How to cook whatcha got

[steve white]

Game is not always easy to cook well.
Chef and author Hank Shaw has written three GREAT cookbooks that I cannot recommend highly enough...Buck, Buck Moose/ Duck Duck Goose/ Pheasant, quail, cottontail.

While not in that company, I have recently found yet another easy way to serve venison that even the wife, nieces, and grandchild will eat. It is a knockoff of beef & bean burritos like we often buy at Buccee's or some truck stop. Here's how easy it is....
Cook down ground or minced venison in a crock pot with one chopped onion, a few cloves of garlic and a packet of taco seasoning. While it's cooking, make your own bean mixture by heating, then mashing with a potato masher one can of pinto beans. Keep stirring to prevent sticking. Beans only take about 15 min. Then, when the venison is cooked tender, add a can of Rotelle tomatoes and simmer a little more. Add tobasco if desired. Cut off the heat and stir in the beans. Heat tortillas and spoon in the meat and beans, topping with sharp cheddar cheese. Fold. You can add sour cream or customize, but there it is, plain and simple. Pound of beef, onion and can of Rotelle, can of beans, packet of taco seasoning--makes enough you can eat some and freeze the rest. Frankly, you can't tell it from beef with those spices.

Please share any extra good recipes for PG, etc.!! and Bon Appetite.

 

[Hunt anything]

The best thing I’ve learned to do to game, game birds and waterfowl is to brine it for 12-24 hours.
I usually use 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of kosher salt and gallon of water. Rinse well after the brining dry put in your favorite marinade and cook until med-rare. Works on everything I’ve tried so far.

 

[Mekaniks]

Excellent, thanks for sharing and starting this thread

One thing people regularly ask me is "how do you you cook bear"??

Chilli, lots and lots of chilli... Ground into burger or chopped into small bits, browned in a pan with bacon grease, chili seasoning and onions, then slow simmered with all the beans, peppers, and anything else you can think of that makes a chili good....

Really it goes for any game that you want to cover some taste....

 

[Tundra Tiger]

Moose is easy, IMHO. But not plains game.

There are a lot of great things to do with moose but a lazy/easy thing I like to do is throw a bunch of roast meat and BBQ sauce in the crock pot and walk away. The leftovers are amazing and can last a week. It tastes great cold and makes fabulous BBQ "beef" sandwiches. I like shredded cheddar on mine.

 

[Hunt anything]

@Mekaniks , glad you mentioned bear, bear and wild hog are the only game I’ll cook to well done due to the threat of trichenosis .

 

[Ridge Runner]

Goose. Goose is my only pitfall when it comes to cooking. I have to cook 2 goose breast, then hope and pray 1 is edible.

I need some goose recipes with cooking instructions. I'm tried of wasting the few geese I get each year.

 

[deewayne2003]

Goose. Goose is my only pitfall when it comes to cooking. I have to cook 2 goose breast, then hope and pray 1 is edible.

I need some goose recipes with cooking instructions. I'm tried of wasting the few geese I get each year.

As @Hunt anything mentioned - Try brining

I do it for not only wild fowl but domestic turkey and especially fried chicken; start with salt and sugar then add whatever spices you like.

Furthermore - Why doesn’t this forum have a cooking section? It’s rather common place in other forums.

 

[Hunt anything]

@Ridge Runner, my favorite goose recipe is.
Brine the breast 12-24 hours. After taking it out of the brine rinse really well, butterfly the breast and marinate over night. My go to is , olive oil, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and Cajun seasoning Tony’s is a good one. Dash of hot sauce.
To cook I sear both sides of the breast on a hot grill. I take it off the heat and then I mix up a stuffing consisting of cream cheese, browned breakfast sausage and finely chopped jalapeños. Put this mix in the breast fold closed and wrap with thick cut bacon secure with toothpicks return to the grill and grill to desired temperature. It’s actually just a great big goose popper but works well.

I also use this on the belly flap on deer. No clue what cut of meat that actually is. But on the deer flank I lay out the meat after searing
and spread the cheese/sausage mix over the entire thing and roll it up .

The reason I sear it first is my wife won’t eat rare meat and the only way to get the middle to medium is to pre cook a little and the outside won’t be burnt to a crisp.

 

[steve white]

Goose. Goose is my only pitfall when it comes to cooking. I have to cook 2 goose breast, then hope and pray 1 is edible.

I need some goose recipes with cooking instructions. I'm tried of wasting the few geese I get each year.

Oven bag goose with salt and pepper and bake it--comes out looking and tasting like roast beef!
Geese make great sausage.
Get Hank Shaw book, Duck,Duck,Goose.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

Bigos (Polish hunters stew) is another great way to cook wild game meat, bear is my favourite. There are so many recipes out there on the net. Pick and choose what you like or have on hand to make a great cold weather hearty meal.

