Ziploc bag and seal. Massage the marinade into the steaks and marinate for 4+ hours. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
Step 3 | Cook Steaks
Heat a cast-iron skillet and make sure it's nice and oiled (or add 1 to 2 tablespoons of tallow). Cook steak over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature taken with a meat thermometer reads 125-130 degrees for medium-rare.
Pro Tip: Don't overcook elk steaks, otherwise they will dry out!
Allow the steaks to rest, covered, for five minutes or so before slicing into medallions.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
You can serve elk steaks with some zesty quinoa salad, air fried potato wedges, or a side of edamame dill rice. You can also add a dollop of black garlic butter onto the hot steaks right before serving them, yum!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Elk steak is delicious and less gamy or wild-tasting than deer meat. Notice I didn't say venison because technically, elk is also considered to be venison.
Although olive oil, salt, and black pepper are usually all that's required to marinate the elk steaks, sometimes it's fun to add bold flavors to make the elk steaks even tastier.
Yes, in fact, cooking elk meat rare or medium-rare is preferred. Because elk meat is so lean, it can dry out if overcooked. So resist the temptation to overcook elk steak and you'll be pleased with how tender and delicious it can be!
Elk steaks are not tough but can be lean. If they're not cooked right, elk steaks can tasted dry and tough. Marinating the elk steaks first and not overcooking them will go a long way to help the elk steaks stay tender.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- When flipping the steak, use tongs to avoid pricking the steak and letting the juices escape, which will dry out the elk steak.
- Slice the steak against the grain and serve over a bed of rice or with a healthy broccoli salad. Another option is to serve the steaks with scalloped potatoes.
- Don't skip resting the steaks. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the steak, resulting in a more tender steak.
- Store leftover steak in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
🍗 Related Recipes
If you like this elk steak recipe, be sure to check out these other game recipes.
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📖 Recipe
Pan-Seared Elk Steak
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. elk steak
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1½ tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 1½ teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke
- 1½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked chipotle pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoon butter (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk all the wet marinade ingredients into a bowl, then add the spices and whisk to combine.
- Add the steaks and the marinade to a large Ziploc bag and seal. Massage the marinade into the steaks and marinate for 4+ hours.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet and make sure it's nice and oiled (or add 1 to 2 tablespoons of tallow). Cook steak over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature taken with a meat thermometer reads 125-130 degrees for medium-rare.
- Allow the steaks to rest, covered, for five minutes or so before slicing into medallions.
Notes
- When flipping the steak, use tongs to avoid pricking the steak and letting the juices escape, which will dry out the elk steak.
- Slice the steak against the grain and serve over a bed of rice or with a healthy broccoli salad. Another option is to serve the steaks with scalloped potatoes.
- Don't skip resting the steaks. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the steak, resulting in a more tender steak.
- Store leftover steak in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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