Category Archives: Cooking

Outdoor Campfire Cooking

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Spring is here! Time to get outdoors to camp and have breakfast, lunch and dinner with mother nature. There is nothing like cooking a hearty meal over a wood fire with the right tools and set-up. Below, eggs, beans, sausage and sliced potato up in Pittsburg New Hampshire along Lake Francis.

There is nothing like Peach Cobbler in a Dutch Oven.

 

In a wilderness setting, a frypan is king and there are coated lightweight frypans and even titanium for less weight if backpacking but if you have the option of a heavier fry pan there is always cast iron which hold heat well.

I grew up visiting grandparents who never knew what air-conditioning was, like in the hot summer, accordingly we cooked over a contained wood fire and played outside till nightfall.

Frying foods in a large cast iron skillet was a great way to cook breakfast, eggs, fried potato, and thick ham slices and a pot of baked  beans with salt pork, Put the bread right near the fire and let it toast a bit.

Maybe your like me, I also like onion and pepper and sausage fried with the potato and you can even scramble eggs and add it to the frying  mix. In fact that brings  me to a cast iron Dutch oven for cooking over a fire.

We had a bbq grill basket with handle too for foods that we can just flip the basket to cook the other side.

Char-Broil Steel Grill Basket

Like salmon steaks, Asparagus, sliced zucchini and summer squash, roasted bell pepper and onion. Spray the basket with olive oil to keep food from sticking.

OMG I am already getting hungry. A new easy grill dish I saw recently was baked potato sliced open and then fried on the grill with beans/ chili , salsa and melted yellow cheddar topped with sour cream and flakes of cilantro. Of course a nice cold beer or sparkling spring water to help wash it down!

Enjoy!

©Copyright 2021

 

 

Meat from a Laboratory? Hunters are on the increase!

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Meat from a laboratory? Do you trust big business approved by the federal government to provide lab grown meat for you to eat?  They say government approval is coming soon. Is that really beef you are eating? Where is our society going? Where is the connection to the natural world? If you are so dependent, I submit you will lose essential survival and leadership skills essentially becoming sheep.

It was COVID that urged many to try hunting! As a hunter, I like to see the animal that makes my meat rich protein diet.  Hunting does that! In fact, hunters must understand the relationship of game and its surrounding field and forest, find the animal, make a clean kill, remove the guts, skin it, package it, and refrigerate or freeze the meat for future meals. The fruit of the hunters labor is celebrated when the game is in hand and at the dining table. You are the provider and you have first hand knowledge of the field care of your meat. Below, a wild pig taken with a crossbow.

Chops I cut myself for the table and freezer.

The process of hunting has provided meat for civilization for hundreds of thousands of years and it is family oriented, skill rich, survival rich benefits that nature can provide. Remove the survival instinct to forage and kill for food, and we become sheep, dependent on its master for food and protection.

During two recent episodes we as society were shocked that the grocery stores were closed. First recent episode; Katrina, that storm several years ago, so devastated the landscape that we humans were forced to forage and hunt for meat and have a weapon to protect ourselves and family.

The second event we are living in right  now, COVID 19. Remember the meat and pork scare last year? Grocery stores for some meat supplies were bare! Panic meat purchases ensued. I have had such a successful year hunting that I was  never really concerned for meat. My freezer was full of lean, organic protein rich game meat.

Making my own ground meat!

Do yourself a favor, learn to hunt, and forage, it is an essential survival tool. Along the way you will learn survival skills and trust in your own abilities.

Decades ago in one of “Outward Bound’s”  Colorado ( https://www.cobs.org/)programs, students had to be alone in the woods for three days, called a “solo” and among other things you were given a live chicken. You didn’t have to kill it, but it was there facing you every day. Grass shoots and herb tea for three days or roasted chicken on a spit? Your choice! When your stomach wants food it sort of growls doesn’t it.