 

[Ridge Runner]

I use a variety favorable brines and/or marandes. My problem is getting a goose to cook properly; if under cooked I can cook it a little longer and it will generally turn out fine. Over cook the goose a slight bit and the dog won't eat it.

 

[Pirkan]

Studying at university full time while trying to afford guns/ammo/hunting I've experimented a lot with the cheapest cuts available and even some heart. Tenderizing it with baking soda for roughly 15 minutes make even lean and tough cuts very tender and absolutely perfect for stir fries or as a nice addition to some spicy ramen noodles. I'm yet to try this with game but I'm absolutely certain it'd work out well.

When I've shot roebucks during spring/summer I've also cut up some chops to throw on the grill which turn out super nice as long as you cook them hot and fast so they don't overcook.

 

[thriller]

Venison shank osso bucco

1-4 venison rear leg shanks with tendon attached and bone split open

1 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

3 tablespoons bacon fat (vegetable oil works if you don’t have the bacon grease)

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small bag baby carrots, chopped.

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1, 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1, 8 ounce can of beef stock

1 cup of red wine

I would highly recommend this

Serve over polenta with goat cheese or cream cheese

 

[Hunt anything]

Another great waterfowl recipe that I got from my late friend Kelly Knight in Amarillo.

Mallard, widgeon and pintail breasts work for this one especially if feeding in cornfields.
Flower the breast and season with your favorite seasoning. In a hot skillet put a pad of butter and put the breast on it for 1 minute 30 seconds, at the end of that time put another pad of butter down and flip the breast for another 1 minute and 30 seconds. Let it rest for 15 minutes and it should be rare, if you don’t like it rare adjust cooking time. This works for geese and cranes as well just adjust cooking times accordingly.

 

[cajunchefray]

Venison shank osso bucco

1-4 venison rear leg shanks with tendon attached and bone split open

1 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

3 tablespoons bacon fat (vegetable oil works if you don’t have the bacon grease)

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small bag baby carrots, chopped.

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1, 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1, 8 ounce can of beef stock

1 cup of red wine

I would highly recommend this

Serve over polenta with goat cheese or cream cheese

I’ve cooked this before, turns out great, sear it then low and slow. My wife even ate it.

 

[cajunchefray]

The best thing I’ve learned to do to game, game birds and waterfowl is to brine it for 12-24 hours.
I usually use 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of kosher salt and gallon of water. Rinse well after the brining dry put in your favorite marinade and cook until med-rare. Works on everything I’ve tried so far.

Brining game fowl is my go to.
I use 1 cup Kosher salt ( 3/4 if using table salt)
1/2 cup light brown sugar.
24 hours in brine, then drain. Not rinsed.
Next day, 50/50 of the brine with rich( Hungarian style buttermilk) 3% fat
After 24 hours, drain and let air dry a couple of hours,!then roast or braise.

Works for me with wood ducks, mallards, and venison.

I also add some aromatics to the salt sugar brine, bay leaf, fresh thyme, shallots.

A cooking forum here on AH would be great.
Several recipes I’ve read, are very good.

 

[cajunchefray]

Venison shank osso bucco

1-4 venison rear leg shanks with tendon attached and bone split open

1 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

3 tablespoons bacon fat (vegetable oil works if you don’t have the bacon grease)

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small bag baby carrots, chopped.

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1, 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1, 8 ounce can of beef stock

1 cup of red wine

I would highly recommend this

Serve over polenta with goat cheese or cream cheese

Good recipe!
Venison Osso Bucco is truly delicious, worthy of Michelin stars.
Best I’ve had ( besides my own), in Old Town Warsaw. They did it right.

 

[thriller]

I’ve cooked this before, turns out great, sear it then low and slow. My wife even ate it.

My wife loves it more than any other part of the deer. Kind of funny considering how much venison we go through annually. (9 deer) Alabamas doe harvest is a daily limit for those who don’t know already

 

[pilar]

A boned out deer ham cubed , onion, Rotelle tomato, chopped pepper ( any kind from bell to jalapeño) beef or chicken broth, cooked in a crockpot all day till tender,then dump some rice in and cook till fluffy, serve with tortillas and fried beans
Borritto / taco style
Sour cream and guacamole optional
Hot salsa mandatory

 

[Rare Breed]

Excellent, thanks for sharing and starting this thread

One thing people regularly ask me is "how do you you cook bear"??

Chilli, lots and lots of chilli... Ground into burger or chopped into small bits, browned in a pan with bacon grease, chili seasoning and onions, then slow simmered with all the beans, peppers, and anything else you can think of that makes a chili good....

Really it goes for any game that you want to cover some taste....

A New York chef taught me the key to any venison for those concerned with any wild taste is orange peel. I have found this to be very true. it is sold in spice aisle already ground up. completely neutralizes any wild taste. Yes I know it is all about field dressing and game preparation but this was a game changer for me