Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
You’ve probably heard people raving about morel mushrooms and how they are such-and-such price per pound and they’re so amazing…well, those people are right. It turns out that they are delicious, and I don’t even like cooked mushrooms. My wife is more excited when I come home from bear hunting with morels than when I come home with a bear. Cook up those morels with some bear backstrap, and you’ve got a pairing made in heaven.
Available on GunsAmerica Now
Table of contents
Finding Morels
I’ve found morels each year since I started hunting big game. I’m no expert on identifying morels, so do some studying before eating fungi you find in the woods. I like this book, All That the Rain Promises and More for identifying edible mushrooms.
I always find morels during the Spring bear hunt in Idaho. They’ll pop up at different times depending on snow, elevation, and temperature. I often find them where the snow has been gone for a week or so and near fallen Douglas fir logs. They aren’t normally in sunny meadows, but usually in spots with partial sun or shade.
What Do Morel Mushrooms Look Like?
The key to finding them is the same as finding mule deer bucks in sagebrush, rabbits in the undergrowth, and elk bedded in the pines. You need to pay attention to shapes. They catch my eye because they are breaking up the normal shapes on the forest floor like a deer or rabbit ear breaking up the sage.
Look for the crinkly brain-like structure with deep cells in the pointed hoods. The hoods are often tan to black on top with pale stems. I find that they are tan when fresher. My daughter says they look purple.
Also, I never only find one morel. When you spot one, hit the deck and you’ll probably see more nearby. Sometimes, you’ll find a bump in the old leaves and needles on the floor and there’s a morel coming up under there. I usually find a handful without too much effort.
The biggest thing that sets them apart from other “false morels” is that they are hollow inside without gills or any structure. Other similar-looking mushrooms will have gills or other things when you slice them open. Morels are totally hollow.
Cooking Morel Mushrooms
I don’t love cooked mushrooms. I’ll eat them, but I often find them slimy. They’re ok in a pasta sauce. Somehow I love cooked morels (don’t eat them raw, you’ll feel sick). And I’ve seen all kinds of crazy recipes with breading and deep frying and French sauces. But you don’t need anything more than butter to cook morels into a delicious dish. I’ll show you how I drizzle morel mushrooms over bear backstraps. Morels make you look like a great cook.
To prepare the morels, wash them gently in cool water. Just try to get the bits of dirt and twig off them. Some folks like to use a soft paintbrush to wipe them off.
What You Need
- Morel mushrooms, diced – sizes vary greatly, but 3 or 4 of any size is enough for two people to eat with steak
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 clove shallot (optional)
- Your favorite game steak cooked perfectly
What You Do With the Mushrooms
Start by cooking your meat. While cooking, dice the mushrooms and shallot if you have it. Then, while your meat is resting, you can saute the morels in the same pan.
Melt the butter over medium heat and add the morels and shallots. The butter and morels will make a delicious-smelling sauce, but wait until the butter turns clear and it will be ready to eat.
I needed to ensure my bear backstrap was thoroughly cooked, so I browned it in a pan on the stove, then finished it in the oven at 250°F until the meat thermometer read 160°F.
READ MORE: Simple Gourmet: Deer Sausage Scotch Eggs
Slice your meat and spoon the morels and butter over the meat. Serve hot.
*** Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! All Local Sales are FREE! ***