# reciepies ... mmmm I heard what you like..now let us know how you do it.



## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

Hi guys...

I read alot of your post on what you like...many sounded GREAT. Lets start sharing how we cook our game.

One of my favorites is also easy. Back strap on the grill...it does not matter what kind..elk, WT, moose....I will take large section enough to feed those who are eating. I throw it on the grill with a medium heat. I baste it with butter, olive oil or even baccon grease add crushed garlic to the baste. At times I might slip cloves into the loin. I hold off on salting untill at the table when those eating salt to taste using sea salt.

Do not over cook...rarer the better in my book. Out side cooked however inside juicy and red.

It is good !!


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## ebbs (Feb 7, 2010)

I'll have to have my wife make a guest post. I'm literally not allowed in the kitchen!


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## El Gato Loco (Jan 15, 2010)

ebbs said:


> I'll have to have my wife make a guest post. I'm literally not allowed in the kitchen!


That makes two of us, brother! Nicole will start throwing elbows around - even if I am just passing thru!


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

I do by far the majority of the cooking at our house, but oddly enough when it comes to game meat my wife takes over, except for the jerky.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Chris Miller said:


> That makes two of us, brother! Nicole will start throwing elbows around - even if I am just passing thru!


 Passing through is one thing, grabbing something on the way is another?


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## bar-d (Feb 3, 2010)

We take the tenderized back strap cutlets and make steak fingers out of them. My wife cooks the steak but "doesn't do gravy" so when she has taken the last piece of meat out of the skillet, I drain most of the grease but leave the "drippins". I make the gravy with the drippins, flour and milk.
Another of our favorites is to cut up deer sausage into 1/2" to 3/4" medallions and sear them in a little olive oil. Set them aside then peel and cut up 3 to 4 medium potatoes into cubes. Slice a medium size onion and fry all of it together until the onion is soft and the potatoes are beginning to brown. Drain any remaining grease and add the sausage back in and cover, simmering on low for about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir occasionally until the onions carmelize.
It's gooder'n snuff!


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

MMMM what time is dinner bar-d ? Man that sounds good !


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## bar-d (Feb 3, 2010)

I really like the sausage/potato skillet but my wife tells me it is her all time favorite meal.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

bar-d said:


> We take the tenderized back strap cutlets and make steak fingers out of them. My wife cooks the steak but "doesn't do gravy" so when she has taken the last piece of meat out of the skillet, I drain most of the grease but leave the "drippins". I make the gravy with the drippins, flour and milk.
> Another of our favorites is to cut up deer sausage into 1/2" to 3/4" medallions and sear them in a little olive oil. Set them aside then peel and cut up 3 to 4 medium potatoes into cubes. Slice a medium size onion and fry all of it together until the onion is soft and the potatoes are beginning to brown. Drain any remaining grease and add the sausage back in and cover, simmering on low for about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir occasionally until the onions carmelize.
> It's gooder'n snuff!


 Thanks bar-d --- had to read that silly recipe again( stomach sounds like a cage full of lions), might have to take some deer bratwurst out, Hmm new potatoes and onions out of the garden, I've 300#'s of garlic curing, and you have to add that.


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## eyemall (Jul 5, 2010)

When it comes to cooking and eating wildgame that mostly is left up to me. My wife will not cook or eat wild game especially after seeing e cut it up. She told me one time it is hard for her to beef after seeing me do that because she thinks about where it comes from and how it is handled. Sometimes I think she is closet animal rights activist. LOL. The kids eat some of what I cook but they arent crazy about it.


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## CO204yoter (Aug 9, 2010)

one of my favorites uses a fall bear roast, take the roast and let it warm to room temp. run a rottiserie rod through the roast and using a paring knife cut small slits in the meat and insert slivers of garlic and onions. let sit in a seperate bowl mix black pepper white pepper garlic powder and oregano and mix well. now baste the roast in a mix of the beer of your choice, A1 and lee and perrins and then rub the spices libberaly over the outside and then place on a rottiserie unit over an open fire or a grill if you must and let cook for 3 hours. you want it about 20 to 24 inches over the fire so it doesnt over cook on the outside. when the internal temp hits 170 to 185 degrees let cook for a while longer. this is an amazing recipe for fall black bear roast but if what you have is spring bear soak it in milk for 3 days before cooking it to get rid of the uric acid still in the meat


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## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

CO204yoter said:


> one of my favorites uses a fall bear roast, take the roast and let it warm to room temp. run a rottiserie rod through the roast and using a paring knife cut small slits in the meat and insert slivers of garlic and onions. let sit in a seperate bowl mix black pepper white pepper garlic powder and oregano and mix well. now baste the roast in a mix of the beer of your choice, A1 and lee and perrins and then rub the spices libberaly over the outside and then place on a rottiserie unit over an open fire or a grill if you must and let cook for 3 hours. you want it about 20 to 24 inches over the fire so it doesnt over cook on the outside. when the internal temp hits 170 to 185 degrees let cook for a while longer. this is an amazing recipe for fall black bear roast but if what you have is spring bear soak it in milk for 3 days before cooking it to get rid of the uric acid still in the meat


How does this work for Spring bear ??? Any differance ?


