Proper Care from Field to Table Ensures Delicious Wild Game

By DAVID RAINER, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

One of the aspects of hunting that intrigues people who have little or no experience in the field is the ability to harvest their own organic protein, especially white-tailed deer.

One of Justin Grider’s passions is to educate on how to take wild game from field to table and prepare a variety of dishes from elegant to simple that will encourage more people to participate in the dining experience and in hunting. Grider, the R3 Coordinator with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, said one of his goals is to demonstrate that when game meat is properly prepared it is both delicious and nutritious.

When he encounters people who say they don’t care for wild game, he knows that something went wrong somewhere between the field and the kitchen.

“When they tell me they tried it and didn’t like it, it hurts my feelings,” Grider said. “I usually attribute that to one of two things. One, whoever harvested that deer didn’t field dress it in a timely manner and didn’t take care of it like they should have before it made it to the table. Two, they probably overcooked the meal.

“I take it on myself to change their perspective by sharing venison that I have prepared from the time we harvested it to the time it makes it to the table so they can see what it actually tastes like.”

Grider makes the comparison to the meat industry to provide the public with beef, pork and poultry to prepare a variety of delicious meals. The meat industry ensures customers are getting quality products by controlling the process from start to finish.

“They are meaningful about what they do when they harvest an animal and what they do immediately afterwards,” he said. “You can take the same approach with venison or wild turkey or wild pigs, any kind of wild game; you can have the very same effect in that you can have a really tasty product at the end of that process.”

Obviously, care for the wild game starts as soon as the animal is recovered. The best case scenario is the animal expired within seconds of the shot.

“When I harvest the deer, I get the guts out without delay,” Grider said. “I then cool down the internal cavity. If it’s warm outside, I’ll get a bag of ice and place it in the cavity. If it’s cold enough outside, I’ll open that chest cavity to make sure it’s getting some air flow so that it immediately starts to cool down. That prevents the spread of bacteria, which is important from the food safety perspective but also has a big impact on the final product as far as taste is concerned. When I’m hunting, I always have a sharp knife so I can field dress the deer as soon as possible.

“I make sure the cavity is clean without any dirt or leaves. When you clean the deer, make sure you don’t puncture the intestines and get that on the meat. I’m also really careful when I take the hide off about not getting any hair on the meat.”

Grider doesn’t have a walk-in cooler to be able to hang a whole deer for aging. He quarters the deer and places it in large ice chests.

“I place the meat in the coolers so that it doesn’t get wet,” he said. “I use metal trays to keep the venison above the ice, and I keep the drain open to let the water drain as the ice melts.”

Grider is a proponent of aging deer for a considerable length of time to allow the tissue to break down and tenderize.

“I usually keep it in the cooler for seven to 10 days,” he said. “In the cattle industry, they will let a side of beef hang for three weeks or more. When I’m aging the venison, it could be in the 50s or higher in Alabama, so I’ll have to add ice to the cooler every day or every other day.”

After the deer quarters are aged, Grider starts to process the meat into backstraps, tenderloins, roasts and ground venison. When he gets ready to put the meat in the freezer, he makes sure the meat is packaged correctly to prevent freezer burn.

“We use a lot of ground venison for a lot of different applications,” he said. “It’s a very versatile product. If there’s no trauma to the shoulder, I will keep them whole because I find it cumbersome to cut the shoulders up to grind them. I got a really good recipe from a friend to prepare the shoulders.” 

That shoulder recipe came from Swanny Evans of Pheasants Forever. He takes the shoulder, salts it and puts it in the refrigerator overnight. Use the barbecue rub of your choice to coat the shoulder and then place it on the smoker at 220 degrees for up to four hours, depending on the size of the shoulder. Place the shoulder in a large roasting pan on a bed of onions, celery, carrots, bell peppers and jalapenos to add a little spice. Add 2 cups of apple cider vinegar, cover with foil and put it in the oven at 240 degrees for seven hours. Grider says you can also use vegetable broth instead of the apple cider vinegar if desired.

“When it’s done, the meat from the shoulder will just shred apart,” Grider said. “It’s delicious. You can use it for anything that you would use shredded beef or shredded pork – sandwiches, soups or stews.”

Sometimes the best-case scenario does not play out for hunters, and the animal will have to be tracked for a considerable amount of time before it is recovered.

“If an animal has been gut-shot, I make sure to clean up the cavity really well and make sure any of the gut contents are completely removed,” Grider said. “If an animal has been under any stress, it produces cortisol, which can affect the end product. When that happens, I just grind up the whole animal and use it in dishes like spaghetti, lasagna or chili. If it’s above 50 degrees and it’s been more than four hours since it was shot, that is an animal I’m not comfortable eating. That’s the worst-case scenario.”

Of course, most hunters relish consuming venison backstraps, which can also be prepared in a variety of ways. Most often, the backstrap with all the silverskin removed will hit a hot grill. Grider said he loves to use a product left over from the holiday celebrations – Martinelli’s sparkling cider, a champagne alternative.

“I’ve been doing this for about 15 years, and it’s a crowd pleaser,” he said. “I found this when we had some Martinelli’s left over from a New Year’s party. I was looking for something to soak the meat in to tenderize it, so I used the sparkling cider. I’ll soak the whole backstrap in the leftover Martinelli’s for a few days. I’ll cut the backstrap into 2- to 3-inch sections and wrap them in bacon. I put it on the grill and cook hot and fast on both sides. Then I’ll sear the bacon in a hot skillet. The Martinelli’s is sweet and the bacon is salty. You get a little bit of salt, a little bit of sweet and a little bit of crispy, and I don’t cook my venison past medium rare.”

Grider’s simplest backstrap preparation involves only salt, pepper, butter and high heat.

“I let it get to room temperature and cover it with salt and pepper,” he said. “I get a cast iron skillet really, really hot and sear the backstrap on both sides so it gets a nice crispy outer coating. I leave it medium rare. I slice it thin and melt butter to pour over it. It’s as good as any steak you’ll get at a steakhouse.”

Visit www.outdooralabama.com/WildEats for more ways to prepare wild game for delicious table fare.

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