I tend to use the back straps and hams off coyotes because I do the gutless method after skinning. The front shoulders don’t yield to much meat and most times are pretty damaged after the shot placement. If your coyote meat has a pungent smell, you can soak for 12-24 hours in salt, ice and water. This will help pull the blood and funk from the meat and leave you with a much milder flavored meat.

I run my coyote meat through the course ground plate on my grinder for a thicker ground.

Coyote Fire Cracker Chili

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds coyote ground

2 cans chili beans
1 can black beans
1 can dark kidney beans
1 can navy beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can 8oz tomato paste
2 tablespoons homemade Chili Mix*
1 sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapeños, minced, if want hotter leave seeds

1 habanero, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons cooking oil
12 Oz liquid Beer or water

Directions:
In Dutch oven or skillet heat oil over medium heat, add onions heat until onions become translucent. Next add garlic, peppers and cook additional 1-2 minutes not burning the garlic. Next in same pan add ground meat, Worcestershire, ½ tablespoon of chili mix, salt and pepper to taste. Brown the meat and enjoy the smell!
If you’re using a Slow Cooker add the meat mixture to crock pot and follow the next directions. If using Dutch oven or large pot follow directions below.
Open and drain all bean except for the chili beans, do not drain them.
Add beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, remaining chili mix and liquid, stir everything mixing with the meat mixture.
(At this point you can add any other ingredient you see fit. Corn, pepper, chilies, celery anything you want to add for more flavor of family favorites.)
If using a Slow Cooker set to low and cook for 7-8 hours or 5-6 hours on high
If using Dutch oven or large pot bring chili to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours or more

Now comes the fun part..
Add chili to bowls and top with your favorite toppings. Sour Cream, Onion Straws, Peppers you name it.
Share with me your favorite toppings or added ingredients, because I’m always down to try new things.

Secret Chili Seasoning:

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (don’t add if you don’t want spice)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (don’t add if you don’t want spice)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons paprika
1 ½ tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons sea salt
4 teaspoons cracked pepper
1 tablespoon dried garlic
1 tablespoon dried onion

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl and store in air tight container
When ready to use add 2 tablespoons of Chili mix to 1 pound of meat.
Sometimes I add more depended on how strong I want the flavor.

Heart

After posting an instagram post on eating heart and offering to give out recipes I decided to write this post just for you all. The first day of posting the pictures I had over 250 direct messages asking for recipes and how to’s on cooking heart. Before we start cooking we need to understand the benefits of eating heart, also where to get and how to prepare it.

Heart is one of those muscles that is over looked when it comes to the butchering process. Most hunters I talk to don’t even take it from the gut pile, let alone cook it. But lets take a look at the heart and some benefits from eating it and other parts as the Offal, whats offal you ask?

Lets look at the word Offal, offal literally means “Off Fall” these are the parts of the animal that fall off the carcass during the butchering process.This includes the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, pancreas and all other abdominal organs, as well as the tails, feet, brains, tongue, and even the testicles. Yes, I know what you are thinking, I can eat all those things? But then why do I leave them in the gut pile. This is the question we need to answer. Taking a look at nature especially predatory animals, they go for the organ meat first and leave the main muscle groups for later. Reason being, the Offal meat is packed full of everything they need to keep running strong.

Organ meats are packed full of high protein, omega-3 fats, vitamin E, B, B12, D, A, K2, Amino Acid, choline, CoQ10, Iron, copper, zinc, and chromium. All of these are necessary for a healthy lifestyle and many Americans are lacking in these elements because of our western diets. Because organ meat has become an Eww factor for many of us, we have to substitute with pills and shakes to get our daily doses of these incredible life giving vitamins and minerals

.

When it comes to eating the Offal many are turned off not only by the idea, but also the flavor of these incredible food items. The flavor is greatly effected by how they are cared for from the field to the kitchen and eventually the plate. I could spend days talking on each of the listed above edibles but, Ill focus on my favorite cut… The heart.

The heart is a muscle just like every other muscle in the body, its a muscle that is always working and pumping life to the other muscles. When cooked correctly heart can be melt in your mouth delicious, but when cooked wrong it can be tough as boot leather. Ive won more people over to eating heart by simply cooking it for them and doing it well, then I have ever done by explaining the benefits of eating it. So lets get right into it shall we?

