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Best Wild Game You Have Ever Made

shannerdrake

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Hey all, I made a wild game dish for the families on Mother's Day and it turned out to be the best wild game dish I ever made. It got me thinking that it would make a great thread on HuntTalk. So what's the best wild game dish you've ever made? Pics and story would be great.

Back to my dish - Reverse Seared Backstrap "Prime Rib" Style.

I had a really clean/nice piece of backstrap that I had been saving from my 2020 bull. Side bar, a double layer of plastic wrap followed by a good wrap of waxed butcher paper will keep meat fresh for years. The backstrap portion was from the shoulder end so was a nice wide chunk. I prepped it with just a bit more trimming and then went into a simple brine for about 24 hours.

Sunday morning, I took it out of the brine, rinsed it, patted it dry, rubbed it with olive oil, then covered it with a prime rib rub I make. Then I put it on my new Louisiana Grills SL1000 (I need to do a full write-up on this grill, but I think it's the best grill on the market at that price point. Got it for $600 delivered from Costco and even got $200 in shopper cash, not to mention the cash back rewards on my credit card and membership) with a hickory pellet blend at 200 degrees. I input the probe thermometer in the thick part and put it on the top rack offset of the firepot.

From there I just let it coast to 135. Once it hit 135 internal (about 3 hours), I pulled it and put it on a rimmed baking sheet in my cooler. Put a layer of aluminum foil on that and then a towel on top of that. It rested in the dry cool for about an hour until my guests arrived. I cranked the grill to 600 (another great feature of this grill) and then seared it off over the direct heat until I got the color I wanted.

Sliced thin and served with horseradish, it was the best wild game I have ever cooked or eaten. The leftovers have been amazing too. I have had a couple "roast beef" sandwiches and today I made rueben quesadillas (shaved meat, horseradish sauce, shredded cheese, sauerkraut, onions and chopped pickles, cooked on a griddle) that were next level good.

Brine: quart of water, 1/4 salt, 1/4 sugar.

Prim Rib Rub: 2 parts course black pepper, 1 part onion powder, garlic powder, rosemary powder, thyme leaves, oregano, basil, 1/2 part cayenne

Steps:
  • Trim meat
  • Brine
  • Season
  • Smoke at 200 degrees until internal temp of 130-135
  • Rest for at least 30 minutes
  • While resting set grill to highest setting or heat a cast iron skillet up to smoking hot
  • Sear to desired level Elk 1.jpgElk 2.jpgElk 3.jpg
 
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Mine would have to be when I was much younger, my grandpa took me fishing on a channel of the Mississippi and we caught some catfish and found some morels. Back at their house, Grandma fried the catfish and morels and smothered it all in gravy.

I didn't cook any of it but I brought it home and cleaned it. Grandma's rule was if it was cleaned, she'd cook it.

Could just be the memory of it but it's the best wild meal I've ever had.
 
Mine would have to be when I was much younger, my grandpa took me fishing on a channel of the Mississippi and we caught some catfish and found some morels. Back at their house, Grandma fried the catfish and morels and smothered it all in gravy.

I didn't cook any of it but I brought it home and cleaned it. Grandma's rule was if it was cleaned, she'd cook it.

Could just be the memory of it but it's the best wild meal I've ever had.
Memories like that last a lifetime!
 
Rabbit! I would go hunting with my papaw and grandma when I was a young boy in the swamps around north MS and after the hunt my grandma would let me help her cook. We’d make cat head biscuits and fried rabbit smothered in gravy. Sometimes we’d even cook up some homemade deer sausage for extra meat. Fresh farm fried eggs from her chickens and fresh squeezed OJ! We ate it no matter what time of day it was. I don’t think I’ve had anything better!
 
This is a tough question to answer for me, so many dishes stand out. Grilled King mackerel, grilled turkey breast, every single backstrap ever - those are all great because of what they are. Hamburger steak, stroganoff, chili - those are all great because of technique and seasonings. Corned venison is hard to top as well.

If I choose based on what I've made that I was proudest of for the dish itself, smoking a whole deer ham is at the top. The meat was great and the bones made a perfect pot of beans.

The wild game meal that's the most special for the atmosphere was the turkey and sausage gumbo I made for the gender reveal of our son. Lots of family around and a great pot of gumbo made the night special (although everyone cared more about the cake).
 
I can't narrow it down. We eat wild game almost every meal except when we want poultry (not good bird hunting in these parts and the few we get are eaten quickly).
It seems that fried squirrel is a favorite mainly because it brings back memories when I was a kid and we would gather at grandma's in the fall and eat squirrel, mashed potatoes and gravy.
My wife loves simple grilled venison (mule deer, whitetail, antelope, or elk) steak, asparagus and salad.
20211022_211156.jpg
 
When I was 17 , we got iced in on a ranch and had limited food on hand , and after a cold morning hunt in 16* weather, this family friend handed me some shotgun shells and says “ go shoot some quail , I am starving and we need 6-8 “
well we put those quail in some chicken broth and a can of rotel pepper & tomato, simmering @ low , then dumped in a cup of rice
and had Mexico style quail and rice
yum Delicious when you ain’t had anything but smoked turkey

or iron skillet fried backstrap and milk gravy
 
No pics but;
1.Elk heart sliced thin, salt/peppered, light flour, flash fried in bacon grease right next to the tent day of the kill.
2.Twice tenderized elk round or tenderloin...chicken fried with cream pepper gravy
3.Beer battered and deep fried frog legs, dove, quail, flying rib eye
4.White/yellow mixed corn meal or Zatarain'd deep friend crappie or catfish

*2,3,4 tied

#1 is way out front
 
No pics but;
1.Elk heart sliced thin, salt/peppered, light flour, flash fried in bacon grease right next to the tent day of the kill.
2.Twice tenderized elk round or tenderloin...chicken fried with cream pepper gravy
3.Beer battered and deep fried frog legs, dove, quail, flying rib eye
4.White/yellow mixed corn meal or Zatarain'd deep friend crappie or catfish

*2,3,4 tied

#1 is way out front
I couldn't possibly agree more with this. I'd mix a mallard in there someplace and it'd be perfect.
 
No pics but;
1.Elk heart sliced thin, salt/peppered, light flour, flash fried in bacon grease right next to the tent day of the kill.
2.Twice tenderized elk round or tenderloin...chicken fried with cream pepper gravy
3.Beer battered and deep fried frog legs, dove, quail, flying rib eye
4.White/yellow mixed corn meal or Zatarain'd deep friend crappie or catfish

*2,3,4 tied

#1 is way out front
I would love to get some info on your frog leg recipe. I have 10lbs in the freezer that were gifted to me by a friend and am planning a big summer fry next to some crappie and catfish.
 
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