Wild Fish and Game Podcast

Turkey season has come upon us! Not many things rival the sound of calling and hearing those big old toms gobble back at you. We had the pleasure this season of hunting not far from the coast of Morrow Bay in California and bagging a few gobblers to bring home to the family.  This recipe is a play on a good old chicken piccata recipe that’s super quick, easy, and doesn’t disappoint. If you’ve never had piccata, you’re in for a treat because when you pour the sauce over the top, everyone will think you’re a five-star chef.  I spiced this one up with some jalapeños and wild turkey bourbon, but feel free to use any chili pepper or bourbon; you can also omit the peppers and just use white wine if you’d like to go the classic route. Any way you slice it, you’re bound to love this dish. Read the written version of this recipe as prepared by Ara Zada Rate this Podcast  Listen to our other podcasts here Buy our Small Batch Wild Food Spice Blends  About Wild Turkeys: By the 1930’s, market hunting and habitat loss had reduced the turkey population in North America to somewhere around 30,000 birds; a pitifully small number compared to their original pre-European settlement population which is estimated to be around 10 million. Although overhunting had a part to play in this - there was no management in those days - another factor played a huge role as well - habitat loss.  At the time, farmers were clearing huge swathes of land for agriculture, cutting down trees and burning brush. This pushed turkeys into smaller and small regions and allowed hunters to reduce their population even more rapidly. At least half of the states that called the wild turkey home had lost it altogether.  There were a few attempts to stop the decline around this time though, mostly led by eastern sporting clubs. Pressure from these clubs spurred the Virginia and Pennsylvania game commissions to attempt a breeding program where they raised wild turkey chicks on farms and then released them into the wild.  Though close to 300,000 birds were released in this manner, the survival rate was so low that the program was deemed a failure. The reason behind this was the fact that young turkeys learn how to survive in the wilderness - finding food, safe roosts, and avoiding predators - from their mothers.  Without that knowledge being passed on from mother to chick, the farm-raised turkeys fell prey to coyotes, raccoons, bobcats, snakes, owls, and other large birds of prey.  Other concerned groups and far-seeing individuals, including Theodore Roosevelt, were also setting aside habitat for animal species, including wild turkey.  Along with reemerging habitat, a new re-introduction method created by Herman Holbrook skyrocketed successful reintroduction. It involved using a net cannon to capture live turkeys in the wild and re-introduce them into their old habitats, or new ones on abandoned land.  This method of reintroduction was extremely successful and many states used it to re-establish wild turkeys into their former range.  In 1973, the non-profit National Wild Turkey Federation was started and it quickly began coordinating reintroduction efforts with states and other conservation groups. They also helped to create and conserve beneficial wild turkey habitat, which further fuelled successful wild turkey populations.  About Adam Berkelmans: Adam Berkelmans, also known as The Intrepid Eater, is a passionate ambassador for real food and a proponent of nose-to-tail eating. He spends his time between Ottawa and a cozy lake house north of Kingston, Ontario. When not cooking, he can be found hunting, fishing, foraging, gardening, reading, traveling, and discovering new ways to find and eat food. Follow Adam on Instagram Visit the Intrepid Eater website  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Justin and Adam discuss two cuts of meat: the tri-tip and the eye of round. They provide information on the location and characteristics of each cut, as well as their culinary history. The tri-tip is a flavorful cut located in the bottom sirloin area, while the eye of round is a lean muscle found in the round group. They share cooking tips and recipe ideas for both cuts, including grilling, searing, and marinating. Overall, these cuts offer versatility and delicious flavor for various dishes. - Leave a Review of the Podcast - Buy our Wild Fish and Game Spices Takeaways: The tri-tip is a flavorful cut located in the bottom sirloin area, while the eye of round is a lean muscle found in the round group. Both cuts offer versatility and can be cooked through grilling, searing, or marinating. The tri-tip is commonly used in Santa Maria-style barbecue, while the eye of round is great for dishes like pho or stir-fries. When cooking these cuts, it's important to keep them at medium-rare or medium to prevent them from drying out. Both cuts can be sliced thinly for sandwiches, tacos, or stir-fries, or