Wild Vittles: Wild Game Cooking For Everyone

Have you every considered using cast iron pans, but thought that keeping them seasoned and clean was too hard? In this episode, I share my perspectives on utilillzing cast iron cookware and how easy it really is.

Today I'm cooking whitetail shanks by braising them in a chili sauce that I made from dried chili. I'm utilizing a chili sauce recipe from Arnie Tex and I would highly recommend you check out the link below to see how he makes it! This is a simple prep as you just make the sauce, place the shanks and sauce in a dutch oven at 325 degrees for 4 to 5 hours. Once complete, you can shred the meat and utilize it for tacos, quesadillas, nachos or any application where you would use shredded meat. Link to Arnie Tex Chili Sauce https://youtu.be/ocUVI4VjSeQ?si=VhGnoOs303ajSU_m

On day 2 of the Total Archery Challenge, I sat down with Joel Smith and Judson Brown to talk a little be about TAC and a whole lot about wild game cooking and what we think about it. There's some good tips and lots of entertainment in this episode, so I hope you will enjoy it.

Quesadillas are a family favorite and are very versatile. In this episode we will cook up some whitetail quesadillas with a simple mixture of onions, peppers and cheese on toasted flour tortillas with a "CRUNCH" to let you know they are ready. It's also a great way to utilize leftovers when you have steak or roast available!

I had the good fortune to be able to have Kriss Abigail on the podcast to talk about her journey to becoming a professional wild game butcher and how she then uses that knowledge to teach others through her work with other conservation organizations and clinics she holds (such as Hunters of Color, the Texas Wildlife Association and the New School of Traditional Cookery). In this episode we discuss her perspectives on how to choose a professional butcher, what tools you will need if you want to begin to do your own butchering and some good pointers on meat preservation with a wrap up on her own initial hunting experiences. It's a great conversation and I hope you will enjoy it. You can find Kriss on Instagram at @Kriss_Abigail She also has her own website at https://meetyourmeat.net

This recipe comes to us from Cowboy Kent Rollins and is intended for ground beef, but I've modified it slightly and use ground elk (and have also used ground whitetail) with no fat included. I highly recommend trying out this very straightforward recipe for a new dish to utilize your ground meat. Give it a try and you will be coming back for seconds for sure! Below you will find a link to the Kent Rollins recipe that I have utilized as the basis for this dish. Ken Rollins Cowboy Goulash Recipe Link: https://kentrollins.com/beef-goulash/

In this episode I cook a whitetail eye of round in a stir-fry using sugar snap peas, matchstick carrots, bell peppers and mushrooms along with a homemade stir-fry sauce (see below). The recipe is essential one third meat to two thirds vegetables and you can use any combination of veggies you want. I highly recommend trying this for a quick, delicious and healthy meal. Recipe for the stir fry sauce: 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce 1/4 Cup Water TBS Brown Sugar Tsp Corn Starch

Spring to me is White Bass Fishing and Turkey hunting! In this episode I'll walk you through the process of frying up a mess of white bass that I caught just the day before. This is a quick and simple approach that is sure to please.

This week I found roasted hatch chiles in a jar and a cold front blew into town, so I decided to cook up Elk Green Chile Stew! I'd never tried this recipe before and was blown away with the spicy robust flavor. It is a hit that I will be coming back to again and again. I based my stew on Hank Shaw's Green Chile Stew and his exact recipe can be found below. I deviated a bit by adding sweet corn and chopped fresh tomatoes. I also added the potatoes earlier in the cook then he recommended and didn't add any additional water. All and all, it was fantastic and I hope you will try it soon. Hank Shaw Green Chile Stew Recipe: https://honest-food.net/green-chile-stew-recipe/

I sat down with Jeff Benda who is a professional Wild Game Chef with over 20 years of experience, to discuss how he got started, what he has learned and what advice he has for all of us as we strive to improve our skills as wild game cooks. I highly recommend you check out his website ( https://wildgameandfish.com ) and view his library of wild game recipes. If you are interested, he also has a weekly newsletter where he shares recipes as well! In this episode we talk about wild game processing, waterfowl (including docs and geese), fishing, pronghorn antelope, deer and elk and loads of other interesting topics! Jef Benda's Website: https://wildgameandfish.com

Fajitas are a simple and quick meal that you can customize to fit the tastes of you and your family. It's also the basis or filler for quesadillas and/or burritos. This is an example of one approach that I think you will really enjoy. Ingredients: Directions: Grill the steaks to rare

