Hearts and tongues are some of the tastiest pieces of wild game that are typically left behind. During my last elk camp; six hunters harvested six bull elk and no one wanted the heart or tongues from their bulls. I happily scavenged each heart and tongue throughout the week. Each time I asked if I could have those pieces and was met with giggles or a “You really wanna eat that?!”. Since that time I have processed and enjoyed every single bite of the hearts and tongues from those bulls, one of my favorites being these Elk Heart and Tongue Empanadas. I shared some of my dished with the hunters from that camp and they were blown away. I have been told on more than one occasion “You won't be getting anymore hearts or tongues from me, these are too good not to take home”.
It's winter and you have a freezer filled with venison. You’ve grilled it, thrown it into your insta-pot, meatloafed it and bacon wrapped it just to name a few. How about we expand and challenge ourselves in the kitchen this year and soup it? Enter; Venison Ramen. Venison Ramen sounds more of a chore than it actually is. You already did the hard part by putting the venison in your freezer.
Straight from the Born Family Annual Minnesota Deer Camp, this Easy Peasy Deer Camp Chili is a fast, hearty recipe! But don't let the 'easy' fool you, this recipe has a surprise flavor from.... orange juice! If you need a meal that can be prepared in one pot, serves many, tastes great and can be made with ingredients found at pretty much any grocery store, no matter the location, this chili really does fit the bill. At the heart of this chili is ground venison, though pretty much any ground wild game meat would do. To add fat and flavor, we add a pound of ground chorizo.
Although the dish appears "fancy" by most modern American standards, it has long been considered a working-class meal as shanks were cheap and easy to obtain. Venison Osso Bucco is delicious and simple to make, if your hunt results in a harvest, make sure to save those shanks for this most excellent dish.
The national dish of Cuba meets wild game in this Pronghorn Ropa Vieja. The name means "old clothes" and is traditionally made with beef flank steak and shredded into long strands that resemble pieces of fabric. We chose to use two pronghorn football roasts, and works well on even the toughest cuts. This spicy comfort food gets better and better in the fridge and freezes well for easy weeknight meals!
