Cooking Elk Meat

For those new to elk meat, it "tastes like mild (almost sweet) beef, with only a very faint venison flavor. Elk can be substituted equally for venison in most standard venison recipes." Farm raised elk also allows only the most prime animals to be processed for meat sales.
"Quantity to Buy - . . . Raw boneless meat yields about 3 servings per pound after cooking. Estimate 3 to 4 ounces per person for fully-cooked products."
"How Do You Reduce the 'Gamey' Flavor? - The distinct game flavor of either birds or animals will be milder after soaking the meat overnight in the refrigerator in either a salt or vinegar solution.

Salt solution - one tablespoon per quart of cold water
Vinegar solution - one cup per quart of cold water

Use enough solution to cover the game completely. Discard the solution after soaking.
You can also marinate game to give it a savory flavor or to tenderize it. Always marinate it in the refrigerator (1 to 2 days for birds; 3 to 5 days for game animals). Boil used marinade before basting meat as it cooks or using as a sauce on the cooked meat. Discard any uncooked leftover marinade."
"Cooking Methods - The tenderness of a particular cut of game is similar to the corresponding cut of domestically-raised meat or poultry. All game tends to be leaner than that of domesticated animals, which have been bred for tenderness and fat marbling. Overcooking can toughen game. You can use moist heat, basting, and larding or barding (inserting slivers of fat or wrapping in bacon) to help keep the meat tender during cooking. Fast searing over high heat can also work for smaller cuts (7 minutes per inch of thickness - let stand 4 to 6 minutes before serving), such as tenderloin medallions or rib chops."
Here is the a table for cooking temperatures that we use:

Rare 130-135 degrees F
Medium-rare 135-140 degrees F
Medium 140-145 degrees F

"Safe Defrosting - There are three safe ways to defrost frozen game:

in the refrigerator,
in cold water,
and in the microwave.

Never defrost on the counter. Whole birds or ground meat may take 1 to 2 days or longer to defrost in the refrigerator; roasts, several days. Once the raw poultry defrosts, it will be safe in the refrigerator an additional day or two before cooking. Meat and poultry thawed in the refrigerator may be safely refrozen without cooking it first.
To defrost game in cold water, do not remove store packaging. Be sure the packaging is airtight or put it in a leak-proof bag. Submerge the product in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes. A whole game bird (3 to 4 pounds) or package of parts should defrost in 2 to 3 hours; larger amounts of game may take 4 to 6 hours.
When microwave-defrosting game, plan to cook it immediately after thawing because some areas of the meat may become warm and begin to cook during microwaving. Holding partially-cooked food is not recommended because any bacteria present would not have been destroyed.
Foods defrosted in the microwave or by the cold water method should be cooked before refreezing."
"Partial Cooking - Never brown or partially cook game to
refrigerate and finish cooking later because any bacteria present would not have been destroyed. It is safe to partially pre-cook or microwave game immediately before transferring it to a hot grill or other cooking appliance to finish cooking.
"Can Safely-Cooked Game Be Pink? - Cooked muscle meats can be pink even when the meat has reached a safe internal temperature. If fresh game has reached 160 °F throughout, even though it may still be pink in the center, it should be safe. The pink color can be due to the cooking method, smoking, or added ingredients such as marinades. However, for tenderness and doneness, cook whole game birds to 180 °F; breast meat, 170 °F. Cook ground meats and other cuts of game meat such as chops, steaks, and roasts to 160 °F to ensure destruction of foodborne bacteria and parasites." A table of cooking times from the same newsletter. Note: I have not included game bird information in the cooking times table, but you may use the link in the reference to the main article just below.
"For additional food safety information about meat, poultry, or eggs, call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1 (800) 535-4555; Washington, DC area, (202) 720-3333; TTY: 1 (800) 256-7072. It is staffed by home economists, registered dietitians, and food technologists weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time, year round. An extensive selection of food safety recordings can be heard 24 hours a day using a touch-tone phone."

Quotes take from: Food Safety and Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Focus (Newsletter), October 1999. Food Safety Of Farm-Raised Game (article).