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Elk Meatballs Are a Real Thing. Here’s a Tasty Recipe To Try Today

Elk meat is light, lean, and delicious. Try this meatball recipe and see how fast it turns into a family favorite!

My husband is an avid hunter, but not one to trophy hunt.  He likes to fill the freezers with good quality meat and elk is his favorite! This is a recipe I came up with and it’s now my son’s favorite food. In fact, I can’t even get ground elk meat out without him digging in the refrigerator for the Worchestershire sauce!

Highly Nutritious and Full of Flavor

Elk meat is described as light, lean, and tender and is an excellent substitution for beef. Depending on the cut of elk meat, elk products provide 25 grams of protein which surpasses the protein content of other types of meat and is rich in minerals and flavor.

Because we don’t like to waste anything, all of our elk meat is used (even the tough meat can be made into dog food.) We will end up with a lot of ground elk and that prompted me to try to use it in new and unique ways.  The truth is, you can use ground elk just like you would ground beef, but often the “gaminess” of the meat is offputting to children if they aren’t used to it.  But thanks to this elk meatball recipe, I have a go-to for the ground elk and it’s my son’s favorite.  He will ask for elk meatballs several times a week for dinner now!

My Go-To Recipe for Elk Meatballs

Keep in mind that this recipe can be increased.

I used one pound of ground elk, but I have made this with 3 pounds of meat before and it turns out just as good. The only two things I’d suggest is Worchestershire sauce (the original, not the thick stuff) and Lowry’s seasoning salt. The right balance of these two take these meatballs to the next level!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb of ground elk meat
  • 1 Tbs Lowry’s seasoning salt
  • 1 Tbs Worchestershire sauce
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 large clove garlic, chopped
  •  fresh ground pepper (to taste)
  • 1/4 cup (give or take) breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp avocado oil (olive oil works too, we just prefer avocado oil for this recipe.)
  • *salt optional – This does not call for salt, as the Lowry’s and Worchestershire provide plenty, however, add some salt if you prefer!

Instructions:

  1. Put the elk meat and the egg into a bowl.  Add all the spices and chopped garlic and mix with your hands.

This will be pretty wet. Add bread crumbs and mix until the meat becomes “sticky”. This will help your meatballs stick together. My son has it down now and knows exactly when to tell me to stop adding bread crumbs.

2. Roll the meat into balls (whatever size you’d like).  These are made by my 7-year-old son, and he makes them so they fit his hand.

3. Put the avocado oil in a frying pan and get it hot. Cook all the meatballs on medium-low until completely cooked through.  (I cut into one to make sure they are done.) Usually, a nice dark brown color will mean the meat is fully cooked, but you could always use a thermometer if you prefer.

That’s all there is to it!

We add a salad and call it dinner, but you could always put these in spaghetti!

My son really does love these meatballs, and he always helps me make them and diligently watches them cook.  The avocado oil doesn’t pop all that much, but watch your kids if they are near these while they cook. Safety first! I also never let my son chop up the garlic.  If they insist on doing it, pick up a garlic press instead.  It’s much safer for the kids to use. I do let my son mix the meat with his hands and form the meatballs, however, I do supervise the handwashing both before and after. It’s a really fun recipe for kids to participate in!  They love the hands-on aspect of this one!

Here are some more wild game recipes you may like!

 

 

This article was originally published at Ready Nutrition™ on September 27th, 2019