Cooking

Cougar, mountain lion, puma, catamount, painter — whatever you want to call it, if you get a text from a buddy who guides hunts for Felix concolor that reads, “Do you want a mtn lion backstrap?” you should answer affirmatively, and then beg for the hams, too.

If they hunted bears in China, this might be how they’d eat it…or at least, if bear was on the menu at Panda Express, this is how it would be served. Bear meat goes so well with sweet recipes, and this one works well to tenderize even the toughest cuts.

Who doesn’t enjoy corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day? Especially when it seems like winter is dragging. Making it with your game meat is another great way to share your hunting experiences.

If your kids are like my kids, then they love eating drumsticks from all the game birds I bring home. Well, this recipe is for drumsticks from big game animals.

This is a great dish for a cold Sunday in January. It’s rich and creamy with spices for the season. Prep it in the morning, pop in the oven and go to church or take the dog for a walk in the woods and it’ll be ready when you get home.

Once you enjoy breakfast with your own links and a delicious sandwich at work made with your own salami, you’ll be shopping for a grinder and looking for more meats to grind in no time.

If your season is going like mine, then you’re up to your elbows in meat processing. I was fortunate to kill a mule deer doe late in the archery season and I just killed my first elk, a cow, last week. In less than three weeks my freezer is overflowing.

This recipe is perfect for meat that is less tender or coarse. Velveting the meat with the marinade is the first step, and it’s one way restaurants make thin-sliced meat feel tender and smooth in your mouth.

When I take my grandkids hunting, I expect they’ll inherit from me a gun and a cast iron skillet. I’ll teach them to kill and cook all in the same trip.