The Deerslayer's Wife

Save Those Wild Pork Shanks!

Posted on January 1, 2014 by thedeerslayerswife

Attention, all Pigslayers! Don’t throw away those wild pork shanks. I know, they don’t seem to have enough meat on them to count for much. But don’t be swayed. While on our Thanksgiving hunting trip, Deerslayer smoked our turkey and a whole pan of pork shanks that I’d saved from a previous hunt.They turned out beautifully. Smoky,delicious goodness! I packaged up the smoked shanks, about four per bag, and froze them. When I decided to cook up a big pot of beans, I threw two shanks into the works and simmered everything until the delicious, smoked meat fell from the bone. A masterpiece!

What excites me the most about this shanky revelation is that it provides an additional use for meat that has been, in the past, relegated to the trashcan. So cook good meat, ALL the meat and feed it to your family!

Packaging and Labeling Venison Meat

Posted on December 30, 2013 by thedeerslayerswife

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Well, we’ve made a dent in filling the freezer for the next year. We were almost down to just plain empty, except for the whitewing the Doveslayer (a.k.a. Deerslayer, depending on the time of year) brought home during the season in September. I actually enjoy getting to a point where we’ve eaten what’s there. Nothing is left to hide in the dark recesses of the freezer to morph into a bag of something unrecognizable which is ultimately thrown away.

While many hunters choose to take their animals to a professional meat processor, I’ve discovered, over the years, that home processing allows much more of the meat to be used in many ways I’d never thought possible. So many friends and hunting buddies are only interested in backstrap and tenderloins, not realizing that there is a muscle in the hind quarter that can be seared to perfection or thrown on the grill just like those other prized cuts. Additionally, another muscle found in a hind-quarter works beautifully for any fried or breaded steaks like Venison Marsala, Venison Parmesan, Pecan-Crusted Venison Steaks with Mustard Sauce, and of course, Chicken Fried Venison Steaks. Don’t forget the small football-shaped muscle that becomes a bacon-wrapped, garlic roast! Without the “cook-all-day” neck meat, shanks, and other scraps, there wouldn’t be meat for tamales, Guinness and venison stew, carne guisada, or venison barley soup.

Carefully vacuum-packaging and labeling your meat is probably the most important thing a conscientious hunter (or hunter’s helper) can do to ensure that no part of the harvested meat is wasted. Vacuum-packaging removes air that causes freezer burn.

There are many excellent vacuum-packaging systems. We own one of them. However, that said, over the past few years, we’ve chosen to use the Ziploc vacuum bags and the manually-operated vacuum pump, which comes apart so that all pieces can be sterilized.

smoked pork shank, rum cake, tamales, dance, christmas 091 — The manual pump vacuum rests on the circle which seals after all air has been removed.

The bags are available in gallon- and quart-size and are available at the grocer. I like the uniform sizes that fit easily into my freezer baskets (which I purchased to keep the meat organized).

At the end of a venison-processing day, I end up with the following labeled packages:

Backstrap (2 or more meal-sized packages)

Tenderloins (usually one package)

Hind quarter to sear

Meat to grind (one or two gallon-sized bags) This meat can also be used as cook-all-day venison and includes neck meat, shanks, meat from around the ribs, and scraps. We use at least sixty pounds of ground meat in a year. It is usually divided into three categories: venison, ½ venison- 1/2 pork, and plain pork for pan sausage

Cook-All-Day (see above)

Venison Roast

Football Roast

smoked pork shank, rum cake, tamales, dance, christmas 103 — Football roast, located on the hind quarter

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Football roast separated from hind quarter

muscle for steaks on the hind quarter

smoked pork shank, rum cake, tamales, dance, christmas 098 — muscle for steaks separated from hind quarter

Heart (Usually, this is eaten, sliced and fried, out at the hunting camp.)

The muscles of the hind quarter can be carefully separated by gently tearing the membrane with the fingers and following up with a sharp knife.

There is an artery that runs the length of the femur that can be seen at the ball joint.

