By Jonah Curtis
This is a woodchuck, bean, carrot, and onion soup that I put together with some simple fall ingredients. I like using our garden to fill in the soup with the critter that is always trying to steal them; it feels very balanced. Hunting and homesteading go hand in hand, and result in a warm and delicious soup!
Ingredients:
- 1 adult woodchuck
- 4 cups sliced carrots
- 2 cups dried beans
- 2 red onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 quart venison stock
- 1 quart water
- 12oz (+) beer (any kind)
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Celery salt
- Pepper
- Sage
- Chupacabra rub
Directions:
Start by soaking beans so they have soaked for 6-8 hours by the time you are ready to add to soup.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Quarter the woodchuck, making sure to remove all scent glands and much of the fat. Place them in an appropriate sized glass baking dish with 6 oz beer and drink the rest.
Add the apple cider vinegar.
Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until fork tender. Check a couple of times to make sure there is still liquid in the pan. Add water if not.
When finished, pull out the woodchuck and let it cool enough to handle. Debone it and cut it into soup sized chunks and set aside.
Chop the onions and mince the garlic and put them in your crockpot or soup pot. Add the chopped carrots.
Add the quart of venison stock and the 6oz of beer and drink the rest of the beer. Add the water.
For seasonings, I use Chupacabra rub, pepper, and small amounts of celery salt and and sage. I start pretty light and then add to taste to keep from over seasoning.
Run it in a crockpot on low or a stock pot on the stove on low heat. After a couple hours of cooking, once the flavors have had a time to hug, add the beans. Let it go for another hour or so and it is ready to serve.
Chef's Note: Homemade bread or rolls are perfect on the side. Enjoy!