BBQ'd Elk Steaks

Aki recently got his MA thesis manuscript accepted for publication (!!!) - so what better way to celebrate than with elk steaks!!  What actually happened was that he went away for the weekend, so I went to St. Lawrence Market to entertain myself.  I wanted to pick up a treat for a celebration dinner and walked past the man that sells elk meat, who I have seen many times.

Me:  How do you cook this?  <Pointing to elk pieces> Do you stew this?
Elk Man:  Yes, people like to make stew with these small pieces here.
Me:  Mmm.  <Pointing to big chunk of elk> - Do you roast this?
Elk Man:  Yes, that is for roasting.
Me:  And how do you cook this <pointing to elk steaks>?
Elk Man:  You would cook it any way you cook regular steak.
Me:  Okay, so barbeque or pan fry?
Elk Man:  Yes.

Thank you for answering my questions!  So I went with the elk steaks and hurried home.  I felt a bit bad about going to the market without Aki because he loooooves the market and we always go together, but then I found out later he went to Jean Talon market in Montreal without me!!!  That is a discretion that is about 25 times worse!  (I was going to say 50 times but didn't want to seem like I was exaggerating). 

Anyways, this is how I made the elk:

BBQ'd Lemon-Garlic Elk Steaks

• 2 pounds venison steaks
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place everything in a large ziplock bag, swish it around a bit, and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least several hours.  Take meat out 1 hour before grilling to let it come down to room temperature.  Heat up BBQ and grill on each side for 2 to 4 minutes.  I like my meat super rare (2 minutes each side), but you may not!

Credit to:  Derrick Riches, About.com Guide

It tasted very delicious!  I thought it might just taste like beef, but it was way more flavourful in a very unique way that is hard to describe.  I thought it might taste gamey like lamb, but it did not taste like lamb.  You will have to try it yourself!  It is a very lean type of meat and after eating it I felt strong (like elk)!!!