Field and Stream - Venison Recipes RSS

Cast Iron Contest: Our Dutch Oven Winner & A New Skillet Up For Grabs

Online Editors — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:40:29 -0500

by Colin Kearns

We had a bunch of terrific entries for the Dutch oven contest. As I read them today, I kept getting hungrier and hungrier. If nothing else, you all proved that the best-tasting and most memorable meals are often enjoyed outdoors.

But, there was one meal that I wanted try more than any other. And it came from Beekeeper:

About 10 years ago on a coastal feral hog hunt, I used my old Dutch oven to make one of the best gumbos I've ever made. A half hour at low tide with a castnet provided fresh white shrimp and five or six blue crabs. I also picked up and shucked out oysters from a small shell bar. Back at camp a simple broth was made from the shrimp heads and shells while I was making a nice dark roux.

Food Fight Friday: Deer Ham vs. Elk Bourguignon

Online Editors — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:47:12 -0500

by David Draper

The past few weeks, we’ve had some pretty lopsided Food Fights. Not quite Mike Tyson circa 1988, but not far from it. Not that I’m calling Michael Shea’s lasagna last week a paper champion—it looked amazing and I love my pasta, but it probably wasn’t fair to put him in the ring against Colin’s fried buffet.

This Friday, I think we’re back on the title track with two amazing looking photos from a couple of Wild Chef readers. I predict a pitched battle with no clear favorite going in. When someone spends the time and effort to smoke a deer ham, they deserve a title shot. But, I have a soft spot for a well-crafted bourguignon, especially one that includes elk meat. So, let’s get this fight underway.

Recipe: Dutch Oven Stuffed French Toast

Sarah Smith — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:59 -0500

by Colin Kearns

If you haven’t had breakfast yet, you might consider this delicious morning meal, courtesy of new Lodge Cast Iron Cooking cookbook. And, if you haven’t shared your favorite Dutch oven meal, get on it! The Wild Chef reader with the best-sounding dish will win a brand new Lodge Dutch oven.

Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients
- 1 French bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 dozen large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1⁄3 cup maple syrup
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes and softened

Valentine's Day Soup Recipe + Contest Winner Announced

Online Editors — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:12:35 -0500

by David Draper

Recipe: Cast-Iron-Skillet Fried Catfish

Sarah Smith — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:30:06 -0500

by Colin Kearns

Like just about every eater (and imbiber), I have my weaknesses: cold fried chicken, bacon, backstrap, bourbon, fish tacos, sharp cheddar and pretzels. And catfish—preferably fried.

So when I saw the recipe for Deep-Fried Catfish in the new Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook, I asked the folks at Lodge if I could have it to share with Wild Chef readers. They obliged, bless their hearts. Enjoy.

Deep-Fried Catfish

Ingredients:
- 1 gallon canola oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups cornmeal
- 5 pounds catfish fillets, all cut to about the same size
- Garnish with lemon wedges.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small jar yellow mustard
- Lemon wedges for garnish

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From January 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:06:52 -0500

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of January.

Contest: Win a New Cookbook and a Dutch Oven!

Sarah Smith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:02:26 -0500

by Colin Kearns

Every day this week the Wild Chef will feature recipes and tips from the brand new cookbook, The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook. We'll also be giving away some great prizes, including copies of the book, a Lodge cast-iron skillet, and Lodge cast-iron Dutch oven.

How’s this for a day: The other turkey hunters and I crawled out of our tents around 4 a.m. The stars in western Nebraska hung so low, you were tempted to reach for one. My hunting partner, Jim, and I teamed up with Phillip Vanderpoole to hunt from a blind on the edge of an alfalfa field. I killed a tom at 7 a.m. A few hours later, Jim shot a gobbler of his own. We were back at camp by 11 a.m., where the kitchen crew had prepared a champion’s breakfast of eggs, pancakes, and sausage.

How a Sporting Chef Fights Hunger with Wild Game

Sarah Smith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:49:11 -0500

by David Draper

If you’re even the least bit interested in wild-game cooking—and I assume you are if you’re reading this blog—you’ve probably heard the name Scott Leysath a time or two. Better known as The Sporting Chef, Leysath has built his 20-plus-year reputation on creating delicious and original fare from fish and game.

