Mix Wild Game With Beef Tallow
While my Wyoming elk tag has so far gone unfilled, my friend Tess was luckier, tagging her first elk in a Nebraska cornfield non long ago. A heat wave prompted united states to spend all day Sunday butchering and terminal night we put nearly xx lbs. of trimmings through the grinder.
I've been processing my own (and others) deer and elk for about a dozen years and view adding some type of fat to ground venison every bit a necessary evil. I adopt basis pork, adding anywhere from 10 to 20 percent. Due to a calculating error on my part (I was told in that location would be no math!), Tess' grind concluded up at about 25 percent pork, a bit more than she preferred.
This math trouble set me to wondering why hunters accept a healthy source of protein and fatten it upward? That'south like someone on a nutrition taking a carrot stick and dipping information technology in ranch dressing. Quick research shows no articulate consensus on what or how much fat to add together. Some hunters swear by 50/l, others just 10 percent. Some like pork, others beefiness tallow. Some add salary ends and pieces.
Certainly, there's a rationale to adding fatty, including enhancing flavor because, hey, nosotros all know fatty tastes adept. Fat too keeps meat from drying out when you fry it and helps patties from falling apart. Merely is in that location a improve, healthier alternative? Yep, depending on how you're planning to cook it.
Cook Basis Venison, Elk, and Other Game Without Fatty
Burgers on the grill are probably how much of the ground venison in America makes it to the tabular array. I'll be the outset to admit, making a skilful burger without fat sounds impossible. The fat not only makes a burger juicy, it likewise helps it stay in patty class. Adjacent time you accept some 100 pct ground venison y'all desire to throw on the grill, trying adding an egg and some breadcrumbs to serve as a binder. I've as well heard of using steel-cut oats, diced onion, shredded potato and even powdered milk.
When frying ground venison for tacos, chili or spaghetti, cook it without fat. The spices should encompass any gamy flavor you or your family might object to. (If not, find a new butcher to process your deer or acquire to do information technology yourself. Since I started DIY processing 12 years ago, I've never had gamy game meat.) If the dry texture turns you lot off, endeavor frying it in a little fleck of olive oil, or add wet as the venison browns in the class of stock, tomato juice or other flavored liquid.
Half-dozen Wild Game Recipes That Prove You Don't Need to Add Fat
The rich, robust nature of wild game is the perfect complement to the vivid flavors plant in the recipes of United mexican states and the American Southwest. What's more, the cooking techniques are tailor-fabricated for turning tough cuts of antelope deer, elk, upland birds, and waterfowl into tender, tasty fare. With that said, hither are half dozen recipes that volition plow taco night into a full-diddled Tex-Mex fiesta. Just be certain to take some citrusy sodas and cold cervezas on hand to cool the fire.
Kickin' Elk Fajitas
With vivid colors and rich aromas, these venison fajitas deliver a spicy smash to the senses—and that'due south true even earlier you eat them. For this recipe, I prefer steaks cut from the flank or shoulder, which provide a chip more than seize with teeth than a tender backstrap, only circular steaks or sirloin piece of work well, too.
Ingredients
2 elk steaks i red onion, sliced sparse 2 bell peppers, seeded and sliced ¼ inch thick 1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced into rings Flour tortillas Queso fresco
For the Marinade:
1 cup orangish juice ½ cup lime juice 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire ii–3 garlic cloves, minced one tsp. cumin 1 tsp. chili powder ½ tsp. kosher salt ¼ cup cilantro, chopped 4 Tbsp. canola oil (divided)
Kickin' Elk Fajitas Directions
Place the elk steaks between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them lightly with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin until they're each nigh ½ inch thick. In a large bowl, mix the marinade ingredients, saving about half the cilantro for garnish. Whisk the marinade briskly while slowly drizzling in 2 Tbsp. of canola oil.
Put the sliced elk steaks in a gallon zip-meridian bag and pour in virtually one-half the marinade. Put the sliced onion and peppers in a 2d bag with the remaining marinade. Tightly seal both bags, removing every bit much air as possible, and and then refrigerate for up to iv hours. When prepare to cook, remove the steak and peppers from the marinade, reserving the liquid from the vegetables.