On this episode I'll be cooking one of my favorite winter dishes, Cajun Piquant! It utilizes diced venison roast and is similar to a gumbo. Give this one a try and I gaurentee it will become a favorite! Link to Hank Shaw's Cajun Piquante Recipe: https://honest-food.net/venison-sauce-piquante-recipe/

Osso Buco is an Italian dish that traditionally utilized veal shanks that are cross cut to short sections 3 or 4 inches tall. Today, I will talk you through this dish using Whitetail Shanks. This sounds and looks like a very fancy recipe, but it's actually pretty simple. The hardest part, in my opinion, is just cutting the shanks through the bone to reveal the marrow. This is where the name Osso Buco actually comes from as it means "hole in the middle". I'm utilizing Hank Shaw's recipe that can be found in the link below. Hank Shaw Recipe Link: https://honest-food.net/osso-buco-recipe/

I sat down with Joel Smith, Judson Brown and James Jubran to talk about their experiences as outdoorsmen and wild game cooks. It was a great discussion with lots of cooking tips and plenty of laughs!

I decided to experiment and modify the traditional Texan casserole, King Ranch Casserole, that usually features chicken by tweaking it to include ground elk, chipotles in adobo, cream of jalapeño soup and a few other new ingredients. I was really pleased with the outcome and I hope you will be also. If you want to see this being made, take a look at my YouTube channel (Wild Vittles Podcast). Link to YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@WildVittlesPodcast King Ranch Casserole (Venison) Ingredients 1 onion (chopped) 2 jalapeño (chopped and seeds/pith removed) 1 or 2 Red Bell Peppers (chopped) 2 lbs ground venison 2 garlic cloves 1.5 TBS Chili powder 1 TBS Cumin 1 Tsp Salt 1/2 Tsp Pepper 1 can cream of jalapeño soup 1 can of cream of mushroom soup 1 kitchen spoon full of chopped chipotles in adobo A dozen (or more) tostada shells 3 cups of shredded cheese Instructions

I sat down with Andrew Lukosevic of the EndurHunt Podcast to talk about his own journey to wild game cooking as a new hunter. Andrew is a self taught adult onset hunter who has found success and now shares those lessons in his own podcast. We discuss how he approaches wild game cooking, his ventures into jerky and sausage and his own tips and tricks. It's a great conversation and he shares some key lessons learned and his approach to utilizing his wild game. Connect with Andrew: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/endurhunt/ Podcast: https://linktr.ee/endurhunt YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@endurhunt7680 Connect with Wild Vittles Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wild_vittles_podcast/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WildVittlesPodcast

In this episode we are making a one skillet meal that has a tamale flavor without all the work. We will take 2 pounds of ground Elk (substitute any ground venison or beef) along with some fantastic seasonings topped with a masa dough to complete the tamale theme. This recipe is adapted from Cowboy Kent Rollings and his recipe can be found here at this link ( https://kentrollins.com/cast-iron-tamale-pie/ ). Instructions: INSTRUCTIONS

Chili is a foundational dish that every hunter should have in their toolkit. This is well balanced chili recipe that can be modified to deliver more or less heat. You can use any wild game burger in this dish. I regularly use whitetail deer or elk ground meat with no fat added. Below is the ingredient list: 2 lbs meat of choice 1 Chopped onions Red & green peppers chopped Pinto beans 1 can 2 tbs Brown sugar 2 tbs Cocoa 2 tbs Red pepper flakes Diced Chipotle in adobo sauce (1 or 2 spoonfuls depending upon heat desired) Chili powder 3 tbs Cumin powder 2 tsp Smoked paprika Garlic 4 cloves Salt 3 tsp Pepper 1 tsp Tomato sauce 2 small cans Can of diced tomatoes

I sat down with Cary Beason, the host of The Salty Yak Outdoor Podcast, to talk about what the Wild Vittles Podcast is, how I got into wild game cooking and a few other rabbit trails along the way. If you haven't listened to the Salty Yak Podcast before, do yourself a favor and give it a listen. It is informative and entertaining and covers the spectrum of saltwater kayak fishing to archery hunting in the West.

Have you heard of cooking with a sous vide? It is a tremendous tool for controlling the exact temperature of your cooking and it can make you a real hero in the kitchen when it comes to a perfectly done deer steak. If you have considered using a sous vide and want to learn more, this is the episode for you.