cooked whole and sliced for a delicious meal. Recipes: Grilled Venison Tri-Tip Elk Tri-Tip with Chimichurri Grilled Bison Tri-Tip, Santa Maria Style Venison Cube Steak Sandwiches with Poblano-Lime Chimichurri Gochujang Venison Steak and Broccoli Venison Bulgogi Kimbap Rolls Antelope Steak Fingers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John McAdams shares his adventure of taking his seven-year-old son on a backcountry mule deer hunt in New Mexico. They face challenges with cattle grazing on the hunting grounds and changing weather conditions. The cold weather and misting rain make it difficult to spot deer, leading to a change in plans. They encounter elk and other hunters along the way. Finally, they spot a deer and successfully stalk and shoot it. They butcher the deer and carry it out, creating a lasting memory of their hunting adventure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin and Adam chat again about butchering and cooking by specific cuts. In this episode, they dive deep into the Top Round and Bottom of Big Game Animals, touching base on techniques, nuances, and recipes for these two delicious cuts. They also explore the uses of these cuts, such as cube steak, pot roast, stir-frying, and steak. They share preferences for whole cuts over grinding and offer recipes like elk steak gochujang noodles, hot Italian venison sandwich, bourbon venison jerky, wild pig cured ham, barbecue smoked venison and bison gyudon. - Leave a Review of the Podcast - Buy our Wild Fish and Game Spices Takeaways: The bottom round is commonly used for cube steak and pot roast. The top round is versatile and can be used for stir-frying, curing, and making steaks. Experiment with different cuts and cooking techniques to find your preferred method. Try recipes like elk steak gochujang noodles, hot Italian venison sandwich, bourbon venison jerky, best wild pig cured ham, barbecue smoked venison and bison gyudon. Recipes: Elk Steak Gochujang Noodles  Hot Italian Venison Sandwich  Bourbon Venison Jerky  Best Cured Wild Pig Ham  BBQ Smoked Venison  Venison Pastrami Bison Gyudon  Dashi Stock Recipe Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and upcoming episodes 05:44 Discussion about upcoming activities 09:05 Introduction to the top round 12:27 Different methods of removing the top round 27:45 Introduction to the bottom round 29:39 Methods of removing the bottom round 30:40 Culinary history and cooking methods for the bottom round 31:51 Bottom Round 32:21 Uses of Bottom Round 33:14 Top Round 34:31 Cooking Techniques for Top Round 35:25 Grinding and Other Uses 37:07 Preference for Whole Cuts 38:13 Recipes: Elk Steak Gochujang Noodles 40:25 Recipes: Hot Italian Venison Sandwich 43:32 Recipes: Bourbon Venison Jerky 45:12 Recipes: Best Wild Pig Cured Ham 51:13 Recipes: Barbecue Smoked Venison 57:08 Recipes: Bison Gyudon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Justin and Adam talk with Will Robinson, the Distiller at Tamworth Distilling and Mercantile. They discuss using wild fish and game ingredients in spirits such as Eau De Musc Castoreum Whiskey, Crab Trapper Whiskey, Deerslayer Venison Whiskey, and Saison de Frai Apple Brandy VSOP. Justin does a live tasting on the air as Will talks about each spirit in detail.  - Leave a Review of the Podcast - Buy our Small Batch Wild Fish and Game Seasonings - Join our Field to Fork Wild Pig Camp Guest:  Will Robinson is the Distiller at Tamworth Distilling and Mercantile in Tamworth, NH, where he focuses on product development and the production of gins, cordials, flavored spirits, and more. He is a founding member of the band Moonshine Still, with whom he played over 1500 shows and recorded four albums; he is a jack of all trades and has worked awesome jobs such as an antique dealer, pawn broker, canoe instructor, winery owner and distiller, student and stay at home Dad. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his children, sailing, cooking, paddling, producing music, and attempting to pursue a more sustainable lifestyle. Check out The Tamworth Distilling IG page Visit the Tamworth Distilling website to learn more or order Takeaways: Eau du musc includes an old-world flavoring technique that uses the oil extract from the castor gland of the North American beaver Crab Trapper is made with a bourbon base steeped in a mixture of crab, corn, and spices Deer Slayer is a venison-flavored whiskey with cranberries, porcini mushrooms, juniper berries, and green peppercorns Saison de Frai is a brandy infused with smoked trout The Deerslayer and Saison du Frai spirits have unique flavors that evoke memories and create new experiences. Will Robinson emphasizes the importance of creating connections and memories through spirits. Conscious consumption and trying new flavors can lead to pleasant surprises Show Notes: Introduction and Background From Music to Distilling Working with Wild Ingredients Using Wild Ingredients