Heat 2 Tbsp. of canola oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high rut. Sear the steaks until nicely browned on the outside but however medium-rare in the center. Then, transfer the steaks to a cut board and tent with foil. Add more oil to the skillet if little remains, then stir-fry the onions and peppers until they're slightly softened and lightly charred. Next, glaze the skillet with a tablespoon or two of the reserved vegetable marinade, scraping up any browned food bits with a wooden spoon. Remove the skillet from the heat and prepare aside.
With a sharp knife, cut the steaks against the grain into ¼-inch-thick strips. Transfer them, besides equally whatever juices that have accumulated on the cutting lath, to the skillet with the vegetables, and and then toss to combine. Serve with warm flour tortillas, crumbled queso fresco, and chopped cilantro. Serves 4
Venison Chorizo Breakfast Burritos
Start your day with a giant burrito filled with spicy venison chorizo, and you'll no uncertainty stay full, and warm, all morning. Not just that, when wrapped in foil and stashed in a pack, these burritos brand a peachy midday meal in the deer stand or duck blind.
Ingredients
½ pound venison chorizo 1 cup potatoes, diced 6 eggs, whisked Kosher salt Blackness pepper 2 Tbsp. bacon drippings 1 14½-oz. can of blackness beans ½ tsp. cumin ½ tsp. chili powder ¼ diced onion Cilantro, chopped Big flour tortillas Avocado, diced Republic of chile verde Colby jack cheese, shredded
Venison Chorizo Breakfast Burrito Directions
Pour the beans into a pocket-sized pot and season with cumin and chili powder. Add the onion and cilantro, then simmer over medium heat.
Meanwhile, rut the salary drippings in a large bandage-iron skillet over medium-high heat. As the grease starts to smoke, add the diced potatoes and a compression of salt, and then cook, stirring occasionally. Add together the chorizo once the potatoes beginning to brownish. And then, once the chorizo begins to brownish, use a spatula or wooden spoon to break the meat into pocket-size pieces, and contain it with the potatoes. Push the meat and potato mixture to one side of the skillet and lower the oestrus.
One time the skillet has cooled slightly, pour the whisked eggs into the empty side of the skillet. As the eggs start to prepare, pull them into the center of the pan, allowing them to run onto the bare skillet. Season the eggs with kosher table salt and black pepper, then stir the eggs together with the chorizo and potatoes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
To get together the burritos, warm a big flour tortilla on a skillet or in the microwave. So, place a large spoonful of the chorizo, egg, and spud mixture into the eye of the tortilla. And so, with a slotted spoon, add a salubrious corporeality of blackness beans, and superlative with diced avocado and shredded cheese. Coil the burrito tightly, folding in the sides as you go.
Drizzle a spoonful of chile verde over the wrapped burrito, followed by a sprinkling of shredded cheese. Lastly, identify the completed burrito under a low broiler for 30 seconds, or until the cheese has melted. Serves 4
Grilled Duck Tacos With Mojo de Ajo
Allow me to brag for simply a moment: These are the best damn duck tacos you will always eat. Bold statement, I know. Just it's truthful. The rich flavor of a mallard breast grilled medium-rare and covered with soft white onion and pungent garlic chili oil will leave you lot reaching for another. And another. Better hope you have plenty of ducks in the freezer.
Ingredients
4 duck breasts, peel on 1 large white onion Kosher table salt Mojo de Ajo (run across below) Corn tortillas Queso fresco Garnish: pickled ruddy onions, radish slices, lime wedges
For the Mojo de Ajo:
2 fresh Cayenne peppers ½ tsp. black peppercorns ½ tsp. dried Mexican oregano ane cup olive oil 12–xv garlic cloves, smashed ½ cup diced tomato ¼ cup orangish juice
Grilled Duck Tacos With Mojo de Ajo Directions
Prep the grill past lighting the coals, or preheat it to loftier. While the grill heats, brand three to four diagonal slices through the duck skins, and cutting the onion into thick slices. Brush both the duck and onion with oil from the mojo de ajo (directions beneath). Adjacent, flavour the duck and onion with kosher salt, then let rest.
