Last week’s “What The Heck Is This?” contest garnered about 50 correct responses, though I suspect only about the first 10 or so actually recognized the device as a biltong cutter. Of all the correct entries, Neuman23’s number came up in the random drawing, so congratulations to him and thanks to everyone else who entered their guesses.
I’ve also been remiss in picking a winner for the Worst Cooking Disaster contest back in April. T. Rebel and I finally got on the same page and came up with our favorite stories. There were some doozies, including DigHunter digging into some under fried chicken after some late-night shenanigans and Bowhunt3r’s tale of his brother’s attempt at making pizza dough. If you haven’t read those—or the rest of the great entries—it’s worth the time just for the laughs.
When I’m butchering a deer, the tenderloins are the first piece of meat to come out, sometimes getting pulled in the field and cooked right there, or soon after. Once we’re back at the ranch, the loins, or backstraps, are next. After filleting them off the bone, I cut each strap in 5- to 6-inch-long steaks. These get cooked over indirect heat on the Weber with a little hickory or apple smoke added. Sliced thinly, they’re just about the best thing you ever ate.
In the October issue of F&S, contributing editor David Draper compiled a grocery list of a weekend’s worth of food that you can get at a typical truck stop...all for less than $20. Draper did a great job of making his cash go as far as possible and including all of an outdoorsman’s dietary essentials: caffeine (Mountain Dew and coffee), sugar (a Whatchamacallit and sweet roll), protein (jerky and, well, more jerky), and some stuff that’s actually healthy (water and apples). But after he turned the assignment in, I joked with him: “How could you leave out the Salted Nut Roll?!”
This recipe comes from our friends at Gauge Wines, just in time for the early whitetail season.
OK. Here’s an easy one. We had this dish the other night, and it lasted maybe eight minutes on the table. Venison backstrap teriyaki skewers: real easy, really good. We don’t have to tell you that backstrap is good anyway you slice it, but here’s a crowd pleaser, for an appetizer, or a main course if you’re generous. You can just buy some teriyaki off the shelf in a jar, or you can make and tailor your own to your liking. Basic teriyaki is soy, wine, and sugar, and there are all kinds of variations after that. Don’t be afraid to try different ingredients. Scallion, cucumber, yellow fruit like mango or pineapple… This list is endless. —Bjorn Larson