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

At the bottom of his post he says to soak spring bear in milk for three days before cooking to rid the meat of uric acid.


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## wilded (Feb 10, 2010)

*Enjoy Your Venison Steak*










I had someone ask me this last week why their venison steaks taste gamey and chewed like leather. Those two things do occur in game meats but both can be prevented. First the gamey taste in venison comes from the fat and the way we take care of our meat. All of the fat should be removed from venison and the meat should be kept on ice until all the blood is out of the meat. I pack mine in ice and sprinkle some rock salt on it to keep it cold. I then place the cooler in the shade where the liquids and melting ice can drain off the meat. I replace any melted ice daily for about two or three days. You do not want the meat to sit in ice water but to drain out cleanly.

The chews like leather issue is also because of the fat on a deer. To understand how to prepare game meats one must examine the difference in venison and beef. Beef is a meat that is marbled with a white tasty fat. Venison fat is on the outside of the muscle and more yellow in color. While the white fat of beef adds flavor the yellow hard fat of game is often where the gamey taste comes from so you want to trim or peel all the fat off of venison. The other main difference is that since there is no marbling of fat in venison it dries out very quickly. There are two things you must do to overcome this. You must never cook a venison steak past medium doneness. The other is to provide fat to keep the meat juicy and moist.Here is how I do it. I cut my venison steaks about an inch or thicker. I cook them over gas briquettes or wood coals with a hot fire. I season the meat with salt, course ground black pepper and garlic powder. Melt ½ stick of butter and add to ½ cup Worcestershire sauce, stir in ½ teaspoon of garlic powder or use fresh minced garlic. This mixture is to be brushed on the steak as soon as it is seared and often while cooking. I place the steaks on the hot grill and rapidly sear one side. When well seared turn to sear the other side and brush liberally with the butter mixture. I cook my steaks to medium rare as they will cook just a bit more as they rest. When the steaks are done to taste I pull them and put on a plate and pour some of the butter mixture over them. I place the plate in a cold oven or inside the microwave just to let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving. This will be some of the best eating you can imagine. 
Enjoy your steak, Wild Ed


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## Bigdrowdy1 (Jan 29, 2010)

Wilded that is just wrong (Picture that is) I am at work and drool running down my chin. My bologna sandwich just seems so wrong.


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## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

BD...perhaps you should take some sausage with you to eat at work









Ed....I agree with the fat thing..but I tend to try and process my deer asap. Freezing it often within hours of the kill. I have nothing but really great tasting steaks. Just my two cents. However...in the field and away from home...I really thought you nailed it to the post !

Bon appetite


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## wilded (Feb 10, 2010)

On a call said:


> BD...perhaps you should take some sausage with you to eat at work
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I used to do the same until I found out that keeping it on ice while it drains for several days gave me a milder tasting venison and it was much more tender. You will be surprised how much more blood will drain out of an iced down deer over a few days. JMHO


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## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

wilded said:


> I used to do the same until I found out that keeping it on ice while it drains for several days gave me a milder tasting venison and it was much more tender. You will be surprised how much more blood will drain out of an iced down deer over a few days. JMHO


Ed,

Do you think that would work the same way in a walk in cooler ? simular to way beef is hanged and aged ? In your situation is the meat actually touching the ice ? with the water being allowed to drian off so the meat is not soaking in water ?


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## wilded (Feb 10, 2010)

I put the cooler in the shade and add ice every twenty four hours. I leave the plug pulled so all the bloody ice water can drain off of the meat. You do not want to allow the meat to sit in water. I have a friend that hangs his deer in a walk in cooler and I have noticed the blood does not run out of the meat like it does packed in ice in a cooler. I do not know why. I have just found that I like my venison and pork both done this way for at least 3 days. JMHO :elk:ET


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## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

Well I could only guess that by sitting on the ice the moisture trying to escape the does not dry out but stays liquid. Where in a hanging cooler there the first blood but then just dries out.

I am going to have to try this. Might even use this method on my moose this year.

Questions...how much salt are you using ? In the cooler do you layer ice meat ice or meat on top or on the bottom ?


