Recipes
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Birdheart Gravy and Biscuits
I think this is the perfect recipe for the final morning of any hunting trip. Take all the bird hearts collected over the trip and make a hearty breakfast (punny). I probably should have made my own biscuits from scratch. But, I’d probably use the cheat biscuits in camp so why not stay true to…
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Hot Drunk Dates and Broken Hearts
Decided to take a lot of my favorite things from the camp pantry and do a quick, simple recipe in classic country song style. Here’s to eating beak to feet. Game birds hearts should never go to waste. Great, lean protein for camp appetizers.
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Firecracker Pheasant Fritters
We’re always looking for new ways to revive birds from the back corners of the freezer, especially ones that have been a bit roughed-up getting there. Fritters sounded like a great remedy for the nasty weather swirling outside. When I was growing up my mom made my sisters and I each prepare one dinner a…
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Grilled White-tailed Ptarmigan Beurre Blanc
One of the side benefits of seemingly endless hours of asphalt we trade to get to wild places is the opportunity to plot preparation for anything we’re fortunate enough to add to the cooler. Since it’s the early season and the garden is not yet frozen, green tomatoes seemed like a great compliment for game…
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Tough Old Rooster Cakes
How do you know when you’ve harvested a three-year-old rooster? When you have to chew it until the next season to swallow it. Tough old birds are challenging and fun to chase. But part of that challenge is making them fit for the table. On principle, most hunters will choke down just about anything they shoot —…
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Garlicky Phez Mac ‘n Cheese
Maybe you didn’t have the best luck last weekend and birds were tough to come by. Don’t throw that one pheasant you harvested in the freezer. Let’s add some pasta and cheese and turn it into a hearty meal for your crew, right now. Great way to stretch one bird into a a meal for…
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Smoked Pheasant Salad Sliders
I’ve been experimenting with smoking birds to find the best ways to keep the meat from drying out. Wild birds just don’t have the fat content of domesticated fowl which poses unique challenges when putting them over smoke for hours. I have yet to find the best method – basting, brining, adding a fat component…
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Summer: Time for Planning, Peaches and Peños
Summer is where the bulk of planning and preparation for the big adventures of fall start to take shape. In the Midwest that means the peaches are sweet and ripe, peppers are popping and though the walleye have receded to the depths, we’re still able to occasionally invite one to dinner. The plans for camping…
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Ultimate Game Bird Poppers
Poppers seem to top the culinary charts for many hunters. Most recipes combine pepper, cheese and game wrapped in a strip of bacon. Though I am a fan of bacon, I always end up thinking the end result is Bacon Poppers because it upstages the other ingredients then disintegrates into a pork lava mess on…
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Granny Smith Phez Hand Pies
I don’t believe I’ve ever met a pie I didn’t like. For those unfamiliar with travel hunting, hunters have to consume birds that we shoot at a pace that equals harvest. Most states the possession limit is twice the daily bag limit. Say the daily bag is three pheasant and we are lucky to shoot…
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Linguine and Pheasant Sauce
I tend to just make up recipes, don’t measure out ingredients and promptly forget not long after eating exactly how something came together. So before I forget, here’s a quick and easy pheasant pasta that we cooked up on a whim. Total prep time was around 30 minutes. Ingredients: 4 pheasant breasts (or combination breasts…
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Chukar Chasing Energy Bars
This season I will be joining Ultimate Upland’s crew in Idaho for some backcountry upland hunting. As I prepare for the trip I can’t help but think about provisions for this physically challenging hunt. Days spent climbing up the mountains chasing after chukar can leave you calorie deficit pretty quick. So to combat that I…
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Super Bowl of Pheasant Chili
When you serve some rooster chili everyone is a guaranteed winner. Great way to enjoy a game on a cold day.
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Bang Bang Pheasant
Went out to eat a few weeks ago and ended up sharing a Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer. Jotted a quick note in my phone that this would be a great adaptation for game birds – and honestly, the name is just too fitting. I already knew the basics of Bang Bang sauce, but decided to kick…
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Two-Track Tacos
Came up with this recipe in Colorado early in the season and it quickly become a staple both in camp and at home. Originally we used Columbian Sharp-tailed and still believe that Sharps are the best version. But in a pinch this recipe works well with venison, beef or pork. The first time I made…
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Lake Erie Lobster Tail
In between training dogs, gardening and the typical activities of the 0ff-season we’ve managed to get out and do little bit of fishing. It’s a great way to help pass the time and bring some fresh seafood to the table. Though Walleye are the primary target species for table fare on the lake, it’s fairly…
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Sharptail Stir Fry
Simple preparation, short list of ingredients, really lets the bird shine. Prairie grouse and a hot wok are hard to beat.
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Grilled Pheasant + Mojo Sauce
This spatchcocked, grilled pheasant is probably one of the more satisfying meals I have made with wild game to date. The crispy skin is full of flavor from a homemade dry rub, the meat is tender and juicy, and the citrus-garlic Mojo sauce is so delicious. Cuban Mojo Sauce This Mojo sauce has it all:…