in Spirits The Use of Castoreum Tasting the Wild Spirits Tasting the Ode to Musk Impressions of the Ode to Musk Introduction to Vacuum Distillation Distilling Delicate Flavors The Success of the Crab Trapper Creating a Market for Invasive Species The East Coast American Seafood Spice Blend The Process of Creating the Crab Trapper Educating About Global Warming and Invasive Species Supporting Sustainable Seafood and Invasive Species The Deer Slayer: Fermented Meat Whiskey The Art of Smoking and Barbecuing The Process of Creating the Deer Slayer Introduction and Tasting Notes Discussion about Potential Snack Stick Product Exploring the Flavor of the Saison de Frai Creating a Snack Stick Experience Wrap-up and Audience Questions Introduction to the Saison de Frai Exploring the Aromas and Flavors of the Saison de Frai Sourcing Ingredients and Creating New Experiences Creating Memories and Connections through Spirits Other Spirits to Explore Foraging Pine Cones Fermenting Pine Cones Flavor of Pine Cone Syrup Sugar Plum Fairy Absinthe Upcoming Flavors and Spirits Siege of Wolves Rum Where to Order and Connect Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I started planning for this recipe, I decided that I wanted to try and use a part of the deer that I hadn’t used before. This year we sent my husband’s buck to the butcher, and we were given back these lovely cuts of neck meat. I knew I wanted to use them at some point for a stew or pot roast, and this venison neck goulash recipe was the perfect time to try it.  The neck is full of connective tissue and muscles, and when it’s braised gently, it melts into this wonderful tender bite. I hope you love it. -Natalie Auer Read the written version of this recipe as prepared by Natalie Auer Leave a Review of the Podcast  Listen to our other podcasts here Buy our Small Batch Wild Food Spice Blends  About Goulash The world of goulash is actually quite interesting. Different versions abound, and a goulash in the United States has almost no resemblance to a goulash from Hungary or the rest of Europe. How did this happen? Why is this dish so ubiquitous across so much of the world? It all started on the Alföld, or the Great Hungarian Plains, a flat, steppe-like territory occupying over 54% of Hungary in the 800s. This region was also populated by cowherds known as gulyas (“gu-yaj”). In the evening they would set up a metal cauldron over the fire and cook a simple and filling stew which usually consisted of dried bacon, wild onions, a rustic grain like millet, wild caraway, salt and lots of pepper.  The dish became more and more popular and was eventually named after the herdsmen who had introduced it - gulyas. Anglicized, that’s goulash! Hot paprika eventually replaced pepper as the main spice in the dish and spread to neighbouring countries. The mid-1800s and early 1900s also saw an influx of Hungarian immigrants to Canada and the United States. Like all immigrants, they brought with them recipes from home which they attempted to recreate using whatever local ingredients were available. By 1914 the Woman’s Educational Club Cookbook had come out including two recipes for goulash, one American goulash, and the other simply goulash. In only a few years, gulyas had already split into two distinct dishes, one American, and one European. This cookbook’s version of American goulash called for cubed round steak stewed with tomatoes, tabasco sauce, paprika, and onion juice. Newspapers continued to come out with American Goulash recipes, and in the next decade, an all-American dish of ground beef, tomatoes, macaroni, and paprika emerged. About Adam Berkelmans: Adam Berkelmans, also known as The Intrepid Eater, is a passionate ambassador for real food and a proponent of nose-to-tail eating. He spends his time between Hull, Quebec and a cozy lake house north of Kingston, Ontario. When not cooking, he can be found hunting, fishing, foraging, gardening, reading, traveling, and discovering new ways to find and eat food. Follow Adam on Instagram Visit the Intrepid Eater website  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin and Adam chat with all the attendees of our Snow Goose Culinary Camp. They discuss the hunting, the butcher, the cooking, and the eating throughout the whole weekend. They each share their own personal experiences of why they attended camp and what the outcome was.   - Leave a Review of the Podcast - Buy our Small Batch Wild Fish and Game Seasonings - Sign up for Snow Goose Camp in 2025 Show Notes: A similar model to our Pig Camp Food and conservation-focused Snow Geese are smaller than Canada Goose Thin skin, no plucking Eating Geese the whole time Shooting, Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Geese Skeet Shooting Day 1 Hunting Snacks in the Blind Extended Tubes Huge amounts of birds Italian Style Chicago Sandwich Snow Goose is Edible!!! Butchering Class Hank Shaw’s Book - Duck, Duck, Goose Cooking Class: Swedish Meatballs Wine Pairing Warm Cocktail  Frost on Decoys Good Bird Dinner Day 1.5 Goose Burgers  Hor d'oeuvres Harvesting Nature Waterfowl Blend Dinner Day 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin and Adam chat again about butchering and cooking by specific cuts. In this episode, they dive deep into the Skirt Steak and Flank Steak of Big Game Animals, touching base on techniques, nuances, and recipes for these two delicious cuts.  - Leave a Review of the Podcast - Buy our Small Batch Wild Fish and Game Seasonings Recipes: Smoky SW Venison Flank Steak with Wild Game BBQ Sauce Chinese Venison and Snowpea Stir Fry Antelope Bulgogi Seared Venison Tacos Soon Dubu Jiggae (Venison and Kimchi Stew) Mexican Carne Asada Tacos Arrachera Tacos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Justin and Adam Steele dispel the myths of soaking wild game in ice water, a common practice among hunters across North America. They discuss the proper methods for cold storage, cold shortening, bacteria in water, bone sour, and so much more! Leave a Review of the Podcast Buy our Small Batch Wild Fish and Game Seasonings Join our Field to Fork Wild Pig Camp Show Notes: Coolers are really good these days Side-by-side comparison Rumors of meat soaking Cold shortening  Brining vs. soaking in water What do you do with the white part of the meat after soaking? No good steaks without trimming Bacteria in the water Safe temperatures for meat storage Bone sour Working with wet meat vs dry meat Alternatives to soaking in water Hanging outside Ice barrier method Milk jug method Homemade walk-in cooler Dry ager Renting space in meat lockers when traveling Wet aging Time for dry aging Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finding ways to sneak wild game into game day dishes can be challenging. On game day, most people want glutinous, fatty, cheesy dishes that they don’t eat during the week.  Wild game doesn’t tend to work well in those types of preparations, but here I’ve created the best of both worlds – a venison queso that is cheesy, creamy, silky, flavorful, and uses wild game! A good queso is hard to achieve using “healthy” ingredients. Anyone who knows good queso will tell you that. But, hey, everything in moderation, right? I’ll tell you now though, you won’t be able to stop eating this stuff. This queso will be plenty flavorful as well; if not, then it needs salt, not more taco seasoning.  Add salt until it’s as flavorful as you want it. I’m generally closer to 1.5 to 2 tbsp salt when I make this dish. Pre-cubing your Velveeta cheese will help it melt in faster. When it cools, it’s not a rock-solid hunk of cheese and when you reheat it, it heats up just fine too. No fat separation, no cheese solidifying, just pure, glutinous, cheesy goodness here. Step up your game-day appetizer dish with this venison queso! Read the written version of this recipe as prepared by Gunnar Emberg Leave a Review of the Podcast  Listen to our other podcasts here Buy our Small Batch Wild Food Spice Blends  About Super Bowl Snacks Did you know that Super Bowl Sunday is considered the second biggest food holiday in the USA after Thanksgiving?  That’s huge, and it means that, just like Thanksgiving, certain foods have become forever tied to the event. These foods, and the ingredients to make them, get bought up in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, giving us lots of fun stats released by grocery chains.  It is estimated that Americans spend approximately 14.8 BILLION dollars on Super Bowl parties each year, most of that being spent on food and beer.  Dips, meatballs, nachos, chicken wings, pizza, and guacamole are some America’s favorite Super Bowl snacks. Learn more about how they became Super Bowl favorites! About Adam Berkelmans: Adam Berkelmans, also known as The Intrepid Eater, is a passionate ambassador for real food and a proponent of nose-to-tail eating. He spends his time between Hull, Quebec and a cozy lake house north of Kingston, Ontario. When not cooking, he can be found hunting, fishing, foraging, gardening, reading, traveling, and discovering new ways to find and eat food. Follow Adam on Instagram Visit the Intrepid Eater website  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin and Adam chat with South Carolina-based Wild Game Chef Larry White. They discuss aging venison in beeswax, smoked goose Japanese pancakes, duck prosciutto, their favorite wild game meats, elevating your cooking techniques, and so much more! - Leave a Review of the Podcast - Buy our Small Batch Wild Fish and Game Seasonings - Join our Field to Fork Wild Pig Camp Guest:  Larry White is a hunter, avid outdoorsman, writer, and former restaurant owner/chef whose life revolves around food and being in wild places. He grew up in the foothills of North Carolina, spending my childhood hunting, fishing, and walking the woods as much as possible. He started his professional cooking career in the US Coast Guard as a Culinary Specialist before returning to college and obtaining a bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts. After that, he went on to work in fine dining establishments in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2017, he started his website, The Wild Game Gourmet, and has a strong social media following where he shares delicious wild food recipes as reels.  