Slow-Cooked Elk Roast with Horseradish Chive Sauce

Last year I shot an elk with my dad. I have not been brave enough to this point to cook the meat myself, but my parents came up for dinner on Sunday and I decided to give it a go. I did a lot of research on cooking elk and came up with this recipe which I used a shoulder roast with. It turned out great! While it was cooking it smelled pretty gamey which made me worry but it didn't taste gamey at all. Don't skimp on the oil because elk is so lean it will get very dry without it. It is also best to work with a thawed roast for a number of different reasons, so thaw it in a bowl of water in your fridge about 24 hours before you start cooking for best results. Use the left over juices to make gravy or serve with the sauce listed below. The Horseradish Chive Sauce is also excellent on beef.

To Make the Roast:
2 lb loin or any back leg roast
1 package Grill Mates Mesquite Marinade (or your favorite rub recipe)
¼ c olive or other vegetable oil
½ c. water
1 tsp. minced garlic
½ chopped onion

Other vegetables, like carrots and potatoes as desired.

In a hot skillet with a small amount of oil, quickly brown (sear) the outside of the roast. This process just takes a few minutes and improves flavor and moisture retention. Put roast in the crock pot on low temperature.
Mix together: water, oil, garlic, onion and marinade (or rub) mix and pour over roast.

Cook in crock pot on low for at least 8 hours. Longer won't hurt it. If you prefer to use a covered roasting pan or turkey roaster, add enough water to immerse about 1/3 of the meat. Remember, every time you open the crock pot, you will slow the cooking process by about 20 minutes.

To make gravy from scratch:

Mix ½ -1 tablespoon flour or cornstarch in a small amount of cold water until lumps disappear. Pour into one cup of liquid from roast. For a richer flavor, add 1 teaspoon, or so of beef base or 1 bouillon cube. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until slightly less than desired thickness, stirring constantly. Remember that the gravy will thicken a bit after removal from the heat.


Horseradish Chive Sauce

2/3 cup light sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

3 tablespoons prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all ingredients and serve with the roast.