Once the grill is hot, wipe the grates with a newspaper towel soaked in vegetable oil. Then, set the duck, skin downward, and onions on the grill and melt for 2–3 minutes. Flip and cook for another two–3 minutes, or until the duck is medium-rare. Adjacent, transfer the duck and onions to a cutting board and permit rest for 5 minutes. Slice the duck and onions, so strain 2 Tbsp. of garlic from the mojo de ajo and drizzle over the onions.
Serve the duck and onions in warm tortillas and topped with queso fresco. Garnish with your pick of pickled red onions and sliced radishes, and a clasp of lime juice. Serves 4
For the Mojo de Ajo:
Cut the stems from the chilies and remove the seeds. Toast the peppercorns and oregano in a skillet over medium heat simply until fragrant, then transfer them to a spice grinder and process to a powder. Pour olive oil into a saucepan and add together the garlic. Prepare over medium rut and melt, stirring until the garlic softens and turns lite dark-brown. Add together the tomato and orange juice, forth with the footing-pepper blend and diced peppers. Melt for another 2 minutes, and let absurd earlier using.
Mixed-Handbag Molcajete
Typically made from basalt, the molcajete is a versatile kitchen tool, used for everything from grinding spices to making guacamole. Merely there is no college calling for the traditional Mexican mortar than a archetype molcajete meat-and-chile bake. The stone holds heat for a long time, making this an awesome party dish.
Ingredients
1 venison steak ane pheasant chest 3 green onions ¼ tsp. cumin ¼ tsp. chili pulverisation ¼ tsp. ground coffee ¼ tsp. kosher salt
For the Chile Colorado:
3 Tbsp. shortening 2 Tbsp. flour ¼ cup red chile pulverisation ane cup chicken goop one cup h2o ½ tsp. cumin ½ tsp. garlic powder Kosher salt Saccharide Colby jack cheese, shredded Garnish: avocado slices and crumbled queso fresco
Mixed-Bag Molcajete Directions
To make the Chile Colorado, melt the shortening in a heavy skillet over medium oestrus. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring until the roux starts to brown, which should take most 5 minutes. Add the red republic of chile powder and cook for a minute. Then, cascade in the broth and water, forth with the cumin and garlic powder, and stir until well composite and smooth. Add together a pinch of salt and saccharide to gustation. Comprehend and simmer over low oestrus for 1 hour.
As the Chile Colorado simmers, prepare the venison steak and pheasant chest. Stir together the chili pulverisation, coffee, cumin, and common salt. Sprinkle the seasoning over both sides of the meat. Cook the meat over a hot grill until the steak is medium-rare and the pheasant chest is cooked through. Remove the meat from the grill and let residue. Piece the meat into sparse strips, about ¼ inch thick.
Set the molcajete on a sheet pan and place it in a 350-caste oven for twenty minutes. Once the molcajete is hot, carefully remove it from the oven.
Put the venison and pheasant strips in the molcajete. Then, fill up the basin with Chile Colorado, add in the green onion, and cover with the shredded cheese. Return the full molcajete to the oven and bake for xv–20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Utilize oven mitts or hot pads to remove the hot molcajete from the oven. Garnish with avocado slices and crumbled queso fresco. Serve with fresh, warm tortillas. Serves 4–6
Pheasant Verde Enchiladas
These enchiladas fly the Tex-Mex staple to the wild side by replacing humdrum chicken with pheasant breasts poached in a savory goop. This technique keeps the lean meat from drying out, and makes information technology piece of cake to shred. Plus, the addition of a few Serrano peppers to the tangy tomatillo sauce adds a peppery bite.