Check out Larry’s IG: @larry_white Show Notes: Top 3 wild game meats 2 months aged beeswax venison loin Duck fat and Yorkshire puddings Smoked whitetail shoulder holiday hams  Venison neck taquitos with coconut white miso sauce Smoked goose leg ham okonomiyaki - Japanese pancake Cubano cordon blue is amazing.  Myth busting: Don’t move your steak in the pan for a sear.  Lobster and Proscuitto stuffed Venison Torching duck prosciutto Wild Boar cooked in okra leaves Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gyros are one of my favorite summer meals. They’re perfect for both lunch and dinner and take less than an hour to make. I use heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, and butter lettuce from my local farmer’s market. These veggies taste AMAZING in the summer months, especially if they’re locally grown. Pickled onions and spicy peppers are great additions to your gyro, depending on your spice preference. Other sauces that would be fantastic are baba ghanoush or hot sauce! No matter what your toppings are,  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Read the written version of this recipe as prepared by Rikki Folger Rate this Podcast  Listen to our other podcasts here Buy our Small Batch Wild Food Spice Blends  About Gyros Gyros, also pronounced gy-ro, are a Greek specialty consisting of seasoned ground meat pressed into a loaf and skewered, then cooked on a vertical spit. Meat is then shaved off and stuffed into pita, along with tomato, onion, french fries, and tzatziki. In Greece, it’s usually made with pork, and sometimes chicken,  though the dish has spread around the world and can often be found made with lamb and beef.  Gyros has many close cousins, such as Middle Eastern shawarma, Mexican al pastor, Canadian donair, German doner (DUnar), and Turkish döner (do-naj).  They all actually stem from the Turkish doner, which consists of marinated meat, stacked in layers onto a large skewer, and then cooked on a vertical spit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin and Adam chat again about butchering and cooking by specific cuts. In this episode, they dive deep into the Ribs and Brisket of Big Game Animals, touching base on techniques, nuances, and recipes for these two delicious cuts.  - Leave a Review of the Podcast - Buy our Small Batch Wild Fish and Game Seasonings - Join our Snow Goose Camp - Feb 2024 Recipes: Savory Venison BBQ Ribs - Brandon Dale Italian Venison Ribs - Hank Shaw BONE IN BBQ WILD GAME RIBS - Steve Rinella - MeatEater Venison Brisket Bacon - Alan Bergo Forager Chef TEXAS-STYLE VENISON BELLY ROULADEN - Jesse Griffiths - Meateater Show Notes: Snow Goose Camp - Feb 2024 Ribs Physical description of the cut Intercostal muscle 13 ribs vs 15 ribs per side Batoning technique Baby Back Ribs - Top Spare Ribs - Bottom Rib Tips Culinary History How to cook Fat on Ribs Lard vs. Tallow Age will affect cooking times Brisket Fatty on domestic beef. Lean on Game Front - Point Flat - Rib Flap, Belly portion atop the ribs Loads of connective tissue The word comes from Old Norse for cartilage Culinary History How to cook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hoppin’ John is an amazing Southern American dish with an interesting history. I was raised believing eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day was the only way to solidify a year’s good luck.  As a kid, I could not end the day without at least a spoonful of black-eyed peas. My family is still very superstitious about this tradition, but no matter, I now enjoy black-eyed peas more than just the yearly spoonfuls.   Historically, Hoppin’ John is a culmination of the many worlds that contributed to giving the “Old South” its culinary identity. Born in the rice-rich lands of the Carolinas, this dish incorporates rice, cowpeas, black-eyed peas, or other beans and is flavored with bacon or ham.  My preparation of Hoppin’ John follows the traditional preparation as much as I could, except for the addition of the Harvesting Nature Water Fowl Blend.  The resulting meal was remarkably balanced and wholesome. I was very happy to share it with my family, who gave the meal two thumbs up as they solidified their good luck for the next year. There is nothing like cooking magical food that also pleases the diners. Good Luck and Enjoy! Read the written version of this recipe as prepared by Justin Townsend Leave a Review of the Podcast About Hoppin’ John Hoppin’ John seems to have originated in the Lowcountry regions of South Carolina’s coastline, where the Gullah peoples began the tradition.  