Bucks will have a gland next to this artery, just above the knee, that will need to be removed so as not to affect the taste of the meat.

Careful planning, packaging, and creative cooking will allow anyone to fill their freezer(s) with fresh, lean, antibiotic-free and artificial hormone-free meat for themselves and their families.

Fabulous Rum Cake

Posted on December 24, 2013 by thedeerslayerswife

This recipe has become a family favorite. I first found it in a magazine ad for Bacardi rum. It became REALLY popular the year I ran out of regular rum and made it with 151 proof. The clan loved it. Recently, I’ve been using Appleton’s Reserve from Jamaica. The taste is so smooth and candy-like. It lends itself nicely to the recipe.

Ingredients

Cooking spray with flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 package yellow cake mix with pudding in the mix*
3 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/3 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup rum

Glaze

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum

Directions

Sprinkle nuts over bottom of greased 10 inch tube pan or 12 cup bundt pan.
Stir together cake mix, eggs, water, oil, and rum.
Pour batter over nuts.
Bake at 325 in oven for 1 hour.
Cool 10 minutes in pan.
Invert onto serving plate and prick top and sides.

Glaze

1. Melt butter in a saucepan

2. Stir in water and sugar.

3. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Remove from heat and add rum.

5. Brush glaze evenly over top and sides of cake. (It’s pretty tasty! You might want a sip or two!

6. Continue to spoon glaze over cake until all is absorbed.

Cake is even better the second day. Good luck keeping any that long!

*The original recipe lists the option of using yellow cake mix, a package of vanilla pudding mix, 4 eggs instead of 3, and 1/2 cup of oil instead of 1/3.

A Merry and Blessed Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2013 by thedeerslayerswife

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From the balmy environs of South Texas, even the jumping cactus heralds the joy of the season. Merry Christmas from the Deerslayer, the deerslayer’s wife, and the whole clan.

Ain’t It a Shame?

Posted on December 11, 2013 by thedeerslayerswife

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Deerslayer and I have been to two different hunting camps since the season began. I’m eager to fill the empty spaces in the freezers and Deerslayer is eager to hunt. Thanksgiving was spent at a hunting camp in South Texas and, previously, we headed up to our camp north of the Hill Country.

We’d like the junior deerslayers to have a chance at a trophy buck. That’s big in our family. “A” honor roll doesn’t solicit nearly the praise that a “first buck” does. Phone calls, cards, and e-mails of recognition and congratulations followed the big event. Since we eat everything that we harvest, I’m okay with it. We can get does later in the season. Up til now, however, the perfect trophy has eluded the hunters…

Which makes it all the more unfair when deer scamper freely around my mom’s yard, knowing full well that we can’t touch a hair on their amply antler-laden heads. They mock me as I practically have to push them out of the way to get to my car in the driveway. They dance and prance around the does with chocolates and flowers, reeking of Axe cologne. It’s infuriating!

My mom has deer adorning her yard the way other people have lawn gnomes and pink flamingos. For those of you who are new to the Sisterhood of Deerslayers’ Wives, it’s important to note that bucks during the rut are dangerous critters. They are very territorial and pretty much have just one thing on their minds. Steer clear! There have been occasions where “lawn deer” have become aggressive and attacked people. This almost always occurs during the rut (mating season).

Have I been tempted to bring a couple of Yeti coolers to Mom’s house? Leave a trail of corn into a U-Haul trailer or the garage? I have to admit that we’ve joked about it and, yes, I’ve fantasized a little bit. But I’ll have to be satisfied to snap photos, and admire the beauty and majesty of God’s creatures.

And head out to the hunting camp again!

Cornbread Dressing with Apricots and Pecans

Posted on December 3, 2013 by thedeerslayerswife

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It’s now the day after Thanksgiving and I’ve failed to post my recipe for cornbread dressing with apricots and pecans. You’ll have to trust me when I tell you that it was a success. At this point I need to decide whether to ditch a perfectly awesome post with a perfectly amazing recipe and some pretty decent photos or try to salvage it with the knowledge that Christmas is still coming up and the recipe might still be of use to my readers, friends, and family. I’ll go with the latter!

