With Thanksgiving right around the corner, supermarket aisles are filled with traditional "Turkey Day" favorites. Cranberries, pumpkin pies, homemade noodles, mashed potatoes and gravy and of course, everyone's favorite fowl, the Thanksgiving turkey. But what if for a change, instead of making our way to the local supermarket, we decided to take a less traveled path.
How do you think your family would like it if say instead of the classic bird, your centerpiece this year was fried squirrel or a steaming pot of venison chili? What would the guest of honor think of Pheasant chow mein?
Cooking wild game is not as difficult as one may think, and can even bring about variety that one could never find elsewhere. According to Larry Wise, of Wise Taxidermy in Bainbridge, if you prepare just one turtle, you will find meat that tastes like a variety of foods.
"The neck tastes like shrimp, the front legs are just like lamb, the hind legs are beefy, and the best part is the loin, because you think you are eating a chicken," said Wise.
The trick , however, to cooking wild game is to cook it longer than other meats, usually about twice as long.
"If you take a rabbit that is raised in a cage, his muscles aren't as tough as if he ran around wild all his life. It's the same with deer," said Wise. "They are good eatin', but a little tougher. Wise and his twin brother, Jerry, know a thing or two about wild game, as the pair have been working as taxidermists for the past 35 years.
"If it has fur on it, I take care of that," said Larry. "Jerry deals with anything that lives in water."
If you really want to get adventurous this year, consider hunting down your feathered friend this year like Donna McMillion of New Richmond. McMillion, an avid hunter and part of the organization Women in the Outdoors in Clermont County, prefers eating pheasant that she shot and hunted with her Brittany Spaniel named Judge.
"A friend got me into bird hunting and I love it," said McMillion. Judge has helped McMillion acquire "a freezer full of pheasant." Once a year, through the Women in the Outdoors in Clermont County Group, McMillion plans a series of 14 classes from which area women pick four and get to spend some time outside.
"We do classes on archery, handguns, shotguns, clay shooting, fishing, 4-wheeling, dog training and mountain biking to name a few," said McMillion.
Having the ability to organize so many events for local women, one might think McMillion could cook one mean pheasant.
This year, as we all sit thankfully around our feast, hopefully everyone gets the chance to taste all the wonderful foods that remind us year after year just how lucky we are. And even if you don't want to give up the turkey and stuffing this year, remember this small bit of advice from grandmothers everywhere - it's always good to try new things.
Try these delicious recipes:
Fried Squirrel
medium to large squirrel
flour
garlic powder or cloves
Lawry seasoned salt
vegetable oil
2 cans Campbell cream of mushroom soup
water
To prepare:
cover skinned, quartered pieces of squirrel with flour, pepper, garlic powder and seasoned salt.
Place squirrel in a large cast iron skillet with one half inch vegetable oil, and fry until brown on both sides. Add 1/4 Cup hot water and simmer, covered, for four hours or until tender.
Add cream of mushroom soup and simmer an additional 30 minutes
Serve with Hungry Jack biscuits and coleslaw
Deer Chili
2 lbs. processed deer burger
1 large onion
1-2 package taco seasoning
1-2 cans kidney beans
1 can mushroom slices
16 oz. can V-8 vegetable juice
Combine deer burger and onions in a large pot, cook until browned. Add taco seasoning, V-8, kidney beans, and mushrooms. Cook all afternoon.
• Leftover Deer Chili must be refrigerated immediately after eating
Recipes submitted by Jerry Wise, Wise Taxidermy
Reader Comments
Posted: Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Article comment by:
Renae Smith
deer roast
put roast in slow cooker on high
cover with water add salt and pepper add a can of cream of mushroom soup. cook until meat is tender. approx. 5-6hr. This makes an awsome gravy. enjoy!
Posted: Thursday, November 23, 2006
Article comment by:
don g. schley
On the deer chili, which I do frequently, one can and should marinate in a light sauce of equal parts worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar, and about a TBSN of brown sugar. Garlic is as important as onion here, so several large cloves are helpful. Finally, to absorb any extra juices Massa meal sprinkled on and mixed in at the end is good. I usse the same ingredients for antelope chili.
Posted: Thursday, November 23, 2006
Article comment by:
don g. schley
On the deer chili, which I do frequently, one can and should marinate in a light sauce of equal parts worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar, and about a TBSN of brown sugar. Garlic is as important as onion here, so several large cloves are helpful. Finally, to absorb any extra juices Massa meal sprinkled on and mixed in at the end is good. I usse the same ingredients for antelope chili.
Posted: Thursday, November 23, 2006
Article comment by:
Fire-Starter James
Never had _fried_ squirrel, although I did cook one on a spit over a campfire once.
My mom used to pressure-cook 'em till the meat fell apart, and make 'em up with dumplings!
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