When I was 16 years old, I attended the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School (https://www.hiobs.org/) for 28 days, and learned survival skills and more about myself. I “solo’d three days on a small island off the coast of Maine. I did not have a live chicken but had access to mussels and sea urchins and sea weeds such as glasswort, plants bulbs like rose hips, plants like goose tongue, dulse, chicory and wild peas.  No it was not manna from heaven but I grew to like it. I forage for wild edibles even today when i  am hunting. When I was in Newfoundland a few years ago I had sea urchin eggs and wild peas on the shore. And lots of Codfish!

See you in the woods!

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2021, All Rights Reserved.

 

Dry Age Bag Test for Moose and Venison 14 days

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Some of you are aware that I wrote about dry aging wild game recently in special dry age bags. I used a dry age bag recently for 14 days. I dry aged some moose and venison.

 

I had intended to dry age some moose and venison steaks for 20 days. Well, the meat darkened and shrank, and shrank. Today, I was thinking of a delicious steak and had to open the dry age bags at day 14. What did I find? I found that there was no odor, and that the surfaces had a hardened cover of dried meat.

Day 1

Day 14

The bag was easily removed. The meat was dry on the outside as you see below

and dark in color.

I used a sharp knife to trim the surface. Below looks like a lot of trim but is very thin shavings. Not a lot of waste.

No mold or odd smells just darker in color. I sandwiched two moose steaks and stacked together and that worked out ok for drying the periphery of the moose meat.

 

Now for my wife to try it, I Sous Vide a dry aged moose rump steak  and venison back strap from this process to a 115 degrees with herbs, salt, pepper and a tablespoon of Worcestershire and olive oil for 1.5 hours and then seared on a hot grill. The center was rare to medium rare. I sliced thin slices for her. She said, flavor was good and tender. I liked flavor, but was not as tender as I had hoped after 14 days of dry aging. The best way to age is with much thicker pieces, like a leg roast, but I only have steaks and back strap. Was it worth the effort? The jury is still testing and hopeful.  I did have good luck dry aging without bags for 3 days with moose rump steak. Will try that again! When I use bags again, I will let it age longer.

Good Eating!

Christmas Stocking Stuffer Chefing Wild Game with “Sous Vide” Immersion Circulator

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I have to give a hat tip to Steven Rinella and company of Meateater fame to bring the topic of sous vide up. I am a meateater! You too? Great!

I have a gift for you to put under your Christmas tree if you like to cook and eat meat perfectly done. It is fast and is a no muss, no fuss device.  My device is called an Instant Accu Slim Sous Vide, Immersion Circulator with digital touchscreen display below. It is a significantly different way to cook meat! Check on-line to shop and read-up.

https://www.themeateater.com/cook/cooking-techniques/a-beginners-guide-to-sous-vide-for-wild-game-part-1

https://www.outdoorlife.com/venison-sous-vide-recipe-for-perfectly-cooked-wild-meat/

 

This circulator cost is about 79 dollars for my model but you can spend more.

I have briefly read about these devices but for a time, I blew them off, so here I am in the kitchen the other day “without” a sous vide tool, and want to precook my back strap steaks slowly to avoid being overdone which can happen with lean game meat.

So, I cooked some venison backstrap steaks in my vacuum seal-a-meal bag with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and in hot water bath on my stove top and in a pan of water for a short period, like a sous vide but I had t to guess about time and temperature. When I thought the meat was cooked a bit, I  pulled the meat out and grilled to sear them at 400F on my outdoor grill. My meat was tender and juicy. A good guess!  But I want to do that again with the real equipment so I can cook lots of tender game to precise temperatures. I just bought this model shown above. It is coming via Santa Claus.

Game meat has little fat so overcooking lean venison can make your meat tough. For someone like me who has a freezer full of wild game, I think the investment is worth it. There is another method some call reverse searing where you cook meat slowly in an oven  at say 225F then sear at the end like I do with prime rib roasts but that is for a different day. 