I have so many things to be thankful for. There will always be other people who have more THINGS than I do. But our branch of the Deerslayer clan has been abundantly blessed with the things that matter; health, values, faith, love, a strong work ethic. Our junior deerslayers are beyond compare; beautiful, brilliant, kind, respectful, strong in their faith, extremely talented. And my Deerslayer…ahhh, I couldn’t ask for better; gorgeous, thoughtful, patient, a wonderful father, and looks amazing in jeans!

We’re taking a leap this year. We’re giving thanks at the hunting camp. It will be just our immediate family, with all of our favorite dishes, sunrises, sunsets, campfires, and, of course, hunting. I’m preparing everything at our house and transporting it. The turkey, however, is brining at home and will be smoked out at the camp with the help of Patrons of the Pit. Deerslayer and I hated the idea of going to all the trouble of getting that smoke going without taking full advantage of it. Thus, we brought a few wild pork shanks and a couple of wild pork roasts we had in the freezer, which would be fabulous with that wonderful smoky flavor. The smoked shanks can’t be beat for seasoning a steaming pot of beans!

A favorite recipe that I prepare every year (for Christmas, too) has evolved over time to incorporate sage pork sausage, apricots, and, of course, pecans. I love the fact that it can be prepared a day or two in advance, refrigerated, and baked when ready.

For my family of four, I prepared a cornbread recipe and a pot of beans. We ate beans and half the cornbread, just cuz. I used the other half of the cornbread for the dressing. I cut it into cubes and left it out to dry slightly.

Cornbread Dressing with Apricots and Pecans

1/2 prepared recipe for cornbread

1 stick salted butter

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 lb. sage breakfast sausage

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

16 oz. chicken stock (1/2 box)

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Prepare a recipe for skillet cornbread. I always prepare a big pot of beans at the same time since my dressing recipe only requires half of the cornbread. Why waste half a fabulous hot cornbread? Beans are the only real option here!

2. After you’ve eaten your beans and cornbread, cut the remaining cornbread into cubes and allow to dry several hours or overnight.

3. Sauté chopped onion in a cast iron skillet with half a stick of butter and set aside.

4. Brown and crumble half a pound of sage breakfast sausage. Add onion to sausage.

5. In a bowl large enough to hold everything, gingerly toss the chopped dried apricots and pecans with cornbread, so as not to mush up the cornbread cubes.

6. Add onion and sausage mixture, salt and pepper to taste, and enough chicken stock to moisten (about 16 oz. depending on how moist you like your dressing.

7. Pour dressing into a buttered baking dish.

8. Melt remaining butter and drizzle over the top.

9. At this point, you can either cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or

10. Place in a preheated 350° oven and bake for 30 minutes or until top is browned and crispy. Feeds about 6 people

Rabbit Braised in White Wine and Sage

Posted on November 23, 2013 by thedeerslayerswife

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For the first time ever, I cooked (and ate) rabbit. I was very excited about it. Even though it was farm-raised and not wild rabbit it gave me a starting point. I’ve cooked venison, wild pork, elk, salmon, halibut, pheasant, white-wing dove, and rock dove. It was time to add rabbit to my repertoire. I’m looking forward to experimenting with recipes that incorporate the subtle flavor.

While, at this point, I still haven’t used wild rabbit, I’ll keep everyone updated once I have. I’d love to get my readers’ input and experience with rabbit, wild and farm-raised.

Rabbit Braised in White Wine with Sage

1 3-lb. rabbit, cut up

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Flour to dredge

2 tbsp. butter

1 red onion, chopped (It adds color to an otherwise monochrome dish)

Several leaves of fresh sage, some chopped and some left intact for

Enough cognac to de-glaze pan

1 cup dry white wine

Enough chicken stock to cover rabbit

2 tbsp. flour

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted

vail, rabbit, venison and barley soup, 9-13-13 005 — This was two farmed-raised rabbits. They fed 6-8 people. For some, rabbit just isn’t their “thang”.

