Every hunting family has that moment, sometime after the close of the season, when they peer into the freezer and see nothing but assorted pieces of game wrapped in neat little butcher packages. And every household comes to the moment when they’ve run out of creative uses for deer, bear, elk or pheasant. The kids want chicken nuggets and mom is dying for a pizza. Try a few of these creative game recipes to spice up the kitchen and help bring excitement back to the age old question: “What’s for dinner?”
Wild game and stew go hand in hand. This hearty, comfort food recipe is a hit on cold nights with some warm cornbread and honey butter!
Elk Stew
1 ½ lbs. ground elk meat*
2 yellow onions, diced
2 (10 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
1 ½ tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup brown sugar
*venison may be substituted for elk
1. Combine the elk meat and onion in a large pot or deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until the meat is browned.
2. Add the remainder of the ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and simmer the stew over low heat for a minimum of 1 hour.
When Saint Patty’s day rolls around, why not give replace corned beef with a slab of corned bear, moose, venison or caribou?
Corned Bear
3 tablespoons sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons pickling spices
½ cup canning salt
½ cup Quick Tender salt
2 quarts water
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot and heat until boiling. After reaching the boiling point, remove the pot from the heat and set it aside to cool completely.
2. Place a 3 pound bear, moose, venison or caribou roast into a zip top plastic bag. Pour the cooled liquid mixture into the bag with the roast, remove excess air from the bag and seal.
3. Place the bag into the refrigerator for 5-7 days, turning daily.
4. When you are ready to cook the roast, remove it from the bag and drain off any excess liquid. Cook the roast as you would a typical corned beef roast.
Add some fruit to the family’s diet for this game oriented take on pork chops with applesauce.
Venison Cutlets with Apples
1 slice of venison (approximately ½ inch thick)
4 apples
¼ cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup port wine
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
12 maraschino cherries
1. Core the apples, and cut them into ¼ inch thick slices. An apple/peeler/corer machine would be ideal for this.
2. In a bowl, sprinkle the apple slices with powdered sugar. Add the port wine, cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
3. Drain and reserve the wine from the apples. Sauté the drained apples and cherries in butter.
4. Cut the venison strip into smaller cutlet pieces and season with salt & pepper. Cook the cutlets for 3-4 minutes per side in a pan prepared with non-stick spray.
5. Remove the cutlets from the pan and melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the empty pan. Add the reserved wine and cook down the sauce over medium heat. Return the cutlets to the pan and cook for approximately 3 minutes, until the meat is heated through.
6. Serve the cutlets with the wine sauce and apple/cherry mixture.
