Elk meat taste?

[mtnmutt]

Can someone tell me where in your mouth you taste elk meat or any red meat when you eat it?

I tried to test this myself, but can't tell due to some post surgery nerve paralysis. I think it is in the middle of your mouth. I tried a Google search and got nothing.

I know it sounds like a stupid question, but there is a reason.

For one of my previous 6 left (bad) ear surgeries my left taste nerve was cut or removed. This is for taste in the front of the mouth. I never noticed it because I still had my right taste nerve.

This past Tuesday, I had my first ever right ear surgery and the doctor had to move my right taste nerve. I still have paralysis from the surgery with my front tongue and lower middle lip being numb. Presently, I am only tasting things in the back of my mouth.

I don't know what food to buy for the Broncos game because I don't know where you taste it in your mouth. Some foods I can't seem to taste now.

Go Broncos!

[Swede]

I can taste elk meat. To be fair I would say that the taste of elk is very near the same as beef. We have served some of my kills to guests, who never new we did not buy a prime cut at the supermarket for them.

[Still Hunter]

I have no idea. I do know if you can't smell, you can't taste. Ever notice when you have a cold that food is bland?

[mtnmutt]

I have no idea. I do know if you can't smell, you can't taste. Ever notice when you have a cold that food is bland?

Good point. I read somewhere once that beef really has no taste. Everyone's sensation for beef is from smelling it and not the taste.

When I was younger, I preferred meat well done. Now, I prefer it medium rare. For medium rare, I do have a slight taste of meat that I do not get when it is cooked well done.

Guess I am going all spicy food for awhile. Most everything tastes bland at the moment.

[Broken arrow]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1390190225.812282.jpg (105.62 KiB) Viewed 6345 times

this is how I prefer my steak brown on the outside cold in the middle.

[cnelk]

Elk meat tends to have a liver taste when cooked too long.
It is very flavorful when done right.

Broken Arrow -
Did you walk that elk thru a warm kitchen?

[wawhitey]

broken arrow, you know, humans learned how to harness the power of fire a long long time ago. its what led to our rising above the other animals. cook your fricking meat. i just puked in my mouth

[Lefty]

broken arrow, you know, humans learned how to harness the power of fire a long long time ago. its what led to our rising above the other animals. cook your fucking meat. i just puked in my mouth

That whole cooking over fire thing is over-rated, I still have my canines

for the first year my daughter was married her husband never ate meat , even the antelope he shot. He finally admitted he liked meat brown all the way through

[mtnmutt]

I got a craving for red meat seeing broken arrow's pic, however, I do prefer it cooked a little more.

For my rare times cooking elk steak, I rubbed it with olive oil to help prevent it from drying out. I need an elk down to practice more on cooking elk meat. It is more difficult to get right then bison.

[Z Barebow]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1390190225.812282.jpg

this is how I prefer my steak brown on the outside cold in the middle.

I like my steak with both sides sunburned, but that is closer to tiger meat!

[Broken arrow]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1390241982.235281.jpg (103.72 KiB) Viewed 6317 times

I don't always cook it that rare. Here's a bacon wrapped deer tenderloin.
I apologize if I grossed anyone out.

[BrentLaBere]

Hey Z, don't be talking down about tiger meat now . Broken arrow, I would eat either one of those steaks. I prefer my steaks on the more rare to medium rare side as well. Like others have stated though, smell is a big factor.

[Huntrgathr]

Hey Mtnmutt, What a unique question ! First of all, I was kind of taken aback reading about all the surgeries you are undergoing. Once again I'm reminded of all I take for granted. Hope all goes as planned. So, to help answer your question, the idea that we only taste certain flavors on certain parts of our tongue is a bit of a myth. Our taste buds ( located not just on the tongue but also the soft palate and throat)have receptors that are capable of perceiving all flavors - salty, sweet, sour, bitter and "Umami" ( google that one). Some of your receptors that are no longer " wired" may not be getting the message to your brain, leaving things a bit bland. Not much you can do about that other than to make your food taste as good as possible. I used to be a chef so I have some experience in this realm. So let's talk steak !

A steak has the most flavor when it is well browned on the outside and cooked medium rare to medium. This way you get the widest range if flavor from the steak. The browning , caused by the Maillard reaction, gives you those wonderful roasted, caramelized , smoky flavors that speak to your inner Cavewoman. The pink and red parts provide the more subtle "meaty" flavors, and contribute to "mouth feel". Obviously , seasoning the steak adds other peripheral flavors that enhance the overall flavor profile. A good illustration of this is to compare an unseasoned steak that is not properly browned with a perfectly seasoned and cooked steak. One is barely edible while the other is " to die for", or in our case, " to kill for ! So how do you cook the perfect steak ?

Start by properly thawing the steak. Then let it sit out until it comes to room temp before cooking. This helps to get a more even cook. If the steak is still very cold in the center it's harder to get it to cook to the proper doneness. Season the steak before cooking and pat it dry with a paper towel. Any surface moisture prevents browning, robbing the steak of flavor. Then preheat the pan BEFORE placing the steak in it. This is where most people go wrong. If you put meat in a cold pan you might as well just feed it to the dogs. It's hard to describe how hot to get the pan other than to say that the oil should just barely begin to smoke ( always use canola). Lay the steaks in the hot oil ( away from you) and reduce the heat to medium/medium high. Don't trust "time per side" as a gauge of doneness. Instead, poke the steak with you finger throughout the cooking to feel how firm it is. If you touch the thumb and forefinger of one hand together and poke the meaty part of your palm just below the thumb , you have a good guideline for medium rare. You'll get better at judging doneness as you do this more. During the last minute of cooking, add a tablespoon or five of butter to the pan and baste the steaks with it. This is especially important with extremely lean meats like elk. Once the steak is done to your liking remove it from the pan and place it on a wire rack to let it rest for about a minute. This allows the juices to settle back into the meat, leaving it much juicier and more flavorful. If you skip this step you will notice all those juices running out of the steak as soon as you cut it, flooding your plate.

Here's a backstrap steak I cooked this evening ...

image.jpg (71.38 KiB) Viewed 6289 times

[bullrub]

All I can say is seeing all these pics. of food is making me very hungry.

[mtnmutt]

Huntrgathr, thank you for all the information and details. I do poorly getting my steaks medium rare.

We will have nice weather this weekend, so I will try bison steak on the grill this weekend. I do pat meat dry after being marinated. That was the one cooking tip I learned in the last few years. Because of costs, I only started buying steaks the last few years. I have not yet been a successful hunter.

I still have the side effects from surgery with my front half of tongue numb. I can taste things at the back of my mouth. Things taste bland at the moment unless I get the drink or food to back of mouth.