They likely used Carolina Gold rice and either Geechee red peas or Sea Island red peas to make the dish. Interest in some of these ingredients lately has been resurgent, with several people working hard to save them from extinction. I’ve had the chance to try them, and they are worth seeking out.  The inspiration for the dish probably came from similar African dishes like the Senegalese thiebou niebe or other similar pea and rice dishes in west Africa. Africans arriving on American soil would have used what was available to them to make dishes as they would have at home.  The earliest mention of Hoppin’ John in literature comes from the book Recollections of a Southern Matron, published in 1838. The dish was likely eaten well before that, making this a VERY old food! Although it has been forgotten exactly how the name for the dish came to be, some historians posit that the name came from a bastardization of the Creole-french word for black-eyed peas - pois pigeon - which means pigeon peas.  About Adam Berkelmans: Adam Berkelmans, also known as The Intrepid Eater, is a passionate ambassador for real food and a proponent of nose-to-tail eating. He spends his time between Hull, Quebec, and a cozy lake house north of Kingston, Ontario. When not cooking, he can be found hunting, fishing, foraging, gardening, reading, traveling, and discovering new ways to find and eat food. Follow Adam on Instagram Visit the Intrepid Eater website  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin and Adam chat again about butchering and cooking by specific cuts. In this episode, they dive deep into the Tenderloins and Loins, touching base on techniques, nuances, and recipes for these two delicious cuts.  - Leave a Review of the Podcast - Buy our Small Batch Wild Fish and Game Seasonings - Join our Field to Fork Wild Pig Camp Recipes: Miso Milk Braised Wild Pork Tenderloin Mule Deer Carpaccio  Smothered Black Bear Chops  Coyote Steak Bites  Shaved Venison Bagels with Horseradish Cream Cheese Root Beer Glazed Wild Pork Loins with Cheese Grits and Sauteed Asparagus Show Notes: Oklahoma Waterfowl Hunting Culinary Camp Big Game Blend Restock Kids Book: Wild Game A to Z Tender Loin Physical description of the cut Psoas (soes) major muscle Tenderest cut on most animals The butt, the center, the tail Where located How to remove Culinary History How to cook Loin Backstrap and Loin Called Longissimus Sirloin, Porterhouse, NY Strip One whole chunk Cut into steaks Removing Silver Skin on one side Save Silverskin for Stock Steaks vs Chops Cleaver Method The ways meat was historically dispersed. Meat and poverty What not to do with cuts Mild flavor - go simpler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Camping food is one of my favorites. I love a poorly roasted hot dog from a stick over the fire. Usually, the middle is not even warm and the ends are black.  Served over a cold bun and dressed in lukewarm Hormel chili with a little shredded cheddar cheese on top, maybe a few slivers of onion, and dinner is served.  I’m really not mocking it and am serious when I say I love that meal; however, I have also come to appreciate that camping food is also a great opportunity for switching things up a bit and trying out some new recipes. A little creative planning and some ingredient preparation can lead to some phenomenal camp meals. Some of the best fish dinners I have experienced were just foil-wrapped catch-of-the-day trout but paired with the simple addition of fresh rosemary or tarragon. The same goes for this pineapple and bear camp burger which is also very easy to make while camping. The sauce can be prepared at home, so there is no need to take mayonnaise, vinegar, and chipotle peppers on the camping trip. The patties could also be mixed, formed, and packed grill-ready in Ziploc bags and the pineapple comes conveniently canned.  The rest of the ingredients are easy to pack and quickly cook over the grill. A little imagination and preparation groundwork at home allows for a gourmet, restaurant-quality burger under the stars. Enjoy! Read the written version of this recipe as prepared by Lindsey Bartosh Rate this Podcast  Listen to our other podcasts here Buy our Small Batch Wild Food Spice Blends  About Pineapples Pineapples have played a surprising role in history as not only a food, but as a symbol. After hearing this podcast, you may start to notice pineapple symbolism in weird and curious places.  Let’s get into it.  To start off, let’s discuss what a pineapple actually is… I mean, we all know what one looks like, but where and how do they grow? Pineapples are in the bromeliad family and grow as a perennial small shrub with tough agave-like leaves, growing about 4 feet tall. Individual scarlet flowers, about 200 on an average plant, form small fruits, which fuse together to form a multiple fruit. That’s right, every pineapple you see is a collection of 200 individual fruits! Other examples of multiple fruits are figs, breadfruit, and mulberries. Though the main fruit is grown on a short, thick stem, suckers may grow, causing fruit to grow off the sides of the plant.  