Yes, you heard right. ELK burgers. Last week, I went hunting and killed a giant Elk and carried it home on my back.
Seriously though, we did get Elk meat from a wild Elk that was shot in the woods, not by me, but by one of my husband’s friends. I am not that kind of awesome, sorry guys! But I am the kind of awesome that is thrilled when the husband brings home Elk burger out of the blue!
I admit, I was disappointed at first to have to eat a hamburger with no bread or cheese. However, I changed my mind after the first bite of these babies. This burger was juicy, full of flavor (but not gamy!), and the sauerkraut, fresh tomato, and avocados just sent my taste buds to heaven.
Here is a simple way to enjoy Elk burgers (or even a regular old beef burger, really) when you can’t have gluten or dairy.
Burgers
- 1.5 pounds Elk burger
- 3 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 whisked egg
- Cracked black pepper and sea salt to taste
Toppings
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1 fresh tomato sliced
- 1 scoop of sauerkraut
- Mustard
- 1 Poached egg per burger (optional; this is for really hungry people!)
- 4 leaves of crisp romaine lettuce
Serves: 2 hungry people 🙂
Directions
1. Thoroughly combine the ground Elk meat with salt, pepper, whisked egg, and Worcestershire sauce.
2. Form them into paddies.
Tip: First, form them into tennis-ball sized balls, then give them a nice splat onto a piece a wax paper or an oiled cutting board. Bam! Patties.
3. Cook the patties.
Tip: Hamburger patties should be cooked just like steak. You want them medium-rare throughout, with a nice caramelized crust on the outside. To achieve this, let them come to room temperature, then fry them in lard, beef tallow, or avocado oil (omega 3’s and high smoke points!) at very high heat, in a cast iron pan, until both sides are “golden brown and delicious” (60 seconds or so). Only fry once per side! Resist the urge to lift or flip the patty more than once. The sugars that produce caramelization only occur in the absence of oxygen, so the patties must remain flush against the pan until its time to cook the other side. Once they are caramelized on each side but still rare in the middle, throw them in the oven for a minute or two. This will gently cook the entire inside of the patty to a perfectly even medium-rare, without being overdone toward the surface, or raw in the middle!
3. Assemble the burgers with the toppings. Meat on bottom, veggies on top, condiments against the bun. Except, in this case, there’s no bun. Just fresh, crisp, low-inflammation lettuce to bookend your Elky treat!
Last time we made this it was so appetizing that I started eating before the fries were out of the oven, and those poor potatoes burnt to a crisp in the other room while I inhaled my burger. Make sure your fries are out of the oven before you sit down to enjoy this! 😉