In addition to appearing on the Hunt Fish Cook and Ducks Unlimited television shows, he also writes the cooking column for DU’s magazine and contributes recipes and cooking advice to a number of other outdoor outlets. Lately, Leysath has been polishing his sterling reputation by hosting HuntFishFeed events, where the Sporting Chef and a team of volunteers prepare donated game meat for the less fortunate.

Food Fight Friday: Venison Lasagna vs. Fried Catfish & Frog Legs

Sarah Smith — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:15:57 -0500

By Colin Kearns & Michael R. Shea

We’re hungry, so let’s just get right to the fight. What’ll it be: Mike’s lasagna, or Colin’s fried fish and frogs?

No-Fuss Venison Lasagna

We’ve been cooking a lot of venison hamburger lately at the Shea-Nunez house. Earlier this week my girlfriend, Rocio, made this super-easy venison lasagna. And it was delicious. Here’s how she did it:

Giant Illinois Buck Is Potential World-Record 8-Pointer

Sarah Smith — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:11:41 -0500

by Scott Bestul

The term “world-record whitetail” gets tossed around so much these days that it’s easy to ignore. But the buck pictured at left may well be the real deal.

Contest: What’s Your Best Super Bowl Snack?

Sarah Smith — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:08:53 -0500

by David Draper

There are a lot of great ways to get wild on Super Bowl Sunday. You could paint yourself in team colors, go streaking, and post the resulting video (and arrest) on YouTube. Or you could just dip into the larder and cook up a fish or wild-game inspired dish to share with your friends during the game. I’m not going to encourage you to do the former, but I will help you along with the latter by throwing a Super Bowl Snack Contest.

Post your favorite fish or game dish below in the comments section below, along with a few sentences on why it’s the perfect food for this year’s Super Bowl party. The most creative idea will win a box of assorted cooking/food-related goodies from Camp Chef, Hi-Mountain Seasonings, Cabela’s, and other generous folks. To be eligible to win, post your entry by Saturday, February 4 at 6:00 p.m. MST. I’ll announce the winner next week.

Recipe: Super Bowl Duck Spring Rolls

Sarah Smith — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:53:02 -0500

by David Draper

I know there are a lot of football fans who really care which team wins this Sunday’s Super Bowl. But me, I’m just in it for the food. While the rest of America roots for Peyton Manning’s less-funny brother or the guy who’s married to Gisele, I’ll be grazing the spread of cheese dips, bacon-wrapped goose bites, and sliders at the back of the room. I’ll also be judging friends’ reactions to my contribution to the party’s potluck: duck spring rolls.

I first had a version of these at our annual wild game feed and have been looking for a good excuse to make them myself. The recipe I’m passing along calls for fresh duck breasts, but I’ve found spring rolls are also a great way to use up the crispy-skinned leftovers of a roast duck. The recipe also works with goose, venison, pheasant, or any game meat with just a little modification.

The Best Shotguns of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:56:43 -0500

These are the best new shotguns of 2012.

Why Wild Game Should Matter in the Mainstream

Sarah Smith — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:51:50 -0500

by David Draper

Last Friday, at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, while waiting for the weekend shift of working girls to deplane, I picked up a bottle of water and some reading material for my flight home. On the rack, there were the usual periodicals that often make their way into my carry-on: The Atlantic (which my swollen head couldn’t fathom at that moment); Surfer (not really the inspiration I needed for a trip home to Nebraska), and Esquire (didn’t want to be seen reading a magazine with a picture of Bill Clinton on the cover).

What I did find was a copy of Saveur, a food magazine whose Jan/Feb issue annually lists their Top 100 people, places, and ingredients for the food-obsessed. The Saveur 100 issue serves as great inspiration in the kitchen and fuels many a daydream for food-related road (and plane) trips should I ever win the lottery. It’s the kind of best-of list where you’ll find meatloaf next to something called mugua ji, or a treatise on the Czech Republic’s microbrews matched with Frito Pie.

The Best New Rifles of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:41:18 -0500

The Best New Rifles of 2012.

My Dinner With Charlie Palmer and Remington at SHOT Show

Sarah Smith — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:07:25 -0500

by David Draper

On the first night of last week’s SHOT Show, the Field and Stream editorial staff gathered around the table for dinner at the Las Vegas outpost of Thomas Keller’s legendary Bouchon restaurant. Remembering the damage I did to his M&E budget the previous year, Field and Stream editor-in-chief, Anthony Licata didn’t invite me to join them until he was absolutely sure I already had reservations somewhere else. And after my meal at Aureole, I’m okay with that.