The wild pineapple originated not in Hawaii, but in Southern Brazil, near the current border with Paraguay. There, the Tupi peoples enjoyed the fruit, calling it nanas, or ‘excellent fruit’. The Tupi also used the pineapple to ferment a type of wine, create medicines, and even craft poison arrows.  Tupi and Carib peoples traded and raided, eventually spreading the fruit to the Amazon delta, up through Central America and into the Caribbean.   When our favourite guy, Christopher Colombus landed on current-day Guadeloupe in 1493 on his second voyage, he encountered pineapples growing and being eaten by the inhabitants of the island. He took some pineapples with him across the ocean after enslaving and brutalizing the natives there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin, Kory, and Ben discuss their favorite wild game recipes to put together the ultimate wild fish and game Thanksgiving meal. They dive deep into appetizers, main courses, turkey dishes, sides, wild desserts, and so much more! This episode originally aired in 2020.  - Leave a Review of the Podcast - Buy our Small Batch Wild Fish and Game Seasonings - Join our Field to Fork Wild Pig Camp Appetizers: Cold Smoked Venison Tartare Chipotle Squirrel BBQ Dip Venison Heart Crostini Fish Chowder with Rosemary Cornbread Muffins  Main Course: Wild Turkey Deep fried Hank Shaw’s Smoked turkey breast recipe  Spatchcock Turkey  Wild Game Holiday Ham vs Cured Smoked Ham Roasted Quail with Sage and Squash Cornbread Dressing Homemade Fish Sticks with Tasty Mashed Potatoes Don’t forget the veggies! Dessert: Bear Fat Chocolate Croissants Prickly Pear Cheesecake Ice Cream Beaver Fat Biscuits Smoked Pumpkin Pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream Blueberry bread pudding  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin and Casey tell the tales of their 2023 elk season. They discuss hunting in Colorado, drawing tags, the mobility needed in the West, tools for a successful hunt, hunting in South Dakota, two trips to Montana to hunt, and so much more! We also previewed this podcast live on social media which was confusing and fun at the same time.  - Leave a Review of the Podcast - Buy our Small Batch Wild Fish and Game Seasonings - Join our Field to Fork Wild Pig Camp Show Notes: Wild Pig Camp in December Waterfowl Camp in January Early Season Elk Hunting Colorado Cow Archery Tag A tags and B tags An opportunistic hunt Colorado 3rd Rifle elk Hunting a new zone The mobility of a modern western hunting Hunting and exploring Pressure Altitude Travel and base camps Be willing to move Montana visit number one Elk are where they are They may not return to the same spot Success one year doesn’t mean they will be there again Time is never on your side South Dakota elk draw Once in a lifetime Patience How long do you wait after a shot?  Return to Montana The last day Using public land Success Butchering Dry aging Sausage making Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who doesn’t love a stir fry? Quick, easy, healthy, and tasty, it’s the perfect weeknight meal.  Hunters in particular should be taking advantage of stir-frying. The lean and flavourful meat of wild game goes perfectly in a well-made stir fry and you can make the thin strips of meat necessary for stir fry out of your trim pile! This venison stir fry is the perfect weeknight meal. Quick, easy, healthy, and most importantly, delicious! It’s also infinitely changeable. I made mine with white-tail hindquarter (when butchering I like to square off my steaks and roasts and slice the trimmings thin for stir fry), but you could just as easily use thinly sliced wild pork, duck or goose breast, pheasant, grouse breast, or the loin, flank, shoulder, or round from any ungulate. Pretty versatile! But that’s not all; you can also change up the vegetables to any light and crisp veggies like peppers, sugar snap peas, zucchini, spinach, kale, tender beans, asparagus, or celery. Tougher vegetables like broccoli or carrots work too, but you may have to blanch them first. The sauce is also riffable. You can add any flavours you like to the sauce, like chilies or hot sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, etc. You could also just use a store-bought sauce like stir-fry sauce, teriyaki, sweet and sour, etc. to make things even easier. Read the written version of this recipe as prepared by Adam Berkelmans (The Intrepid Eater) Rate this Podcast  Listen to our other podcasts here Buy our Small Batch Wild Food Spice Blends  About Stir Frying Proper stir-frying, especially wok stir-frying, is generally misunderstood by Westerners. In China, however, as well as the Chinese diaspora, it is nothing short of an art.  