Fortunately for the listeners of the JRE podcast, Joe Rogan shared the exact recipe of how he cooks his steaks. And whether it be elk, beef, or brisket – it all works the same. So put your aprons on and learn how to cook your steaks the Joe Rogan way!
Joe Rogan cooks his steaks in four simple and easy steps called “reverse searing” that we will go into deeper detail:
- Season the meat with Saskatchewan rub
- Cook on Traeger pellet grill at 225 degrees
- Sear on cast-iron frying pan
- Let it rest 10 minutes and then slice
The details of this recipe get broken down into finer steps below, so make sure to continue reading. And if you do, you will enjoy the best steak you’ve ever had!
Why Does Joe Rogan Love Elk So Much?
Rogan has stated that he loves elk steak because it’s delicious, tender, and low gamey flavor. He cherishes the experience, as well, because he kills most of the elk himself on his hunting expeditions with buddies like Cameron Hanes.
Rogan likes to eat clean, which makes elk a great choice for him because it is wild, organic, healthy, lean and low in fat, and hormone, steroid, and antibiotic free.
Also see: The Amazing Life of Cameron Hanes (Joe Rogan’s Hunting Buddy)
Rogan Cooks His Steak Slow
“You know what the key is? Cooking it slowly. That’s the key.” – Joe Rogan
Joe likes his elk meat rare to medium rare, finished with a nice, crispy sear on the outside. It’s a technique called reverse searing.
Ingredients:
- Elk Roast or Steak
- Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Saskatchewan rub by Traeger (optional)
- Diced Garlic
- Thyme
- Grass Fed butter or Beef Tallow
Cooking Equipment needed:
- Traeger pellet grill
- Wood pellets
- Cast Iron Frying Pan (or regular frying pan)
- Tongs
*If you don’t have a pellet grill, you can use normal charcoal or gas grill or bake in your oven. (It’s just that Rogan prefers pellet grills.)
*If you can’t get your hands on elk, this recipe will work the same with beef roast or steak.
Optional: Sometimes Rogan adds a little bit of Kill Cliff CBD drink, like the the “Flaming Joe” or “Elk Blood” flavors, which can be bought on the Kill Cliff website.
Step 1: Season with Sakatchewan rub or experiment
Season with blackened Saskatchewan rub by Traeger grills, or go simple with just pink Himalayan sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Joe said that he likes to play around with seasoning. It’s more of an art than a science.
Step 2: Cook with just Wood, Fire, and Meat
Cook with outdoor pellet grill at 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Low and slow, baby.
He cooks elk with a Traeger pellet grill and is a big fan of the pellets because they contain “no BS.” To make the pellets, companies take sawdust from saw mills and compact it down tight until the pellets are formed. It contains nothing but compressed wood which means that it is chemical-free, no lighter fluid, and no gas. Joe describes it best: “just wood, fire and meat!”
Joe has also used a Yoder pellet grill and a Green Mountain pellet grill in the past, saying they both work fine too.
Temperature: Cook at 225 degrees, until the elk meat reaches internal temperature of 125-135 degrees (about 2 hours) depending on your rare or medium-rare preference and the size of your roast. (Smaller elk steaks can take about 30 minutes.)
“It’s 100% organic. You’re eating a wild animal that’s been living a wild life. It doesn’t get any better.” – Joe Rogan
Also see: Who Does Joe Rogan Hunt With? The Answer Might Surprise You!
Step 3: Sear it on a cast iron frying pan
After your meat reaches about 125 internal temperature in Step 2, sear it on very hot cast iron frying pan, using beef tallow or grass-fed butter for oil.
Have your cast iron frying pan set to HIGH and put grass fed butter, garlic and thyme in the pan right before transferring the meat. Take it off when you get a nice dark sear on all sides before it burns which should take between 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.
“I sear the s*** out of it with some garlic, thyme, flip it over get that good sear on all sides.” – Joe Rogan
Step 4: Let it rest and slice
Let it rest 10 minutes to lock in flavor and juices.
“And then let it sit for a minimum of 10 minutes and then I slice that mother f*****.” – Joe Rogan
If your final product looks something like this, you did awesome!
Additional notes about pellet grills from Joe:
Pellet grill adds a really good smoky hardwood flavor. He likes to use the “supersmoke” feature of the Traeger pellet grill to push tons of smoke in (can’t be over 225 degrees) You can even fit a full elk back strap in it.
A key for Rogan is to not mess around with chemicals. He doesn’t like using lighter fluid. He likes lump charcoal too but says he avoids the easy-start charcoal that has chemicals in it.
Side Dishes Rogan Pairs With Steak
Rogan likes to go real simple with the sides dishes.
Grilled Asparagus
- Turn grill up to 350.
- Roll asparagus in olive oil and sprinkle salt on top.
- Cook until brown not burnt, about 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally.
Jalapeños
Joe very frequently pairs his elk with either fresh or pickled jalapeños. If fresh, just slice them up and they’re ready.
Jalapeños are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium. And they contain a chemical compound called capsaicin, which makes it spicy, which has numerous health benefits such as: weight loss, pain relief, and heart health.
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Thanks so much for reading!