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## Bigdrowdy1 (Jan 29, 2010)

Ok I thought I would add my 2 cents worth to this as I feel there is still some unaddressed topics to include.First would be the preparation of the animal after harvesting. Where was the bullet placement? was it a neck shot,lung shot or even gut shot? All these will have a bearing as to needed processing procedures.It is improtant to clean all blood shot meat and remove any clotted blood. I will try and cut away any meat that has had intestine fluid or bowel contact. I will even discard in order not to contaminate good meat. Other things to consider at this point is how soon was the animal field dressed? How long before it was skinned? (did you drive around all day showing it off ?). There is a whole lot of variables that can influnence the out come of the animal harvested. Where was the animal harvested from? What did its diet consist of ? Corn wheat, grasses, sages, catus for example. This to will have a bearing as to the flavor of the meat as well. I dont know about the fat of an animal making it tough but it will influence taste.I make sure to remove ALL glands as these diffintely affect taste. I have had some exotic deer from southwest Texas that the tallow was as sweet as could be. When I worked at a proceessing plant we had customers that requested the removal of all fat and others that requested us to not trim any. I can say I cleaned some muleys that would have graded choice.LOL Now on aging in an ice chest or cooler. I am sure aging to some degree has to help in the break down of the muscle tissue, but because wild game generally does not have the marbiling that beef does or domestic animals have I would have to say I am still out on that topic. I have to say wild game is considrably different and I think it should be handled and processed more quicklly than domestic meats. I agree with Wilded on allowing as much blood as possible to drain from the animal to give it a milder taste. I too leave mine in a cooler for 3 or 4 days making sure all water and blood is allowed to drain and not stand. Now having been a meat cutter for years I can say this as well. The direction in which you cut the meats can make it as tender as a mothers love or so tough you can hardly chew it. You can Take a rib eye section and based on what angle you maintain while cutting can make a huge difference. This applies to all meat.Now other variables that come into play are age of the animal, sex of animal, pre rut,rut,post rut and so forth. There can be many reasons for bad meats and alot can be controlled others cant. My older game I like to smoke or turn into burger or sausage and even jerky. The younger the animal the better for table fare if handled and processed in the proper ways. I hope this helps and I am sure there is more that could be added. JMO Besides my 2 fingers are numb.


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## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

BD, great responce and have to agree with you to. However I have had large older bucks ( such as that in the photo with SB10 ) that were clearly in rut taste like a yearling doe. I do have to say I took photos and he went on the table and was carved up. Packed away and froze. If it makes a differance ?? I hunt white tail.

As for cutting up meat I just cut accross the grain...am I doing that correctly ?

I appreciate your two fingers two cents worth as I am certain others who read do also ! So get some ice ready and start typing


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## bar-d (Feb 3, 2010)

On a call said:


> Well I could only guess that by sitting on the ice the moisture trying to escape the does not dry out but stays liquid. Where in a hanging cooler there the first blood but then just dries out.


You are on the right track there OAC. Refrigeration is designed to lower the ambient temperature below the dew point of the air in the conditioned space. In air conditioning, approximately 30% of the refrigeration capacity is dedicated to remove moisture in the air. It holds more heat than air does. That is the condensation that drains from your unit. Same principal in commercial refrigeration. The moisture in the air, or in this case the blood, evaporates and the blood is not able to flow out of the meat.


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## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

Great...so I passed ??? I have always wanted to build a walk in cooler...still might.

Thanks BD


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

I sort of made the mistake of putting meat in water which I know you should never do, shot a bull elk and the weather was freezing at night but when I started gutting it the blow flys came out of the woodwork so after packing it out on horses we quickly quartered it and put in a creek that was near by, took it out at night but ended up losing some because of the water in the meat, it bleaches it out or other words drains the blood in the meat out, pretty sick gray looking stuff, never had any pepper to put on it and never made that mistake again. Elk, Moose and the larger game I hang minimum 10 days and longer if possible, aging the meat is no different than hanging beef except the fat that is more present in beef, in the fall some of the animals can have 1 1/2 inches of fat down the back and over the rump, its trimmed off only if contaminated with anything in the field but have never met any butchers that demand the fat be taken off, it does not effect the taste on rib stks. etc., its to be hung and aged the same as domestic fare, aging is part of how the meat breaks down to make it tender. The salt and ice theory works great for cooling down any thing, more so if you live in hot hunting areas and once taken to the butcher or your own cooler any water or salt that was on the meat must be removed as salt will only dry out your meat, if you cut your own and still get tough cuts get hold of an old butcher that has been through the ropes and get some hands on help or guidance it will payoff in the long run, seeing as you've put all that expense and effort out. The time you pull that trigger the work begins and the more care you put into the field dressing the end results will show on the dinner table. I've rambled on long enough.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Ramble away Rick I for one am interested in and respect your knowledge and experience !


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## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

Yepp x's 2, I enjoy hearing from those who have done and know. Learning from those who have made mistakes are better than me making the same ones. That is why I do not play with poisen ivy, rattle snakes, and other things that hurt lol.

Anyone else have anythought or input ??

I learned not to soak meat..just like Hassell said.


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## jldoll (Feb 20, 2010)

Love your posts. I try some of your reciepies Thanks


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