Venison Recipes

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

Each month, Field & Stream editors review the hundreds of photos submitted by readers to our Trophy Room. If your photo is chosen to be printed in the Game Faces section of the magazine, you’ll win a Rapala Fish ‘N Fillet knife!

Submit your photos here!

Here are the monthly Best Reader Photo Galleries from last year:

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.