I met a new friend recently who had moved to back
North Dakota from California.
When the afternoon discussion turned to the many options
for restaurants now available in North Dakota that weren’t here when he left
for the military, we both recalled fond memories of growing up in rural North
Dakota and eating more grouse, duck, partridge and venison meals than fast
food.
I’ve dined on an array of wild game preparations, from
delicacies like lemon-pepper broiled walleye, to more obscure offerings such as
sandhill crane stir-fry, and the tradition of fried deer heart, liver and
onions. There’s something to be said for the personal satisfaction of hunting for
birds or big game and preparing your own meal.
It sort of fits along the same line as today’s popularity
of farmers markets and locally grown products.
Similar to dining out, we each have our own
preferences when it comes to wild game cuisine. A few pointers to help:
First off, you can’t make a fillet mignon out of
ground chuck. If you don’t take care of the meat in the field, no amount of
seasoning or any style of preparation will overcome the damage done. Take care
of your game from the field to the fork.
Properly cleaning the meat, cooling it down quickly,
keeping it cool and processing it efficiently are important. Along with that,
proper packaging and storage will ensure the meat stays fresh longer.
Arm-chair deer processors will fry pounds of back
straps as they work their way through carcasses. When the work is done, the end
result is an array of products, from breakfast sausage, deer roasts and burger,
to venison brats, summer sausage and stew meat.
Odds are, if you enjoy traditional food such as
stir-fry, you’ll be able to modify the recipe to include the bounties of
nature. Some will work with the flavor and the texture of the meat to enhance
it. Others may prefer to mix in different rubs, spices or sauces. It’s up to
the individual.
One final note. In addition to the limited dining-out
choices in LaMoure, North Dakota 30 years ago, we also didn’t have access to
information that today’s modern technology provides. I’d venture to guess that
for every cut of meat or species of fish or game, somebody has tried a unique
way to prepare or cook it, and they probably have a recipe or even an
instruction video online somewhere if you want to look for new ideas.
However, similar to other internet cautions, you may
want to stop and think before you decide giving pickled partridge a try. Yes it
exists, and no I haven’t tried it … yet.
The bottom line is that all of us who hunt and fish
can look back on days afield or on the water when we had memorable times with
no game or fish in the bag on the way home. It’s those types of days that help
us appreciate all the more the successes that lead to fine dining courtesy of
our great outdoors.
