doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How many of you hunters cook ?

Like most here, my Mother and Grandmother would cook and did it well enough so that I enjoyed eating the game we shot and the fish that we caught.
When I got out on my own, I didn't really expect to wind up with a girl who could and would, cook game and not ruin it.
In my home, cooking game is my department. I agree that it is part of the process. The last time I hunted grouse at my Grandparents farm, (over 20 years ago) I walked in the kitchen and threw the birds in the sink, out of habit.
I then realized that Grammie doesn't pick birds anymore.
We are a changed people.

I cook a lot, I think quite well, my wife and dogs agree. My wife bought me a smoker this chrismas and it's by far the best material gift I've recieved.

Best food book I've read/used recently: [url]http://ruhlman.com/books/charcuterie.html[/url]

this recipe website also has wildgame recipes. http://recipes.tasteofhome.com/eRMS/home.aspx

I started cooking at about age 9. My mother never liked to fry, especially squid which tended to pop grease. By college I was a fair cook and by law school I learned that the best way to a woman's heart (and other spots) was through her stomach. I cooked smothered quail and biscuits for a young lady and have now been married to her for 16 years. Wild turkey gumbo made on the duck and andoule (sp) sausage is hard to beat. If you want something the kids will eat, take a wood duck breast sear it in bacon grease and slice it and serve it on saltine crackers. Like someone said earler, venison is fine as long as you age it (see Wayne Nish's earlier comment on dry ageing) and cook it rare or cook it forever in a stew or chilli. Never did the rare woodcock with entrails intact but would not be opposed to it. Here in Alabama we eat most everything although I have never beeen able to cook possum or armidillo. (if someone else did I would try it.)

When Grandpa was engaged to Grandma, he'd drop by her place after a hunt, and gave whatever game he'd shot as a gift. Then he would proudly sit on the pourch and smoke with Great-Grandpa, while Grandma was doing the cooking and Great-Grandma was praising the Lord to have such a breadwinner for a son-in-law. At some point after the marriage, things changed somehow, and by the time I was born, Grandpa had to cook his gane himself. So it was natural for me to cook whatever game I shot. A couple of times before my marriage, I'd impress my wife-to-be by dropping by with a duck, dressing and cooking it there and then, myself. After we got married, though, she'd watch me start cooking a bird or hare, them she'd intervine, saying I'm not doing it right and going to spoil the thing, and she'd take over the kitchen and finish the cooking herself. She cooks better than me, although she claims Iam the better cook... And now that she's started hunting she wouldn't let me get near the birds she'd shot. So-o.. I cook - when my wife lets me

I love grouse hunting. The only thing I love more (excluding My wife) is eating grouse.

Thin strips of grouse lightly sauteed in extra virgin olive oil with salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne. Served with a Ceasar Salad, mmmmmm!

Nothing like aged vension that is then marinated in olive oil, black pepper, garlic, rosemary and red wine.

Place ALL in a very heavy iron skillet (covered) adding wine as the only fluid addition for about 1 hour. I usually start high heat to brown, go to low and then back to high near the end to crust it some more. But you do want to make sure you have a heavy syrupy reduction

The reduction from this process is so good you'll be tempted to lick the plate.

Pour this over a bed of greens (cooked or raw). Or pour this over rice or pasta.

Then sprinkle on top very finely chopped raw garlic and rosemary and parsley along with fresh cracked pepper.

Serve with smoky, oaky red wine.

If she doesn't want to marry you she will want to at least spend the night...........

Have a canvasback and a redhead in the oven right now. Legs inside the cavity. 275F till done (about 3-4 hrs). Turn a couple times while baking. Save your spices and other junk till the birds are done.

I'm dyslexic and have a hard time reading recipes, but my "play by ear" cooking is usually pretty jazzy. I have to say that I have always had a hard time cooking hunters. They are difficult to harvest, first of all. They tend to carry GUNS! I've always had a tough time keeping their meat from being tough, with all their grisle! Their flavor is not too good, either, since they're full of cr@p, pi$$ and vinegar.

Oh. Oops. Dyslexia, don't you know... Never mind.

Good one!!

With the number of bears we have here in northern NJ, I wonder sometimes if I will become dinner. I don't hunt bear, but last year we had a bear season and I felt better, figuring the bears would be smart enough to stay away from hunters. No bear hunting season this year, our new wonderful governor somehow nixed it.