How to Cook Elk Burgers Without Drying Them Out

Elk is the leanest thing most people will ever put on a grill. A beef burger from the grocery store runs 20% fat or more. Elk is closer to 5%. That fat is what forgives you when you walk away to grab a beer, and elk doesn't have much of it to spare.

So the failure mode is obvious: you cook an elk burger the way you cook a beef burger, and you end up with something dry and gray that tastes like a lecture about eating healthier. That's not the meat's fault. Cook it right and it's better than beef — cleaner, deeper, actually tastes like an animal that lived outside.

Here's how to get it right.

Don't thaw it on the counter

Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. A patty that thaws unevenly cooks unevenly, and with a six-minute total cook time you don't have room to correct it. If you forgot, a sealed bag in cold water for 30 minutes works. A microwave does not — it starts cooking the edges while the middle is still frozen, and you've lost before you started.

Take the patties out about 15 minutes before they hit the heat. Cold meat straight from the fridge overcooks on the outside while the center catches up.

Season the outside, don't work the inside

Salt and pepper both sides right before cooking. That's it. Don't mix seasoning into the meat, don't add egg or breadcrumbs, don't press the patties down and re-form them. Every bit of handling compacts the grind and squeezes out moisture you can't get back.

Our elk burgers come pre-formed for exactly this reason. Take them out of the package and put them on the heat.

Get the pan or grill properly hot

Medium-high. A cast iron skillet should be hot enough that a drop of water skitters across the surface. A grill should be hot enough that you can't hold your hand six inches above the grate for more than a couple of seconds.

Add a little fat before the patty goes down — tallow, bacon grease, butter, avocado oil, whatever you have. Elk won't render enough of its own fat to keep itself from sticking. This is the single step most people skip.

Three to four minutes a side, and don't touch it

Put the patty down and leave it alone. No pressing with the spatula. That sizzle you hear when someone presses a burger is the juice hitting the pan instead of staying in the meat, and with elk you don't have enough to donate.

Flip once, at about three to four minutes, when the edges have gone from red to brown and the patty releases from the surface without fighting you. Then three to four minutes on the second side. Our patties are 4 oz. and on the thinner side, so start checking at three. A thick half-pound patty will want the full four or a little more.

One useful thing about lean meat: elk burgers hold their shape. They don't shrink into meatballs the way a fatty beef patty does. What you put on the grill is what comes off it.

Know your temperature

This is the part you can't eyeball. Buy a $15 instant-read thermometer and use it.

The USDA recommends cooking all ground meat to an internal temperature of 160°F. That's the food-safety number, and it's the one to follow if you're cooking for kids, anyone pregnant, or anyone with a compromised immune system.

Plenty of people cook elk burgers to a lower temperature the same way they'd order a beef burger medium-rare. If that's you, here's the range:

• 130–135°F — medium-rare
• 140–145°F — medium
• Past 150°F — you've made jerky

Whatever number you're aiming for, pull the patty about 5 degrees short of it. It keeps cooking for a minute or two after it leaves the heat. A beef burger has enough fat to survive a few extra degrees. An elk burger does not — which is exactly why the 160°F burger has a reputation for being dry, and why the next section matters.

Cooking it through? Add the fat back on the plate

If you're going to 160°F, bring the richness from the outside instead of hunting for it in the meat. A slice of sharp cheddar melted over the top in the last minute. A pat of herbed butter. A spoonful of aioli. Bacon. A fried egg.

A fully cooked elk burger with fat on it is a good burger. A fully cooked elk burger with lettuce and a tomato slice is a chore.

Rest it for five minutes

Off the heat, on a plate, five minutes. The juices redistribute instead of running out the first time you bite. Skipping the rest undoes a lot of what you just did right.

Toast the buns while you wait.

Build it with fat in mind

Because elk brings so little of its own, the toppings do more work than they would on a beef burger. Sharp cheddar, avocado, caramelized onions, a good mayo-based sauce. Blue cheese if that's your thing.

Go light on anything acidic and watery. Too much raw tomato and a wet pickle slice and you've got a dry burger on a soggy bun, which is the worst of both worlds.

The short version

1. Thaw in the fridge, rest 15 minutes at room temperature.
2. Salt and pepper the outside only.
3. Medium-high heat, add fat to the pan.
4. Three to four minutes a side. One flip. No pressing.
5. Pull 5 degrees short of your target temperature.
6. Rest five minutes.

That's the whole thing. Six steps, under ten minutes of cooking, and the difference between the best burger you've had this year and a hockey puck with a pedigree.

Shop elk burgers › — four 4 oz. patties, pre-formed and ready for the skillet.

Also in Bison Meat Recipes