Elk Chili Mac Biscuit
The story
Elk is the wild card on this menu and it earns its place. It is leaner than beef by a wide margin, deeper in flavor, and slightly sweet in a way that stands up to chili spices instead of hiding under them. Cooked into a chili with macaroni and baked under a District Biscuit crust, it produces something that tastes like a hunting camp dinner made by someone who knows what they are doing.
The leanness is the technical problem and it has a technical solution. Elk has almost no intramuscular fat, so browning it hard and then adding fat back, in this case bacon fat and a little butter in the sauce, is what keeps it from going dry and grainy in a long cook. The biscuit crust helps too, since it steams the surface of the chili from above while its own top goes crisp in the dry oven heat.
That is the culinary canvas going somewhere genuinely unusual. If you cannot find elk, ground bison or a lean beef works and the dish is still very good. But if you can find it, find it.
Why you'll love it
- The most distinctive protein in the Studio, and it is not a gimmick.
- Elk is leaner than beef with meaningfully more flavor.
- The biscuit crust goes crisp on top while steaming the chili below.
- Chili and macaroni in one pan means it is a complete dinner without sides.
- Bison or lean ground beef substitute cleanly if elk is not available.
Ingredients
- 6 District Biscuits, split into 12 halves
- 1.5 lb ground elk, or ground bison
- 4 oz bacon, diced
- 8 oz elbow macaroni, cooked one minute short of the box time
- 1 onion and 1 poblano pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic and 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14 oz, and 1 can kidney beans, rinsed
- 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, and 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cups beef stock and 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
- 3 cups broccoli florets, 2 tbsp melted butter, salt, and black pepper
How to build it
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1
Render the diced bacon in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat for 6 minutes until crisp, then lift it out and leave the fat behind.
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2
Raise the heat and brown the ground elk hard in the bacon fat for 7 minutes, letting it sit undisturbed so it colors rather than steaming.
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3
Add the onion and poblano and cook 6 minutes until soft, then stir in the garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika and cook 2 minutes.
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4
Pour in the beef stock and diced tomatoes, add the kidney beans and 2 tsp salt, and simmer 15 minutes until it thickens noticeably.
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5
Boil the macaroni one minute short of the package time and steam the broccoli for 3 minutes so it stays bright and firm.
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6
Fold the drained macaroni, broccoli, crisped bacon, and half the cheddar into the chili, then taste and adjust salt.
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7
Heat the oven to 400F, scatter the remaining cheddar over the surface, and arrange the split biscuit halves cut-side down across the top, overlapping slightly.
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8
Brush the biscuit tops with melted butter and bake 20 to 25 minutes until deep golden, then rest 10 minutes before serving.
Pro tips & swaps
- Cook the macaroni one minute short. It absorbs more liquid in the oven and fully cooked pasta will turn to mush.
- Elk needs the bacon fat. Browning lean game in a dry pan gives you gray, grainy crumbles.
- Steam the broccoli only three minutes. It cooks further in the oven and overcooked broccoli goes olive and slack.
- Overlap the biscuit halves so steam cannot escape between them and soften the tops from above.
- No elk? Ground bison is the closest match, and 90 percent lean beef works with the same method.
Bring District Biscuits to your business
Put our golden, flaky biscuits to work on your own menu — cater your next event, or bring District Biscuits to your restaurant, hotel, or grocery program.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make the Elk Chili Mac Biscuit ahead of time?
The chili itself can be made up to 4 days ahead or frozen for 3 months. Fold in the pasta and broccoli and add the biscuit crust only when you are ready to bake, since pasta continues absorbing liquid in storage.
What's the best biscuit to use for a chili mac topping?
A flaky, laminated biscuit like a District Biscuit is ideal because it crisps on top while steaming from the chili below. A pastry crust stays uniformly crisp and cornbread absorbs too much liquid from underneath.
Can I substitute the elk in this recipe?
Yes. Ground bison is closest in flavor and leanness, and 90 percent lean beef works well. Ground venison also works and behaves almost identically to elk. **Is there a gluten-free or vegetarian version of the Elk Chili Mac Biscuit?** For vegetarian, use two extra cans of beans and a pound of mushrooms browned hard. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta, though the District Biscuit is wheat-based, so check with the District Biscuit cafe about options.
Where do I buy ground elk?
Specialty butchers, farmers markets in mountain and western states, and several online game meat suppliers ship it frozen nationwide. It is more expensive than beef, roughly double, and a pound goes a long way in this dish.
What should I serve or drink with the Elk Chili Mac Biscuit?
It is a complete dinner, so a sharp slaw or pickled jalapenos are all it needs. For drinks, a brown ale, a Zinfandel, or a bourbon on ice.
How many calories are in a serving of the Elk Chili Mac Biscuit?
One of six servings lands roughly in the 620 to 750 calorie range. Elk is very lean, so most of the calories come from the cheese, bacon, and pasta rather than the meat.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Store covered for up to 4 days. Reheat at 375F for 20 minutes uncovered to bring the biscuit crust back. The microwave will soften the topping and is not recommended.
What makes a District Biscuit different from a regular biscuit?
District Biscuits are made with crisp, buttery edges and distinct flaky layers engineered to be a legit sandwich base, not just a side. As a crust over a wet chili, that structure gives you crisp above and saturated below. It is your culinary canvas, built to carry big flavor from first bite to last.
