The flat iron steak is sometimes an overlooked cut of game meat that I feel should be saved from being pulverized from the grinder. This cut of meat is quite flavorful and can be very tender when cooked correctly.
The steaks are located on both front shoulders of the animal and are attached to the shoulder blades. When you cut the slab of meat from the bone, you’ll notice a large piece of cartilage that runs lengthwise through the middle, creating what looks to be two individual steaks.
You can cut each one into two steaks which gives you more options for dinner ideas or you can leave it whole and make a stuffed flat iron elk steak like I’ve done below.
I chose to slow roast this stuffed elk steak using my newest addition to the family – The Traeger Grill. Of course, not everyone has a Traeger, so you could still follow the recipe, but instead sear the meat in a cast iron skillet and then bake in the oven at 350° F. When the internal temperature of the meat reaches 150° degrees remove from the oven and let rest before slicing.
Just another idea on what you can do with the overlooked flat iron elk steaks.
Sautéed pancetta bacon, mushrooms, spinach and mild but creamy blue cheese all rolled up into a fat iron elk steak and roasted to perfection will have your family and friends begging for more.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1.5 hours
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 ½ – 2 pounds flat iron elk steak, cartilage removed
- 4 ounces diced pancetta bacon
- 4 ounces Cambozola cheese
- 8 ounce Portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- butchers twine
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400° degrees.
- Carefully butterfly the elk flat iron steak using a flexible boning knife similar to a fish filet knife. This will allow you to open up the steak and easily remove the cartilage from the center. Lay the flat iron steak open and tenderize both sides with a meat mallet. Season with kosher salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook the pancetta bacon until slightly crispy. Remove the bacon from the skillet and add 2 tablespoons butter, mushrooms, shallot and garlic. Cook the mushrooms until browned about 7-8 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and set aside. Add the spinach to the skillet and cook until wilted about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Place the flat iron steak on a clean surface and add the mushrooms, pancetta bacon, spinach and Cambozola cheese to the center. Starting at one side, begin to roll up the meat creating a pinwheel. Using butcher’s twine, begin at one end tying a knot and then lay the string so it rests along the length of the stuffed steak. Place your thumb on the string one inch from the first knot and continue to wrap around holding everything in place.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the remaining butter. Add the stuffed flat iron steak to the skillet and brown on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Set the skillet in the oven to finish cooking for 15-20 minutes or until your desired doneness. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
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