Stir fries here often consist of a ton of meat, random veggies, and a bunch of store-bought sauce, all added to the wok or skillet at once to basically braise down into a soggy mess. Tasty? Yes, actually, it’s not that bad. But compared to a proper stir fry? Not even close!  There are a few easy tips to make your stir fries better though, even if you don’t reach the heights of a wok master, so let’s get into them and see if we can elevate your weeknight stir fry into something just as good as takeout.  Marinate or velvet your meat.  You’ll probably want to get your rice or noodles going now too.  Prepare your mise en place: aromatics ready, meat ready, all veggies cut, sauce ready, garnishes ready to go.  Get your wok ripping hot.  Add the oil and swirl it around the wok.  Add the aromatics to flavour the oil. Remove if need be.  Add the meat and give it a good sear on both sides. Remove if need be.  Add the hearty veggies, then the tender vegetables, then the ultra-tender vegetables, tossing them around constantly. Add the meat and aromatics back in if you removed them.  Stir the sauce to reincorporate the cornstarch.  Add the sauce around the edge of the wok.  Reduce heat and toss everything together. Let the sauce thicken.  Add garnishes and take off of the heat.  Serve immediately.  And that my friends is a stir fry.  About Adam Berkelmans: Adam Berkelmans, also known as The Intrepid Eater, is a passionate ambassador for real food and a proponent of nose-to-tail eating. He spends his time between Ottawa and a cozy lake house north of Kingston, Ontario. When not cooking, he can be found hunting, fishing, foraging, gardening, reading, traveling, and discovering new ways to find and eat food. Follow Adam on Instagram Visit the Intrepid Eater website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wanted to get into waterfowl hunting or grow your existing waterfowl hunting skills? Well, we have the perfect hunting skills camp for you! We are partnering with G&H Decoys to host our first-ever Oklahoma Waterfowl Camp this coming January! It doesn’t matter if you have hunted for years or are just picking up a shotgun, we have a spot for you to join us at our hunting skills camp, this winter in Eastern Oklahoma.  Sign up now: https://harvestingnature.com/product/oklahoma-duck-hunting-camp-2/ “Although not the first state to jump into mind when thinking of waterfowl, Oklahoma has been blessed with many diverse opportunities for waterfowlers. Located at the southern portion of the Central Flyway, Oklahoma is part of the wintering range for many species of ducks and geese. This provides sportsmen an opportunity to pursue their feathered quarry from November through January.” At this camp, we will hone your skills with a shotgun on the skeet range, scout for good habitat, teach you to call ducks, set up decoys, clean ducks, butcher waterfowl, package the meat, and cook tasty meals with waterfowl all in one extended weekend. All hunting will be DIY with our crew hunting alongside you, but not guiding you.  We will use the G&H Decoy HQ as our base camp for all classes, meals, meetings, hunting planning, and campfires. Lodging will be at a nearby hotel, just minutes away from base camp. Our highly skilled, professional chefs, Adam Berkelmans and Justin Townsend, will prepare meals each day. The G&H crew will spend time ensuring you are comfortable shooting on the range in order to prepare you for the transition to the waterside where you will have the opportunity to hunt a variety of migratory waterfowl. Daytime classes will include topics such as Waterfowl Hunting 101, Intro to Duck Calling, Butchering Waterfowl, Hunting with Dogs, E-scouting and Scouting Public Land Waterfowl Classes, Advanced Cooking Techniques, and so much more! Each day you will have the opportunity to scout multiple hunting spots and to go on four total DIY, unguided, duck hunts with both the G&H and Harvesting Nature crews. They will hunt right alongside you as you both try and bring home some game.  After the hunt, our expert butcher, Adam Berkelmans, will walk you through the steps on how to break down the ducks and process the meat for storage in the freezer and for later eating. Everyone will get the opportunity to work with birds even if you do not harvest any in the field.  Each night, after the hunts, our chefs will bring you into the kitchen. There they will provide hands-on instruction on how to prepare different cuts from the waterfowl you harvested. You will be taught kitchen skills to take back home and showcase for your friends and family.  At the end of the camp, you will walk away with the skills to hunt, shoot, process, store, and cook your waterfowl. These skills easily translate over into any other game birds you would decide to hunt in the future. Sign up now: https://harvestingnature.com/product/oklahoma-duck-hunting-camp-2/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices