Wild Game Recipes

[ricardo]

With hunting season starting or for basic survival, I

thought it seemed most appropiate for some recipes for

wild game. During the depression my grandmother told me

of days of eating squirrel, rabbits, raccoons and oposuums.

 

This link has a lot of recipes from armadillo to Venison.

 

http://wildgamerecipes.org/

 

Basic Venison Stew

 

 

Marinte venison in yogurt or buttermilk.

Then wash thoroughly.

 

 

2 lbs. stew meat

6 carrots

6 potatoes

2 tbsp. oil

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 md onion

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Sugar

1/2 tsp. Pepper

1 tsp. Garlic powder

1/2 tsp. paprika

One quarter tsp. allspice

 

Brown the cubed meat in the oil, add two cups of water, then the rest of the ingredients. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves, add carrots and potatoes, cook another 30-45 minutes or until tender. As a footnote, I've just browned the meat, then dumped everything in the "crockpot" on low. It produces a stew that tastes as tho' it already been reheated several times.

 

[Bamboo]

Grubby, sounds good. We'll have to try that one.

 

I use ground venison in place of burger in most of my recipes... .tacos, nachos, sloppy joes, spaghetti. I find that the spices cover up the game flavor most people are opposed to. We also make killer meatballs... that's my dh's recipe though.

 

Here is my recipe for sloppy joes.

 

1 lb ground venison

1 can Campbells chicken gumbo soup

a couple tablespoons brown sugar

a drizzle of molasses

a teaspoon of mustard

a chopped onion

 

Brown the meat and onion together. Then add all the rest and simmer. I like to put mine in the crockpot and let it go all day. The flavors really meld together and everyone loves it.... nobody has ever guessed it is venison.

 

I'll dig up some more of my recipes and post them later.

[ricardo]

Quote:

1 can Campbells chicken gumbo soup

Why the gumbo soup? For the spices? Tell me, what is
in the chicken gumbo soup, other than chicken.

Thanks Spider.

[Bamboo]

Not alot Grubby. There are about 2 pieces of chicken lol

[Freetobeme]

I wonder if these recipes would work with the mice?

[moonstar]

I've been gathering wild game recipes. Have a few squirrels, bears, deer around here. Also oppossums, raccoons, and rattlesnakes. Would you eat fried rattlesnake? Saw a show on TV out of Texas a few years ago

showing how to cook it. Also, don't know much about wild

game. Does cooking it get rid of rabies if the animal has it? From what I've read, it's not always possible to tell if the animal has it at first...no symptoms. Our neighbor in North Carolina was eyeing our squirrels. Wanted to cook up some brains. Probably good, but I think I'd leave it off my menu.

[UKGuy]

Thnx for your venison recipes, ladies.

Hubby and I 'love' venison!!

I have a few myself to share, but will post them here another day when I have more time.

'Am not sure if I already posted one of my recipes here,

but in the "crockpot" recipes.

[Bamboo]

Okay, I'm back now. Here are a few more recipes.

 

Roast Beaver a La Michigan

 

1 beaver

baking soda

salt

sliced onions

strips of bacon or salt pork

 

Remove all surface fat from the beaver. Cover meat with a weak solution of soda and water (1 tsp soda to 1 qt water). Parboil by simmering gently for 10 minutes. Drain. Place meat in roaster, sprinkle with salt, cover with sliced onions, strips of bacon, and roast in a moderate oven, 350 degrees until well done. Serve at once. Beaver should be cooked until meat almost falls of the bones. *** Courtesy of Good Eating From Woods and Fields--Michigan State University, Lansing, MI.

 

 

Venison Steaks (Bear, Deer, Elk, Antelope)

 

Marinate steaks in raspberry lemonade for 1/2 hour to hour and grill until desired doneness...dh does this all the time....awesome.

 

Another Meta Givens:

 

Rabbit Hash

 

1 1/2 -2 cups chopped, cooked rabbit

1/3 c bacon drippings or shortening

5 medium baking potatoes

3 onions

1/2 t celery salt

1/4 t salt

black pepper

 

Put drippings into skillet. Pare potatoes and grate coarsely. Slide potatoes into heated drippings. Grate onions and add to potatoes; add rabbit and seasonings. Cover, cook moderately fast until potatoes are beautifully browned on under side. Stir to blend, turn over, cover again, and brown on under side. Cooking requires about 10 minutes in all. 4 Servings.

 

Okay, that is probably more than you all wanted to read. If someone wants a recipe for a specific "wild game" just pm me.

 

I have recipes for bear, deer, elk, duck, grouse, partridge, quail, muskrat, possum, pheasants, rabbit, raccoon, squirrel, woodchuck, turtle, moose, wild boar, caribou, buffalo, goat, turkey, dove, goose, Dall sheep... I have at least one recipe for all of those, many more for most.

 

Sorry no snake recipes... spider hates snakes...

[Bamboo]

DH just suggested one more...

 

Grilled Salmon

 

One filet of salmon, skin left on (this is important). Soak the fish in lemon juice for one hour (can use milk also). Cover fish with Miracle Whip pretty heavy (1/4 inch thick), on the flesh side, sprinkle with garlic salt, onion powder, paprika. Grill with skin side down until done. Skin will practically burn off, but fish will be awesome.

 

 

DH also smokes our salmon.... I call it salmon candy. He smokes it in an electric smoker. I'll have to get him to tell me exactly how he does that.... boy is it good.

[moonstar]

WARNING: IF SNAKES MAKE YOU CRINGE PLEASE DO NOT READ

 

 

Checking my notes: Found recipe for fried rattlesnake. No,

I haven't tried it, but if facing starvation or eating the

rattlesnake, I probably would. May be something to consider.

If everyone is out hunting, the big game will run out soon.1-Cut off head being careful, it still has reflexes that allow it to bite even if it is dead.

2-Slit skin near the head and peel it back an inch or so

3-Tie a cord around the peeled back area and hang snake from a tree limb. This leaves both hands free so you can peel off skin with a sharp knife..

4-Then slit open the belly, remove intestines and then cut the meat away from the bone.

5-Rinse snake in cold, salted water several times.

6-Cut into bite-sized pieces

7-Flour and fry like chicken or add to soups and stews

Article said it tastes something like a cross between pork

and chicken.

 

I don't know how many people are familiar with hunting and

cooking wild game. Perhaps some cautions about game food

would be appropriate. Also from my notes:

Wild quail: A number of people have become ill with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, shivers & slow-spreading paralyis, from eating wild quail. It may result from the food the quail consumes in certain parts of the country-

hemlock.

If handling animals that can carry Tularemia, gloves should be worn while doing so. Tularemia is also known as rabbit fever.

Beaver: Can carry Tularemia, especially. Cook thoroughly

Squirrels: Can carry Tularemia Cook thoroughly

Rabbits: Can carry Tularemia Cook thoroughly

Hogs: Trichinosis and brucellosis Cook thoroughly

Bears: Trichinosis Cook thoroughly

Armadillos: Can carry leprosy

Raccoons: Can spread leptospirosis which can lead to bacterial miningitis

I hope things don't get that bad, but this is a survival

site. Short term, long term. When in a starvation situation, all knowledge of how

to get food is necessary. Your knowledge could mean life or

death. The N. Koreans a few years ago were digging up tree

roots to eat because there was nothing else.

[ricardo]

http://www.grandpappy.info/rgame.htm

 

Fish

Cut a gash in the underside of the fish from the anal opening to the head. Cut the throat where attached and remove and bury all the entails. Rinse fish to get rid of any blood clots. Wipe inside with a clean cloth. Cook approximately 10 minutes per inch measured at the thickest part. Firm flesh fish can be grilled but soft flesh fish should be baked or fried. If fried, skin and bone the fish first.

 

Trout

Rub the outside with fat or oil. Salt and pepper the inside to taste. Grill 4 to 6 inches over hot coals for 10 to 12 minutes turning carefully 3 or 4 times with a spatula. The fish will darken and blister in spots but it will stay moist on the inside.

 

Fried Fish

Cut large fish into 1 inch slices or fillets. Dip in water and then coat in flour. Add salt and pepper. Place in hot frying pan containing 1/8 inch melted fat, oil, or shortening. Brown one side, then turn and brown the other side, allowing 4 to 6 minutes cooking time per side depending on thickness of fish.

 

Broiling Meats over Campfire

Sear the flesh of the animal over open flames before cooking. This keeps the juices and nutrients inside the animal.

 

Grilling Meats

Meats retain their juices better if they are turned 4 or 5 times while cooking. Turn meat with tongs not forks. Cook on grilling rack about 4 to 6 inches directly above the hot coals. The meat will cook quickly. Watch it closely.

 

Pan Steaks

Melt some fat in the frying pan. Salt and flour the steaks and put them in the pan. When the meat is almost ready, make some pan gravy by stirring a little flour in with the hot grease. Add a little water and stir to make pan gravy.

 

Wild Game Stew

Gut and skin the animal (deer, bear, beaver, raccoon, rabbit, porcupine, opossum) (or dog, cat, or something even less desirable in an emergency survival situation). If present, cut off some fat and put it in the pot. While the fat is melting, cube the heart into small pieces and add it first. Skin the tongue and cube it and add it to the pot. This gives the 2 toughest pieces a longer time to cook. Cut up the liver and tenderloin and add them to the pot. Now cover everything with warm water and let it simmer. Add salt, pepper, and onion. Cooking time is three hours. The final stew is delicious.

 

Snakes

Very few snakes are poisonous but all snakes should be treated with respect. A head shot with a 22-bullet or snake-shot is usually adequate. Or hit the snake on the head with a rock or a 6-foot pole to stun and kill it. Cautiously cut off and bury the head of all snakes. If the poison of a dead snake gets into a cut or scrape it can make you sick. Cut the belly of the snake from where its head was towards its tail. Use your finger to strip out the entails as a single piece. Strip off the outer skin by pulling from the top towards the tail. Wash the remaining meat in clean water. Snake may be broiled or grilled whole (or diced and boiled). Or cut into 3” pieces, dip in milk or water, roll in flour and/or corn meal, add salt and pepper, and deep fry in hot oil.

