Author: Steve Jones

Venison Pastrami (wet cured)

A bit more work than corned venison, but the result is simply spectacular in flavor and texture. Corned is no slouch, but side by side? I’m on “Team Pastrami”.

Pork Ribs

This recipe is started with the excellent “

Last Meal Ribs”
recipe from AmazingRibs.com (a great site). I’m putting it here as a starting place to experiment with changes.

Baby backs lie near the spine, and weigh roughly 1.75 lbs per rack. That is the base amount for this recipe.

Spareribs are “below” the baby backs, running all the way down the chest. They may weigh around 4 lbs.

St. Louis Cut Ribs are spareribs with the tips removed so they form a nice rectangular rack. Some call them “center cut ribs”. They are the meatiest and most flavorful ribs. They probably average around 2.5 lbs per rack.

Baby Backs are a bit leaner, smaller, and cook faster. If you get spare ribs you can always cut them into St. Louis style yourself and use the trimmed-off parts as secondary “scooby snack” ribs.

Whichever rib type, adjust the recipe to reflect the actual weight you are preparing.

Serving size? Depends on your audience and what else you’re serving. A minimum of 2 ribs per person if they’re an appetizer. For an entree, maybe 1.5 lbs per adult. But if they are as good as they should be, some folks (like, uh, me) will eat a whole rack given the chance.

Venison Summer Sausage

I’ve been tweaking this recipe for years, and finally have it where I want it. More than one person has told me it’s the best they’ve ever had. One of the breakthroughs was learning about Encapsulated Citric Acid (ECA), which brings a satisfying “tang” to Read More …

Venison Lasagna

Lasagna takes some work – but 2 is not much more hassle than 1. It freezes very well, so I always double up.

Venison Spaghetti Sauce

This is an Italian meat sauce suitable for spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli, whatever. It uses an “Equalizer” technique I stumbled upon by accident.

Wild Turkey Schnitzel

Nearly any boneless meat can be made “Schnitzel” style.  We use wild turkey breast as an example here, but many other meats work fine.   It’s just a generic term meaning a boneless cut of meat (normally without much connective tissue) pounded to make thin and Read More …

Venison Chili

The secret to good chili is the right mix of chiles! (who knew?)

Corned Venison

Corned venison is as simple as it is delicious. We’ve all met people who claim not to like venison. I’ve never seen anyone fail to light up with their first bite of corned venison. Many cuts work well, but a boneless roast from the hindquarter Read More …

Venison Breakfast Sausage

Add 1 tsp per ¼ lb of ground meat, and —poof— instant fresh breakfast sausage! Make up a batch of this spice mix ahead of time to use as needed.

Venison Jerky

There are as many jerky recipes as there are people making jerky. This basic recipe is great “as is” but also a fine platform for tinkering.

Dove Kabobs

Meat and veggies on a stick over a grill. What’s not to love? Boneless dove breasts are delicious and the perfect size. But this recipe includes a game changing trick (see what I did there?) that works with any kabob-based culinary adventure.

Venison Parmesan

This is a standard recipe meant for chicken breast or veal, both naturally quite tender. Venison or any tough cut should be tenderized first unless you have an exceptionally tender cut.

Venison Country Style, with Gravy

This is a great way to show off tougher venison steaks, like rounds. Even a tough old buck that chews like a superball will be fork tender and delicious. It also works for steaks with lots of connective tissue, like sirloin or shoulder. It’s serious Read More …

Wild Mushroom Soup

Venison stock is the perfect base for this simple but fantastic traditional recipe.

Braised Wild Turkey

This coaxes even a tough old gobbler into something tender, moist and flavorful. This works best with legs and thighs, but also very well with breast.

Venison Sausage with Wine

This elegant sausage highlights and complements the flavor of venison with juniper berries, rosemary, wine and brandy. Many venison sausage recipes almost seem to apologize for the venison — either masking it with heavy spices or shoehorning it into recipes designed around other meats.

Basic Brown Stock

This is a basic recipe for brown stock, using bones and meat from just about any seafood, game, poultry or livestock. Click here for a detailed treatise on stock.

Poultry Brine

Brining improves flavor, reduces toughness, and adds moisture. Most meats benefit – but lean, tough meats (like game) benefit most of all.For wild birds brining opens up vast cooking options that otherwise may produce dry, tough meat.