Blackstone Elk Steak Dinner with Garlic Butter and Crispy Potatoes
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When someone gives you a fresh elk roast, the first question is what to do with it. Roast it whole? Cut it into steaks? Put it in the slow cooker?
For this dinner, I'm using a five-pound elk top round from the hindquarter and making the entire meal on the Blackstone.
The plan is simple: marinate the elk, get russet potatoes crispy on the griddle, cook the vegetables, then sear the meat right before serving.
Elk is much leaner than beef, and top round is not the same as a tenderloin. I slice it across the grain and don't crowd the griddle. A thermometer matters, too.
What we're making
Garlic butter elk top round steak bites
Crispy Parmesan russet potatoes
Sautéed mushrooms and sweet onions
Garlic green beans with lemon
Serves: 8 to 10
Prep: 25 minutes
Marinating: 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator
Griddle cooking: about 35 minutes, depending on your griddle size and how many batches you cook
Ingredients
Elk and marinade
5 pounds elk top round, trimmed of silver skin
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoons black pepper
6 tablespoons butter, for finishing
Fresh parsley, chopped
Crispy Parmesan russet potatoes
3 pounds russet potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
Mushrooms and onions
16 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 large sweet onions, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic green beans
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
How to make the entire dinner on the Blackstone
1. Marinate the elk. Trim off the tough silver skin. Find the direction of the muscle fibers and slice across the grain into roughly 1/2-inch-thick small steaks.
Mix the olive oil, Worcestershire, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, paprika, rosemary and pepper. Add the meat, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Throw out the used marinade after you take the meat out.
2. Give the russets a head start. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into roughly 3/4-inch cubes. Simmer in salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, just until almost tender.
Drain well and let the surface moisture steam off. Toss with oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. This quick parboil gives you a fluffy inside and crispy edges without burning on the griddle.
3. Prep the vegetables. Slice the onions and mushrooms. Blanch the green beans for about 3 minutes, chill briefly and drain well so they don't steam on the griddle.
4. Start the Blackstone with the potatoes. Heat one zone to medium and another to medium-high. Spread the potatoes over the medium zone and cook about 15 to 20 minutes, turning now and then, until browned and crisp. Add the butter and Parmesan near the end.
5. Cook the mushrooms, onions and green beans. Cook the onions and mushrooms in butter on a medium zone for about 10 to 12 minutes. Add Worcestershire and season to taste.
Toss the green beans with oil and butter for 4 to 6 minutes, adding the minced garlic in the last minute. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
6. Sear the elk last. Lift the elk out of the marinade and let the extra drip off. Sear in batches on a lightly oiled, medium-high section of the Blackstone. Don't crowd the meat.
Brown both sides and check the inside temperature with a food thermometer. USDA guidance is to cook wild game to 160°F inside. Thin pieces cook fast, so go by temperature, not a set number of minutes.
7. Finish with garlic butter. Melt the last 6 tablespoons of butter with a little garlic, then toss with the cooked elk and add chopped parsley. Serve with the Parmesan russets, mushrooms, onions and green beans.
My tips for cooking elk top round
Slice across the grain. Top round is a working muscle. Cutting across the fibers makes each bite easier to chew.
Cook in batches. Five pounds is too much for one crowded spot on the griddle. A little space around each piece helps it brown.
Keep the meat cold until cooking. Do the potatoes and vegetables first, then take the elk out of the refrigerator and cook it last.
Use a thermometer. Wild game should be handled carefully, especially when it's freshly harvested. Proper chilling and cooking matter.
Can I make a smaller batch?
Absolutely. Halve everything for a smaller dinner and cook about 2 1/2 pounds of elk. Freeze the rest of the raw meat right away, as long as it has been handled and chilled safely.
Real-life swaps from tonight
I was short on a few things, so here is what I swapped.
Canned green beans. Drain them well and pat them dry. Skip the blanching step and just heat them on the griddle with the oil and butter for 3 to 4 minutes.
Garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. Use about 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder for each clove. That is 1 teaspoon in the marinade, about 1/2 teaspoon for the green beans and a pinch in the garlic butter.
Forgot to marinate early? Slice the elk thin, get it in the marinade and into the fridge, then cook everything else first. The elk goes on last, so it still gets about an hour.
What to serve with it
This is already a full dinner, but a warm loaf of bread or a simple salad goes well with the garlic butter and vegetables.
Pick your griddle
Any 36-inch flat-top with a lid works for this. Here are three, depending on where you like to shop.
What I use: Sam's Club. Mine is the Member's Mark Pro Series 5-burner. It's sold out right now, so this is the newer version.
Shop the Member's Mark griddle at Sam's Club →
The Blackstone at Walmart. The 36-inch Original Omnivore with a hood.
Shop the Blackstone at Walmart →
The Blackstone on Amazon. The same 36-inch Original Omnivore with a hood.
Shop the Blackstone on Amazon →
The rest of the gear
The pick: an instant-read meat thermometer, so you cook the elk to temperature, not by guessing.
The pick: a sharp knife set for trimming silver skin and slicing across the grain.
The pick: long griddle spatulas for turning a lot of small steaks fast.
Dinner without the guesswork
Fresh elk can feel like a lot of pressure. Slice it right, cook it to temp, and let the griddle do the rest.
Keep reading: Blackstone white chicken enchiladas, another no-oven dinner my family cleaned out.
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