Caribou rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 25 recipes to cook with it.
Key Points
Caribou is wild reindeer: lean, dark game meat that tastes milder than most venison.
So little fat that you cook it hot and rare or low and slow, never in between.
Add fat back: bard roasts, braise in liquid, blend pork or beef fat into ground.
Pull tender cuts at 130°F to 135°F (54°C to 57°C); ground caribou needs 160°F (71°C).
Substitute with deer, elk, or moose; lean beef or bison work in a pinch.
What is caribou?
Caribou is the meat of the wild reindeer, a member of the deer family that ranges across the far north of North America and northern Europe.
It's a true game meat, dark red and deeply flavored, with a clean taste many cooks find milder and less wild than other venison.
The thing to know in the kitchen is how lean it is. Caribou carries almost no marbling, so the fat that keeps beef juicy simply isn't there. That single fact drives nearly every decision you'll make with it.
For most people it arrives as a gift from a hunter rather than off a store shelf. That's why it shows up here in honest, hearty home cooking from chili to sausage.
How to Use It
Lean meat gives you two safe routes and a danger zone in between. Cook it fast and hot to a rare or medium-rare center, or cook it low and slow with liquid until it falls apart. The middle ground, a well-done quick cook, is where caribou turns dry and livery.
Ground caribou is the most common form, and because it's so lean it benefits from added fat. Many cooks blend in pork or beef fat for burgers and sausage, which is exactly what Caribou Burgers and Caribou Sausage #1 do.
Cooking and Pairing
The leanness means you have to add back what nature left out. Bard a roast with bacon and baste it often, or braise it in stock and wine so it never dries. Orange Glazed Caribou Roast leans on a glaze and basting to keep a large cut moist.
If the gamey edge bothers you, soak the meat for a few hours before cooking in milk or buttermilk; this mellows the strong notes.
Bold partners also help. Juniper, rosemary, garlic, red wine, and tart fruit like cranberry or orange all stand up to the meat and round off any wildness.
The big mistake is treating caribou like beef and cooking it to the same doneness. A medium-rare beef steak is forgiving; a medium-well caribou steak is tough and dry, because there's no fat to mask overcooking. Pull tender cuts at 130°F to 135°F (54°C to 57°C) and let them rest.
Substitutes
Other venison is the natural stand-in, since it shares caribou's leanness and dark, mineral flavor. Deer, elk, and moose all behave much the same and swap in cup for cup, with elk being the mildest of the group.
No game on hand? Lean grass-fed beef is the everyday substitute. It's richer and fattier, so the dish loses some of the wild character, but the cooking method carries over directly. For ground recipes, mix lean beef with a little extra fat and you'll land close to ground caribou's texture.
Bison is another good match. It's lean like game but more widely sold, and its slightly sweet, beefy flavor sits between caribou and beef.
Buying and Storing
Most caribou is hunted, not bought, so quality comes down to field care: meat cooled and butchered quickly tastes clean, while a poorly handled animal carries a stronger gamey note.
Good caribou is deep red and firm with little visible fat. Any fat that is present can taste tallowy, so many people trim it away.
Treat it like any fresh red meat in the fridge: keep it cold and cook or freeze it within a few days.
Because it's so lean, caribou freezes well and is often stored for a season. Wrap it tightly to guard against freezer burn, which lean meat shows faster than fatty meat, and use it within about a year for the best flavor.
As with all game and ground meat, cook it safely. Ground caribou should reach an internal 160°F (71°C), even though whole-muscle steaks can be enjoyed at a rosy medium-rare.
Types of caribou
Specific kinds of caribou and the recipes that use them.
Caribou steaks are loin and leg cuts of caribou, the North American wild reindeer of the Arctic and subarctic. The meat is a lean, dark, fine-grained red meat with a clean, slightly sweet flavor and far less gaminess than most people expect.
A caribou steak eats much like a venison or elk steak: lean and tender, rich without being heavy. It is a staple protein across northern Canada and Alaska, where hunters share the meat through the long winter.
The defining trait is leanness, with almost no marbling, which is the one fact that should guide how you cook it.
Mustard fried caribou steaks coated in Dijon and horseradish, then pan-seared to medium rare. A quick wild game recipe with bold, peppery crust and juicy pink center.
A delicious meat pie is great at Christmas. Feel free to use ground beef, pork, lamb or a combination of different meats. Make a few of these meat pies a few weeks in advance, then freeze them in the freezer. Reheat it in the oven directly out of the freezer just before serving.
A classic French bordelaise sauce built from scratch in three stages: matignon, espagnole, and a red wine reduction finished with poached bone marrow. The ultimate companion for game, beef steaks, and roasts.
