Enjoy these deliciously smoked elk meatballs with a beautiful Cabernet wine sauce. These elk meatballs are a combination of ground elk and ground pork that are perfectly seasoned to deliver a flavor-packed bite.
Are you bored of the same old meatball recipes? These mouthwatering smoked elk meatballs have a tender texture and unique taste. These meatballs are a true culinary delight.
Whether you're an avid hunter looking for new ways to enjoy your game or simply craving a twist on traditional meatballs, this recipe is sure to satisfy your taste buds and impress your guests. So fire up that smoker and get ready to indulge in the rich flavors of smoked elk meatballs as you've never experienced before!
Love this recipe? Try our Elk Burgers next!
Ingredients for Smoked Elk Meatballs
Ground Elk - Elk is a wild game meat, very similar to venison. It is flavorful and lean. It is unlike ground beef which has a lot of fat content. In this recipe I create a mixture of ground elk meat and ground pork, to give it a good balance of fat. The ratio is two parts elk to one part pork.
Ground Pork - This adds a perfect amount of fat to the meatball mixture. Fat will add flavor and keep the meatballs moist as they smoke.
Onion and Garlic - Fresh onion and garlic are classic meatball ingredients. They add a ton of flavor and complement the smoky cooking style. They don't need to be too finely chopped.
Eggs and Panko bread crumbs - these are the binders for the meatballs. the egg holds it all together and the panko bread crumbs serve as a sponge to absorb any extra moisture and flavor.
Rosemary - I love rosemary. It is a great seasoning for meats and the smoker. It gives a beautiful savory flavor to every dish I use it in. In particular, it compliments game meats very well. I use it in a lot of my land recipes, like smoked leg of lamb or the rack of lamb.
Salt and Black Pepper - Stalples in every kitchen. A well-seasoned meatball is crucial.
How to make Elk Meatballs
Step One - Mix all of the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl. Use your hands to make sure they are all well mixed together.
Step Two - Form the meatball mixture into small two-ounce balls. Place them on a wire rack that we will use to move them to the smoker.
Step Three - Place the entire wire rack of meatballs into the preheated smoker. Smoke at 225°F for about 60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.
While the meatballs are smoking you can prepare the cabernet sauce.
In a small saucepan sautee onion and garlic with olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add flour and mix well and continue to cook for 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan with wine, then add beef broth and cook for about 10 minutes over low heat. Mixing constantly. The goal is to reduce the volume to about a third. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Once the Elk Meatballs are done cooking on the smoker, remove them and serve them along with the optional cabernet sauce. Enjoy!
Common Questions
Is Elk good meat to make burgers out of?
When it comes to making burgers, you don't want any old ground meat. You want something that is flavorful and has the right amount of fat so that you don't have a dry burger. Since elk meat is very lean, you want to mix some fat into it. You can either regrind it by adding fat like pork or beef fat. If you don't have fat to add, you can mix in ground pork or ground beef. These have higher fat content and will add fat and moisture, as well as additional flavor to the burger.
Aside from meatballs, what are other recipes to make out of elk meat?
There are several different cuts of elk like there are with other cuts of meat. You can prepare them in similar ways to how you would prepare the same cuts of beef, lamb, or venison. You can serve an elk roast, an elk rack of ribs, elk tenderloins, and on and on... If you are mostly cooking ground elk recipes, try using it as you would other ground meat. You can use it for a meat sauce over spaghetti, elk Swedish meatballs over egg noodles, or use if for healthy tacos, you can even use it in casseroles as a lean protein.
Try some other great wild game recipes:
- Smoked Venison Sausage
- Ground Venison Meatballs
- Venison Tacos
- Smoked Alligator
- Grilled Alligator Tenderloins
- Smoked Pheasant
- Wild Boar Sausage
- Wild Boar Burger
Recipe
Smoked Elk Meatballs
Equipment
- Traeger Grill or other smoker
Ingredients
Elk Meatballs
- 1 lb ground elk
- .5 lb ground pork
- ¼ cup chopped bread or crushed pork rinds
- ¼ cup onion fresh chopped
- 2 teaspoon garlic two cloves chopped
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg beaten
Optional Cabernet Wine Sauce
- ¾ cup beef broth
- ½ cup cabernet sauvignon
- 1 teaspoon garlic 1 clove chopped
- 1 tablespoon onion fresh chopped
- 1 tablespoon flour or ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
Smoked Elk Meatballs
- Place all the meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix ingredients well. Then form the meat mixture into 2 oz meatballs.
- Place the meatballs onto a wire rack and place them in our preheated smoker. Smoke the meatballs at 225℉ for about 60-70 minutes. The meatballs are done when the internal temperature reaches 145℉.
- When the meatballs are done, remove them from the smoker and serve with optional Cabernet Sauce.
Optional Cabernet Wine Sauce
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, saute chopped onions and garlic in olive oil.
- After two minutes, add flour and cook the flour with the onions and garlic for 30 seconds, constantly moving them to avoid burning.
- Deglaze the pan with cabernet wine. Then add beef broth and mix well. Lower heat to low and continue to stir the sauce and allow it to reduce about a third. This will take about 10 - 12 minutes. Use salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the sauce is done, serve it with your Smoked Elk Meatballs.
Notes
Nutrition
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