Ingredients
2 bone-in pheasant breasts, skinned 1 onion, chopped four cloves garlic, smashed 6 cups craven broth Black pepper 8–ten tomatillos three Serrano peppers ½ medium white onion 4 garlic cloves i tsp. cumin 1 tsp. kosher salt Reserved poaching liquid two–3 Tbsp. masa harina 12 corn tortillas 2 cups Colby jack cheese Queso fresco, crumbled ¼ loving cup cilantro, chopped
Pheasant Verde Enchiladas Directions
In a large pot, combine the onion, garlic, and chicken broth, along with salt and pepper to gustation. Prepare the pot over medium-loftier heat and bring the liquid just to the boiling indicate. Add together the pheasant breasts, ensuring that they're submerged, and cover the pot. Then, turn the heat off and let the pheasant breasts poach for 30–45 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the pheasant from the poaching liquid and shred the meat from the bone with 2 forks. Strain and reserve the poaching liquid, discarding the solids.
While the pheasant is poaching, remove the papery skins of the tomatillos, and deseed the Serrano peppers. Place the garlic, onion, peppers, and tomatillos under a broiler until the tomatillos have softened and the peppers are charred in spots. Place the roasted vegetables in a blender with any accumulated juices, two cups of the reserved poaching liquid, and the cumin and table salt. Puree until well composite.
Transfer the sauce to a skillet set over medium-low heat. Whisk together 2–3 Tbsp. of masa harina and ¼ cup of the cooled poaching liquid, and then stir the combination into a sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens, and and so remove it from the oestrus and allow it cool slightly before assembling the enchiladas.
To assemble the enchiladas:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the shredded pheasant into a bowl and comprehend with about ½ cup of the sauce, adding more if necessary to adequately moisten the meat. Utilise a flexible spatula to spread a thin layer of the sauce in a goulash dish.
Wrap the tortillas in a moist tea towel and place them in the oven for 5 minutes to steam. Once the tortillas soften, dip them into the enchilada sauce, then fill them with the shredded pheasant and Colby jack cheese. Side by side, roll the tortillas around the fillings, and place the enchiladas seam side downwards in the goulash dish.
Once the casserole dish is full, pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas, being sure to coat the ends of the tortillas. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining Colby jack cheese, and then transfer the dish to the hot oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Sprinkle queso fresco and chopped cilantro over the enchiladas and serve. Serves 4–vi
Antelope Albondigas
There are many ways to make albondigas—traditional Spanish meatballs—but when using ground wild game, poaching is my go-to arroyo, for a flavorful broth keeps the meatballs from drying out. Deer, elk, or even ground waterfowl would work for this recipe, but I favor pronghorn antelope, which are prolific across the Southwest.
Ingredients
1 lb. ground venison or ground game ¼ cup cooked white rice ane large egg, browbeaten 1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano ½ tsp. cumin ½ tsp. coriander ½ tsp. cayenne 1 tsp. kosher salt ½ tsp. white pepper Pinch of cinnamon Breadcrumbs, as needed 2 quarts chicken stock i tsp. avocado oil one carrot, diced ½ diced onion i cup diced tomatoes ¼ cup cilantro, chopped Black peppers to sense of taste
Antelope Albondigas Directions
Place the footing antelope and rice in a large bowl, and so add together the whisked egg and spices. Using your hands, mix the ingredients until they're well incorporated. If the meat mixture is really moist, add together breadcrumbs a little chip at a time until it comes together just isn't super dry. Next, ringlet the meat into spheres just smaller than golf game balls and place them on a sheet pan. One time all the meat has been balled, refrigerate the meatballs for 30 minutes.
As the meatballs chill, heat the avocado oil in a large pot over medium heat, so sauté the onion and diced carrots until they've just softened. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, cilantro, and all other remaining ingredients. Simmer for thirty minutes.
Remove the meatballs from the fridge and add together them, a few at a fourth dimension, to the simmering broth. Continue simmering for 20–25 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.
To serve, add a few meatballs to a bowl, ladle goop over, and enjoy. Serves 4
Source: https://www.fieldandstream.com/proper-fat-to-game-meat-ratio/
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