Campfire Peach Cobbler in a Dutch Oven on Labor Day Weekend

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I wrote an article a while back about having Peach Cobbler while Trophy Hunting Whitetails in Texas. See below.

Campfire Peach Cobbler in a Cast Iron Dutch Oven

You know, I enjoyed that dessert so much using a camp fire cast iron Dutch oven that I bought my own and used it yesterday Labor Day Sunday! I did not use charcoal briquettes, I used wood coals from the campfire that had just cooked a bunch of lobsters. See image below.

Open the lid and here is the Peach Cobbler! It was OMG delicious and with a  dollop

of vanilla Ice Cream was sooo good!

It was a Labor Day Special Dessert! Not a crumb or peach was left. Note that I had purchased aluminum tray inserts for the oven. Easy cleanup!

Good Camping!

© Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved.

 

Creamed Venison Rumbledethump

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An easy hearty innovative wild game meal that adds a fun Scottish flair of Rumbledethump potato. I discovered Rumbledethump here in New Hampshire and served at the Highland Games in Lincoln, NH. Venison has been a staple of the Scottish Highlands for centuries as it is here in New England. Rumbledethump uses mashed potato, cabbage and turnip and topped with oven roasted cheddar cheese.

Creating creamed venison can be done by shaving a venison steak like creamed beef or made with burger of any wild game you like such as deer, moose, elk etc. This meal can be made ahead and refrigerated too for easy preparation. The secret ingredient is white vermouth!

Ingredients:

1 lb shaved or burger venison

1 white or yellow onion diced

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup all purpose flour.

1/4 cup butter

1 cup beef broth

1/4 cup white vermouth

2 to 3 cups – half and half cream.

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp thyme

1 1/2 cups cooked broccoli florets

1 cup cooked sliced carrots

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Cook the venison shave or burger in a large frying pan and onion in olive oil and a dash of salt and ground pepper, and 1/2 tsp thyme and 1/2 tsp garlic powder till lightly browned and the meat is just done and set aside in a dish so you can reuse the frying pan.

Cook the broccoli and carrots and set aside. (You can use already cooked peas and carrots here as a fast alternative).

Create a roux in the large warmed frying pan with all purpose flour and butter. Slowly add the 1 cup broth,2 cups ± half and half cream, 1/4 cup white vermouth bring this sauce to a slow boil. This should be creamy and thick. Now add the cooked venison, drained cooked broccoli and carrots and stir the creamed venison with the vegetables.  Salt and pepper to taste. The vermouth adds a bit of Ooo’la’la to the sauce….

I found a great recipe for Rumbledethump here. You can use mashed potatoes if you like instead to make the dish easier. https://www.thespruceeats.com/rumbledethumps-recipe-435824

Serve a scoop or square of the oven hot rumbledethump and ladel the warm creamed venison over the top.

Some sliced warm corn bread and butter would make this dish a WOW!

Enjoy!

Good Hunting! And Good Eating!

© 2020 Creamed Venison Recipe.

 

 

Venison Stew with Modern Electric Pressure Cookers

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There is nothing more inviting and satisfying than to come in from the cold outdoors and eat a warm venison stew for dinner. Pressure cooking cuts time and allows you to tenderize the meat to your satisfaction. Tender meat is the key!

Here, I am using  modern conveniences that I have access to.  But you can use a crock pot or Cast Iron Pot out on an open fire and slow cook it all day if you like till the meat is tender 

Today’s Electric Pressure Cookers are very easy to use and designed to brown meat as well as to pressure cook (high pressure) your venison such as deer, moose, elk or even bear meat.

Cuisinart ® 8-Quart Electric Pressure Cooker

All you need to feed 4 is 1.5 lbs meat cut into 1 inch or so cubes (not over 1.5 inches). 

You can brown the meat in today’s cookers by selecting the browning setting. Time for prep 15 minutes. Cook Time total 28 minutes in two steps.