Spiced ground caribou simmered with tomatoes, raisins, red wine vinegar, cumin, and cloves. A Latin-inspired wild game skillet meal ready in 30 minutes.
Favorite caribou sausage is a homemade wild-game sausage blending lean caribou and pork with grated potato, seasoned with allspice and a cayenne kick. A juicy, hunter's-table sausage for the grinder.
Caribou sausage recipe combines wild game with fresh pork and a warm spice blend of nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and paprika. Yields 80 sausages, perfect for hunters and big freezer hauls.
Pan-seared caribou cube steaks topped with bacon-studded rice and mushroom stuffing, simmered in savory mushroom gravy. A hearty wild game dinner for hungry folks.
Old-fashioned mincemeat pie with ground caribou, apple cider, raisins, currants, and warm spices, spiked with brandy. A lattice-topped holiday classic with a wild game twist.
Maple barbecued caribou ribs marinated overnight and slow-roasted for 3 hours in a sauce of maple syrup, ketchup, Worcestershire, and juniper berries. Wild game meets Canadian-style BBQ.
Caribou and pork sausage with grated potato mixed right into the grind. Allspice and cayenne bring warmth while the potato keeps every link moist and hearty.
Lean caribou strips seared fast in sesame oil and smothered in a from-scratch black bean sauce spiked with ginger, garlic, and chile. Swap in venison or beef if caribou isn't in your freezer.
Garlic-marinated caribou steaks grilled and topped with a buttery green peppercorn and cognac sauce. A refined wild game dinner with French bistro flair.
Ground caribou meatloaf seasoned with Chinese five spice, soy sauce, and chopped radish greens. Cooked rice binds it all together for a wild game twist on comfort food.
Grandpa's caribou sausage blends lean wild game with ground bacon for richness, then seasons it with garlic, allspice, coriander, and mustard seed before stuffing into casings. A hunter's homemade sausage that works for any lean game.
Rustic caribou sausage seasoned with sage, allspice, coriander, mustard seeds, and plenty of garlic. A wild game sausage recipe for hunters who want bold, homemade links stuffed into natural casings.
Bone broth caribou soup loaded with potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnip, and cabbage, seasoned with juniper berries and white wine. Even better the next day.
Caribou roast larded with salt pork, marinated in port wine with cloves and bay leaves, then slow-braised with cranberry juice and onions. A Northern wild game classic for hearty appetites.
Tender caribou simmered in mustard oil with turmeric, cumin, ginger and garlic. This wild game curry brings bold Indian spices to lean, rich-flavored caribou meat.
Orange glazed caribou roast seared at high heat, then braised with orange juice, allspice, and juniper berries. Finished with a currant jelly and bitters glaze for wild game done right.
Slow-cooked caribou stew with lentils, potatoes, parsnips, and peppers in a white wine and Worcestershire broth. Crockpot-friendly and loaded with protein.
Caribou roast marinated 48 hours in gin, apple cider vinegar, and beef stock, then draped with bacon and slow-roasted. Gin's juniper notes are a natural match for wild game.
Big-batch caribou sausage with pork, paprika, nutmeg, allspice, and coriander. Stuff into casings for smoking or shape into patties for the freezer. 20 lbs total.
Bite-sized caribou meatballs made with ground pork, oatmeal, mustard, and a kick of hot sauce. Pan-fried crispy in minutes. Makes 5 dozen crowd-pleasing appetizers.
Pan-seared caribou steaks draped in a smoky Scotch whisky sauce spiked with tart cranberries, orange juice, and currant jelly for a wild game dinner that tastes like the Canadian wilderness.
Wild game caribou steak pounded tender, seared in butter with golden onions, then simmered in A-1 sauce, sherry, and Worcestershire: finished with flambéed brandy at the table.
Grilled caribou steaks marinated 24 hours in red wine with ginger and hot pepper sauce, then rubbed with bacon drippings and grilled medium-rare. Wild game cooking at its most direct.
Caribou strips browned with mushrooms and onions, simmered in a Worcestershire-spiked sour cream gravy. Serve over egg noodles or rice for a wild game comfort classic.
Caribou chili built on lean wild game, red wine, garlic, and a heavy hand of chili powder, then slow-simmered and rested overnight so the meat turns tender and the spices deepen.
Roast caribou marinated overnight in vinegar and garlic, browned in a skillet, then roasted low and slow with a mustard, brown sugar, and Worcestershire paste.
Yum! I used organic beef stock, and also chopped a few cloves of fresh garlic instead of powder, never understand why use garlic powder when fresh garlic tastes much better. I browned the meat with canola oil. Overall it's a five-star dish, I would give it even more stars if I have a choice!