 

Frogs

Cut off and keep only the hind legs. Wash in cold water. Turn skin down and strip off skin like a glove. Boil and eat the legs. (Or cover the legs with boiling water and then drain quickly. Shake legs in flour, salt, and pepper in a plastic baggie. Let stand 15 minutes. Fry in hot oil for 3 minutes until brown.) (The leg glands of some frogs cause diarrhea.)

 

Turtles

Boil until the shell comes off. The meat is then cut up and used to make a soup using any edible plants available.

 

Crayfish

Drop live crayfish into boiling water as soon as possible after catching. They spoil very quickly.

 

Garden Snails

Look for snails after a rain. Rinse and cook them in hot water until they leave their shells. Put them in cold water, extract the meat, and cut into tiny pieces. Heat some oil, add a tsp. of onion powder and a little salt and pepper. Add 2 tsp. of water, a tsp. of vinegar, a tsp. of flour, and a tbsp. ketchup (if available). Simmer for 5 minutes. Add snail meat and simmer 20 minutes over low heat. Can be served with white rice.

 

Bugs (Emergency Survival Situation ONLY)

The following bugs are edible: ants, grubs, slugs, and earthworms. They may be eaten raw (but not alive) or cooked. Nobody I know likes them raw, so the best solution is to dice them into small pieces and cook them in a soup with some other type of wild food. Grasshoppers can also be eaten if you first remove the legs. The legs contain tiny barbs that can get caught in your throat. Don’t eat grasshoppers raw because they occasionally contain tiny parasites (which will be killed if you boil the grasshoppers in water). NEVER eat flies, ticks, mosquitoes, centipedes, or spiders.

 

[ricardo]

A Collection of Squirrel Recipes

 

*Don't read this if you love squirrels, I mean it! No joke!*

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Suggestion: Never broil or grill a squirrel. You won't enjoy the leathery chewy result.

 

Squirrel Preparation

Skin the squirrel (either a gray or a red squirrel), remove and discard the digestive organs (stomach and intestines), and cut the squirrel into sections (legs, etc.). Cut the heart and liver into bite size pieces.

 

 

Squirrel Stew

Simmer all the meat in some hot water with a teaspoon of salt. When tender, remove the meat from the bones, dice it, and cook it a little longer. Add salt, pepper, onions, potatoes, and/or other vegetables, if available. Enjoy the meaty soup and drink the soup broth when the meat is gone.

 

 

Fried Squirrel

Soak the cut up squirrel meat in some water with one teaspoon of salt overnight. Then put it in a skillet with some salted water and slowly boil the meat until it is tender when stuck with a fork. Be very careful and do NOT cook the meat until it falls off the bones. Rinse the squirrel in some cold water.

 

1/2 cup flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1/4 cup oil

 

Mix the flour, salt, and pepper inside a plastic baggie. Dip the pieces of squirrel meat in some milk (or water) and shake the meat inside the baggie to coat the meat. Brown the coated meat in some oil in a skillet. Lower the heat after browning and cover the skillet tightly. Cook over low heat for 30 to 60 minutes or until well done. Remove the cover during the last 10 minutes to crisp the outer surfaces

 

 

http://www.grandpappy.info/rsquirel.htm

[moonstar]

To add to list:

Birds: All birds are edible. Scavenger birds should be boiled at least 20 min. to kill parasites, before cooking.

 

Lizards: All are edible except for the Gila Monster

 

Ants: Gotta get some chocolate.

[Bamboo]

mmmmmm chocolate!!!!

[ricardo]

You'd eat anything with chocolate on/in/near it, wouldn't

you?

 

 

 

[Bamboo]

Here is a link to a wild game cookbook. I have one of the earlier editions and it is really good. It is not an online publication, but the price is not too bad.

 

www.dixiedave.com

 

Hope you enjoy.

[Roseofsharon]

We are a hunting family and with one income we have eaten lots of deer meat over the years - I actually prefer if because I know it has not been fead a bunch of hormones plus who knows what else...I use it in any recipe that calls for beef -ground beef, round steak, stew meat -or a roast. If it is an older deer just get a (glass) coke bottle and pound meat to tenderize (if you are more sophisticated they sell mallets (my boys just always seem to take mine off and loose them) you can soak in vinegar if you think the meat taste wild but if the recipe calls for any sauce it will cover the flavor of the meat anyway...

 

Our favorite way to eat deer meat is to cut up a deer ham or tenderloin -pound it a little, and flour, salt & pepper and fry it (like cube steak)! Everybody loves it - even people who think they might not like deer meat.

 

I am trying to fry less... I wonder about trying oven fried...bet it wont be as good...

[Guest Guest]

When I fry, I try to use Olive Oil as much as possible because it's much healther than the vegetable oils...just a thought.