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lbs meat
  • 2 to 3 sliced raw carrots cut to 3/4 inch thick.
  • 4 medium cubed pealed potatoes (you can leave washed skins on if you like) I used mini potatoes in the photo above (12 or so should do-skin on).
  • 2 medium white onions quartered. (if you want to get fancy you can do pearl onions (12 to 15)
  • 1 or 2 turnip quartered (if you like)
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 2 to 3  minced cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt ( I like kosher salt)
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper (fresh ground if possible)
  • 2  bay leaves
  • 2 to 4 slices of bacon (uncooked or cooked)
  • 1 tbsp parsley (fresh chopped is best)
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flower
  • 1 tsp thyme

Step 1- To brown,use 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Chop up 2 to 4 slices of raw bacon and add in with the oil. When you hear the oil and bacon sizzle then add the cubed venison. Begin the browning and add 2 tbsp flower in with meat and mix with the meat while browning, no more than 10 minutes or so to brown. Then add 2 cups water and 1/2 cup wine and all the spices and fold together for 30 seconds. Now select High Pressure on your Electric Pressure Cooker to cook the meat first for 20 minutes following the instructions on your cooker. More time may be needed for tougher cuts of meat. 

When your cooker shuts off you can often release steam with the weighted device that holds the steam on my cooker, but to be safe follow the directions on your pressure cooker.

Step 2- Once you can open your cooker you can test for tenderness of meat. If you approve of the tenderness then add the vegetables to the meat and cook for 8 minutes more. Your stew can then be folded or tossed to mix meat and veggies. If liquid is needed add remaining water or more beef broth. To thicken you can make a roux by mixing 1 tbsp flour and 1 tbsp butter and saute in a frying pan till mixed. Add 1/2 cup warm water or the stew broth to the roux and mix till absorbed and add to the stew with 1 tbsp fresh or dried parsley. The stew broth should not be thin but have some body and some thickness. 

Salt and Pepper and Herb to taste.

You can put your cooker on warm and serve with bread and butter. A french baguette sliced with butter works for me along with a beer or a glass of your favorite red wine such as a Cabernet or Merlot.

Enjoy! You will go back for seconds for sure! It is even better on the second day if you keep it refrigerated overnight. 

 

© Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved.

Meat Scare translates to Hunting With Your Family

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I have lots of wild meat in my freezer, but even I felt the domestic meat shortage in my gut at a recent visit to the supermarket. It is not really a shortage as it is workers who have contracted COVID-19 and shut meat plants down. It is that sense of loss though that gets families thinking of hunting for their own meat/protein in the wild. I grew up in a hunting family because my mom and dad lived and grew up in the depression era where meat was scarce.  My dad in his 20’s was skinny as a rail as was his father. Baked beans was the protein supplement with whatever meat you could get. We are in fact omnivores but require protein for part of our diet.  Meat provides the bulk of that protein. 

The easiest game to learn to hunt, cook and eat is the Squirrel, particularly the grey squirrel. Hunting them with shotgun or .22. I prefer to hunt them with a .22 Long Rifle cartridge. Later you can hunt deer, moose, bear, ducks, geese etc.  as many do and get lots of delicious meat for the table.

I was at the supermarket yesterday amid shopping during the Pandemic and the pork section 20 yards of meat was totally empty, and beef was picky. Woke yet! Those that are woke, are looking to get Hunter Education Certified so they can hunt and harvest for meat.

The whitetail deer, is the animal most sought for food here in America and there are families who consume it as nearly 100% of their meat diet. 

Processing a Deer for food? From the hunt to the table, read below.

Do it Yourself Processing New Hampshire Deer at Home

© Copyright 2020

 

Bored? Make Some Moose Cabbage Lasagna

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I was banging away on my keyboard this morning 4/19 and at the same time watching the news about COVID and how China lied to the world and continues today. Ok don’t get me going! But I was bored!

On my computer, I ran across an interesting delicious foodie immune supporting anti-oxidant ideas for moose dinner for me and Mrs. , but alas, I had to go to the store and get some ingredients in order to be creative. It uses giant size savoy green cabbage leaves.