Cut rabbit into about 4 or 5 pieces, two legs, two fore quarters, and ribs, depending on the size. Season liberally with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Dredge in flour.

vail, rabbit, venison and barley soup, 9-13-13 010 — Wine glass and flamboyant apron are NOT optional! It’s all part of the total package!

In a cast iron roasting pan, melt about 2 tbsp. of butter. Brown rabbit on all sides. Place on a separate plate.

Add onion to pan and sauté until translucent, scraping up yummy browned bits. Deglaze with a splash of cognac, continuing to scrape up bits.

Add wine and chopped sage. Return rabbit to the pan. Add enough stock to cover. Bring to a boil. Add olives. Reduce heat, cover. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours until meat is tender and sauce is thickened and reduced. Add sage leaves after plating. Serves 2-3.

A Great Read in the Hunting Blind

Posted on November 19, 2013 by thedeerslayerswife

3 Comments

Now, I love being the wife of a deerslayer. I love bragging about the accomplishments of the Deerslayer clan (my immediate members, in particular). So when I tell you that one of the deerslayer offspring is coming into her own as a fiction writer, take it to heart. No bias here! She’s really, really good.

Her genre is urban fantasy. If you dig vampires (with no sparkling or romance), the undead, and riveting mystery, check her out at: quiestinliteris.com or booksoflostknowledge.com Outstanding stuff, really!

What Doesn’t Kill Us Makes Us Stronger (or Surviving Bees)

Posted on November 10, 2013 by thedeerslayerswife

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What started out as an eagerly anticipated road trip to our hunting camp ended up as something that would’ve made even Alfred Hitchcock shudder. That’s the way things often roll for the Deerslayer clan. “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” “God never gives us more than we can handle”. Well, we must be pretty damned strong by this point ‘cuz we’re not dead yet. It’s the reason that Deerslayer always brings every tool he owns on any road trip, and several changes of clothes and a roll of toilet paper…. because you “just never know when you might need these things”. I no longer question his logic because God has determined that we can handle quite a bit.

I used to scoff. I would complain that we really needed to pack lighter for an overnight trip. Over the years, however, after several blowouts on the camper on a single trip, unfortunate spills, dangerous burritos, rolling a pick-up truck on black ice, and rattlesnakes, I learned to trust my Deerslayer’s judgement in the matter of packing for trips.

halloween, desk, bees 169 — The full extent of the bee situation wasn’t captured at the time. Abject fear prevented me from grabbing the camera at that moment! This is just a small remnant of what we encountered.

Even our “worst case scenario” packing strategy didn’t prepare us for what we encountered upon arrival to our hunting camp, after an eight-hour drive. We got to the camp about 10:00 at night. We opened the door of our camper, ready to make the bed and fall into it. The floor was covered with something, though, something that crunched when we stepped on it. Remember the part in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” where there was a sickening crunching sound as Indy and Short Round cautiously walked through the cave? It was like that…. Except it was BEES! About an inch deep and smelled like dead bees! I have to admit that, prior to this encounter, I’m pretty sure that I would not be able to tell you what dead bees smelled like. Sadly, I’ll never forget! I’m not sure what made me wade in with a broom into a situation that, at this point, hadn’t been assessed to any degree, and start sweeping frantically. It’s what I do. It’s not like I was able to put any kind of dent in the layer of death and stink. We were too tired to think about anything except sleep at that point but we DID realize that stepping on dead bees or live ones bare-footed would result in a sting. What we didn’t realize was that, as we waded through the dead bees, we were stirring up the thousands of live ones that were inside the wall of the bathroom. There was a buzzing that was faint at first, then grew increasingly louder By the time we had a firm grasp of the situation (that there were LIVE bees, and that it was a possibility that they could be Africanized) we were scrambling to get out. Our only saving grace, at this point, was that it was dark out and the temperature was lower than 40 degrees which slowed the bees down considerably.

halloween, desk, bees 165 — This is our romantic nest the next morning. We slept under a moon and stars that were so bright we almost couldn’t sleep and listened to coyotes and wild pigs at the pond.