Food Fight Friday: Ringneck Sliders vs. Stuffed Deer

Online Editors — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:25:32 -0500

by David Draper

While I’m bemoaning the lack of geese like most of the waterfowlers around here, I have to admit, it’s been a pretty good January. From pheasants around the home place to a last-minute opportunity for antlerless whitetails, I’ve hardly missed the early morning wake-up calls and long drives to the goose fields. And, with an Arctic front coming in this week, just maybe I’ll end the month welcoming the late migration. Until then, I’ll keep cooking up whatever it is Mother Nature has to offer.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 3

Online Editors — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:48:52 -0500

Photos from the floor of SHOT Show 2012, Day 2.

Arno Bernard Gator Skin Knives

Online Editors — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:49:33 -0500

Arno Bernard makes high-quality knives with croc skin handles and sheaths made from cape buffalo skin. Incredibly, these knives range from about $100 to $400. They come in a variety of different sizes and could very well be the steal of the SHOT show.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day 2

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:34:22 -0500

Photos from the floor of SHOT Show 2012, Day 2.

Join the Cause: Wild Game Wednesdays!

Online Editors — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:39:12 -0500

by David Draper

I don’t think I’m alone in my love-hate relationship with cookbook author/food pundit Mark Bittman. He’s taken his former (and formidable) influence as a cooking columnist at The New York Times from a place that taught us how to cook and turned it into a pulpit, or more accurately, a soapbox from which to tell us how to eat. He recently trumpeted the drop in overall meat consumption by American families, which has declined more than 12 percent in the past five years, in an op-ed piece last week.

SHOT Show 2012 From The Floor: Day I

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:48:40 -0500

Photos from the floor of SHOT Show 2012, Day 1.

How To Eat Like A Caveman

Sarah Smith — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:08:21 -0500

by David Draper

Those of us dealing with the post-holiday hangover might be thinking about losing a little weight around the middle. I know I’ve put on a few pounds this fall that will need to be shed before I hit the woods for my annual spring turkey death march. I generally don’t tend to pay much attention to any of the diet trends that come and go, but one that does intrigue me is eating Paleo, a.k.a. the caveman diet. The name alone conjures images of tearing hunks of fire-roasted meat right off the bone, something I can relate to as a hunter. But apparently there’s more to the diet than that.

To learn more about eating like a caveman, I tracked down Charles Mayfield, co-author with his wife Julie of the Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook. In addition to being cookbook authors, the Mayfields own several gyms in the Atlanta area and are hardcore fitness junkies. Charles is also a hunter, so who better to explain the Paleo lifestyle and how it can benefit hunters and wild-food lovers.

Food Fight Friday: Ground Meat Gridiron

Online Editors — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:08:40 -0500

by David Draper

Spackle Spaghetti and Meatballs vs. Venison Sloppy Joe

Looking back on the short history of Food Fight Friday, something seems to be missing—or at least be in short supply. We seem to have gotten caught up in some of the finer things you can put on a plate, while giving America’s meat short shrift. I would wager that at least 75 percent of what venison hunters eat comes in the form of ground meat: burgers, chili, tacos, or as we have here, meatballs, which I’ve put against a Sloppy Joe from Field & Stream's video editor, Michael Shea.

Can Lyme Disease Threat Lead to Increased Acceptance of Hunting?

Sarah Smith — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:14:13 -0500

--Chad Love

Is the threat of Lyme Disease opening the door for more deer hunting opportunity and acceptance?

From this story on boston.com:

Beth Webb knew there was more to her boy’s stiff neck and fever than met the eye, but only when his temperature jumped to 107 degrees and he wound up in a hospital emergency room did she spot the telltale red bull’s-eye of a tick bite on his chest. Then more appeared. “As we were sitting there, bull’s-eyes were just popping up all over his body,’’ Webb said. Her son, Ashton, 7, went home from Newton-Wellesley Hospital with antibiotics and appears to have fully recovered, but the Dover family’s battle with deer ticks - and the Lyme disease they carry - remains in full swing.