Wirsingkohl.jpg

Courtesy Wikipedia.

Red Bell Pepper for color, two carrots, Onion, Garlic, (got to have garlic) rice and ground meat, in this case Moose burger, cheese and one egg.

We are making Moose Cabbage Lasagna! It has more anti-oxidants and anti-viral minerals such as Zinc that you can shake a stick at. And it tastes delicious!

You can never go wrong with garlic and tomato sauce either.

Mask on, and undaunted, wiping down my shopping cart to kill the bas..well, the little creepy viruses.  I endeavored to purchase a large green savoy cabbage, the kind with all the visible branches in each leaf. I chose the green savoy cabbage because it has dozens of minerals and anti-oxidant supporting Vitamins like A,B1,2,3,4,5,6, C, K, E, and immune support minerals galore.

I grabbed a pound of Moose burger, a venison that has little fat, so lots of Protein, B12, B6 and selenium, Zinc(anti virus).

Sitting in a house for a month can make you b-ass fat, so good for the great protein with lots of flavor and far less fat and little carbohydrate compared to real lasagna

The Recipe.

Ok blanch 8 to 10  whole green cabbage leaves so they wilt a bit but keep their color. Put aside. Then fry up the pound of venison in a little EVO Oil put aside in a bowl. Also cook a cup or so of rice. I like Basmati rice.

Yes this takes a bit of multi-task monitoring but remember, your bored!

Dice 2 carrots, (watch your fingers the carrots being round are not easy to dice), dice one medium onion, one medium red, yellow or green pepper(your choice) and two cloves of garlic minced. Saute for 5 to 10 minutes in oil add some salt and pepper.

Add the sauted veggies and 12 oz. of cooked rice, 12 oz of tomato sauce, ( I used a  marinara sauce) a half cup grated Parmesan cheese (I had flakes) and 1/2 cup mozzarella grated), a pinch of herbs ( your choice like fresh basil- very aromatic) and a raw egg to the burger to help bind the ingredients. Mix it together.

Now to make the lasagna out of the cabbage leaves. Find an 8 to 10 inch oven proof pan with at least 4 to 6 inch inch sides. We are now going to add a few drops of oil to the pan and spread 2 to 3 large wilted pretty green cabbage leaves on the bottom. Now add a thin layer of the mixture and another large leaf, and so on till the pan is full or near full. Cover with another blanched cabbage leaf or two to seal.

Cover and Bake at 300 F for 45 minutes. Let it cool for 10 or 15 minutes and turn the pan over onto a plate. It looks like a green cake. Drizzle with the tomato sauce add ground parmesan cheese. OMG Good! You can slice it like a cake in wedges and it stays together. Wow! This is my first one! Will make more!

If you want some pasta as a side dish go for it. I had this for breakfast the next morning with eggs. You could make a delicious rich Benedict sauce to it but that is adding lots of fat and calories. Maybe later…

Good Eating! Try it! Thia cake like lasagna added some fun to this dinner and my wife went crazy for it!

 

 

 

 

Eating Russian Boar – Best Pork Chops on the Planet

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Recently I hunted boar again in Maine as you can see from recent articles. These were mixed breeds that are part Russian Boar.

A few years back I took a larger boar (female) that was said to be Russian.

Below the meat of the Russian boar was more beef like with fat marbled throughout.

These Russian pork chops when grilled were the finest tasting meat my wife and I have ever experienced in our lives. OMG, my wife went bananas over the meat which is why she sent me off to get another one. The meat of the latest boar was not as fatty as this one and it tastes great but not quite as good as the first.

We think that it is the fat marbling that drove our taste buds insane when fire grilled to a blackened crust below.

For my wife and I, pork will never be the same. This wild boar meat was a true culinary experience.  My latest boar meat is still over the top as compared to domestic pig. So I will go hunt one up instead of the pork at the grocery store. Just shoot a fat one!

Good Hunting

© 2019