A decision was made at this point to grab everything we had already brought in and hightail it out muy pronto. Deerslayer decided to grab our memory foam mattress which had stiffened with the cold and refused to budge. Once again, I questioned the logic. While I’m known for being laid back, cool under pressure, and flexible in all circumstances (NOT), Deerslayer was not able to detect that I was beginning to freak out about the bees, dead and alive, with my Epi-pen at the ready. After much work we got the mattress out without any swarming and threw it into the back of pickup. We drove about 100 yards away from the bee sanctuary, covered the mattress with sleeping bags, and attempted to sleep out-of-doors, in nature, as it were.

Now, I may be the wife of a deerslayer, one who cooks wild game with gusto, camps in a camper, and sips wine at the campfire. But this outing was the first of its kind for me. If I hadn’t been covered in bee residue (and afraid) it would’ve been very romantic. I have to admit that I passed up an opportunity. God never gives us more than we can handle!

As of this moment, we have not resolved the bee issue. I’ll keep you posted.

Good Friends, Sipping Wine, Cooking Rabbit, and Dancing in Red Pumps

Posted on October 15, 2013 by thedeerslayerswife

6 Comments

Recently, Deerslayer and I had an opportunity to get together with some of his high school buddies and their wives in Vail, Colorado. We try to do this every year and one of the buddies has a house in Vail which he generously offers. We always have such a great time. It’s wonderful and rare to know such genuinely good people. We are truly blessed. Deerslayer begins to unwind, let loose, and relax in a way that he rarely does in any other setting (except in a hunting blind or around a campfire). The beauty of Vail, the cool temps, great friends, and fabulous food always make for a perfect vacation.

Usually, my non-hunting/camping escapades don’t make the blog. All food-related, cooking activities DO make the cut, however. I find it rather telling that most of the pictures I took of the trip included food and/or food prep. Sure, there were a few pictures of the group, the mountains, and the crystal clear, bubbling creeks and streams. But for the largest part of the trip, we all hung out in the fabulous kitchen, sipping wine and preparing one delicious meal after another. What’s wrong with that, I’d like to know?!? With delectable dishes like seared scallops, freshly harvested porcini mushrooms, and white wine braised rabbit, (Recipe will be in upcoming post.) I was certainly in my element, happy as a clam and eager to share with my readers. Even though the rabbit wasn’t wild (It was ordered from California), I’d never prepared rabbit before and knew you guys would want to know how it turned out. I’m sure you can guess that I’ve been hounding Deerslayer to bring home some wabbit so I can try the recipe again.

Rabbit, braised in white wine sauce with olives

vail, rabbit, venison and barley soup, 9-13-13 068 — Seared, sweet scallops

I mentioned that the guys went out and brought back some amazing porcini mushrooms that were harvested from a nearby meadow. Some of these mushrooms were the size of a small plate! We grilled some and sautéed some.

vail, rabbit, venison and barley soup, 9-13-13 055 — There were also some amazing heirloom tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella!

vail, rabbit, venison and barley soup, 9-13-13 051 — Fabulous, hand-cut steaks

vail, rabbit, venison and barley soup, 9-13-13 061 — T-bones, rubbed with olive oil, herbs, fresh-cracked pepper, and kosher salt

vail, rabbit, venison and barley soup, 9-13-13 037 — The cast iron skillet caught the wonderful drippings.

There’s just something about being with friends, spending your days doing what you love (cooking), sipping wine, and sharing fabulous food that makes you realize that all is right with the world. Throw in some music and, well…… It’s good to know that friends are willing to accept the fact that a simple song like “She Cranks My Tractor” might be all it takes to make a person slip into a pair of red suede pumps and break into an interpretive dance!

Life is good. It needs to be noted that I often break into dance and song while cooking, sometimes in red pumps, sometimes barefooted, sometimes in boots of awesomeness. Once again, life is good, even better with friends who love you the way you are. Nuf said.