Heart Removal:

This is simple, once you’ve removed the guts and cut through the diaphragm wall, you come into the chest cavity. Placed directly between the lungs you will find the heart, its sitting there in a protective sack. Simply cut the top of the ventricles and remove the heart from the sack. If you’ve ever hunted with me you know I always bring a couple ziploc bags for the organ meats.

Cleaning:

Start off by rinsing the heart in cold water, pushing water through each vent and forcing out the clotted blood and other undesirable parts. I like to shove my fingers down each vent to make sure I am cleaning it out to the fullest. Rinse until the water comes out clear and all blood is removed.
If you’re eating it whole there are a couple ways to clean it further if you want or need to. One simple way to remove the spiderwebbing from inside the vents is to get a baby bottle cleaning brush (Yes I have one just for this) and shove it down each vent. You can twist the bottle brush down each vent this will remove the webbing without having to cut the heart open. “”This does not need to be done, some people just don’t enjoy eating it, it can be rubbery when cooked””.

If your going to make a recipe where the heart is sliced before cooking you can simply cut the spiderwebbing off when you get into the heart itself (See attached Photo)

Cooking the heart:

I feel like Bubba in Forrest Gump when I say, you can sauté it, boil it, bake it. You can grill, smoke and grind it. You can make heart tacos, heart gumbo, and on and on. I have come to find my favorite way to cook heart is with a nice smoke on it, smoked med-rare and sliced thin… Drool….

Recipes:

Smoked Heart:

Ingredients:

1 heart
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cloves garlic whole
4 sprigs rosemary
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions:

Clean and rinse heart
In small bowl or ziploc add all ingredients and mix, add heart and cover in fridge fro 2-6 hours.
While heart is marinating start smoker with any fruit, oak or nut wood. I avoid mesquite because it add a very bitter taste to game meat, especially heart.
Remove heart from marinade and stuff each vent with a clove of garlic and sprig of rosemary
Smoke heart at 180 degrees f until internal temp reaches 130-145
Remove heart from smoker, and allow to rest for 10 minutes
Remove garlic and rosemary, slice thin and enjoy

Heart Schnitzel:

Ingredients:

Heart
1 large egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Oil

Directions:

Clean and rinse heart
Open heart like a book and remove webbing, cut in half.
Pound each half out till 1/2 the width of original or 1/4 inch thick
Season heart with pepper, salt, garlic and thyme
Dredge each piece as follows: flour, egg wash, bread crumbs
Heat oil to med-high heat, enough oil for the meat to float but not submerge. Oil should be around 330 degrees.
Cook around 3-4 minutes each side until breading is golden brown and crispy
Remove from oil and drain
Squeeze a fresh lemon over and enjoy

Stuffed Heart:

Ingredients:

1-2 hearts
1/2 cup button mushrooms
1 bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup cooke rice or quinoa
1 can black beans
1 cups corn
1/2 cup salasa
1.5 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can green chilies

Directions:

Clean and rinse heart
Cut out center of heart leaving a pocket
Mix all ingredients and stuff each heart
Using a cupcake pan or any other dish the heart can stand up in bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes (if you want heart cooked more, cook additional 10 minutes.)
Remove heart from oven and enjoy

Cast Iron skillet heart

Ingredients:

Heart
1/2 brown onion
4 cloves garlic
2 sprigs rosemary
Olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
Cracked pepper and sea salt
Smoked paprika

Directions:

Clean and rinse heart
Starting from the bottom, slice heart thin
In hot cast-iron skillet bring oil to temp over med-high heat
Season steak with salt, pepper and paprika and set aside
Add onions and sauté until soft,
Add butter, garlic, rosemary and steak to skillet
Cook 4-6 minutes browning each side of the heart rings
Remove from skillet along with onion and garlic and enjoy
( you can add to rice, mash, pasta or eat just like that)

Heart Tacos
( Ground or sliced)

Ingredients:

2 hearts
2 tablespoons Taco seasoning*
1 small red onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic minced
1 jalapeño, diced
1/2 cut cilantro, rough cut
1 tomato, diced
1/3 cup water

Directions:

Clean and rinse heart ( if grinding, cube and de spiderweb and grind with large grind plate)
In skillet add onion, garlic and 1 teaspoon oil, brown until soft 2-3 minutes
Add jalapeños cook 1 min
Add meat and cook until done, season with taco seasoning and 1/3 cup water
Add tomatoes, cilantro and cook 1-2 minutes
Remove from heat and add to your favorite taco shells and top with favorite toppings

(if slicing heart, slice lengthwise, thing and cook same way)

(* DIY taco seasoning)

Taco Seasoning
From Field To Plate

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
(If you need or want a little more kick add ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients and store in airtight container
Use 2 tablespoons of seasoning per 1 pound of meat
Brown meat sprinkle, seasoning over meat add 1/3 cup of water
Mix into meat and simmer for 5 minutes or until most of the water is cooked off

Irish Black Bear Stew

Ingredients:

1 pound Bear stew meat, cubed

4 cups homemade Venison stock (or store bought beef stock)

16oz Guinness or other stout style beer (or 16oz red wine)

4 large carrots, roughly chopped

1 large brown onion, sliced

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

6 potatoes, quartered

2 bay leaves

1 can 6oz tomato paste

4 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cracked pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

2 sprigs rosemary

3 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. Mix flour, pepper and salt. Toss the stew meat and lightly coat, shake off excess flour and brown in skillet with 3 tablespoons butter. Lightly browning the meat helps keep the meat whole while cooking. The browning process is not meant to cook the meat but just brown the outside.
2. In Dutch oven add stock, beer or wine & tomato paste, mix together.
3. Add veggies, bay leaves, rosemary, garlic and browned stew meat
4. Bring your Dutch oven to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-6 hours until meat is tender.
5. If you would like to make the stew thicker take 3 tablespoons of flour and three tablespoons of water and mix until flour has dissolved, then add to stew.
6. Season stew to taste and enjoy.

With fast food being easier for many of us to grab as a quick dinner, we are allowing ourselves to ditch the dinner table for a drive thru window. One thing I love to do is recreate some of our old favorites from the drive thru window using fresh and wild ingredients. This wild turkey Mexican pizza is on of those dishes. It takes as much time to make as you’d spend driving, ordering and driving home from your favorite south of the border quick meal restaurant. I used ground wild turkey but you could use any wild game meat you’ve got in the freezer. Let’s get into how I create a healthier version of this delicious dish

Ingredients:

“Meat”

1 pound ground wild turkey (or any game meat)

¼ cup taco seasoning (see my homemade recipe)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cracked pepper

¼ cup water

“Beans”

You can use canned retried beans or make mashed beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

2 tablespoons tacos seasoning

“Toppings”

Jalapeños

Tomatoes

Cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Guacamole

Chives

Salsa

Corn or flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. You can bake or fry your tortillas. I enjoy baking mine at 350 until crispy

3. In skillet add garlic and Worcestershire and start to brown garlic over medium heat. Add wild game meat and brown. Once meat has browned add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes. This allows the seasoning to soak into the meat.

4. While meat is cooking add your beans to a medium pot along with seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, summer 4-5 minutes. Using a potato masher mash them until smooth

5. Chop all your toppings, use any your family like, you don’t need to use mine at all. Be creative

Assembly:

1. Take a crispy tortilla and add beans, spreading all over the top. Add meat next.

2. Place next tortilla on top of meat, beans and bass tortilla. Cover top with salsa, tomatoes and cheese

3. Add any other remains dry toppings

4. Place in oven for 5- 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly

5. Remove and top with sour cream, guacamole and any other toppings you’d enjoy.

6. Now dig in!!!

Now don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with this dish, it’s been as my friend says a “Red Neck Staple” forever. I find a couple problems with this dish though and here they are.

1. It takes forever to cut the meat, jalapenos, and wrap them in bacon
2. The wild game meat tends to become overcooked and masked.
3. It’s an appetizer not a meal

So, after posting a confession that I’ve never made poppers I got slammed with statements like.

“But, the flavors all meld so well”

“I make this dish for people who hate wild game and they love it.”

“It’s what we’ve always done”

“You’re missing out, you need to wrap it in bacon dude.”

After listening to everyone talk I had this idea to deconstruct the Popper and create it into a meal. I decided to take all those flavors from the cream cheese, bacon, jalapenos, and grilled flavors and rework it into a meal that will not mask the flavor of the game meat, but enhance it.  Again I want to say I have nothing against the poppers, I just want to show people there is another way to get those flavors you love so much.

Venison Steaks with Bacon Cream Cheese Gravy & Fire Roasted Jalapenos

Ingredients:

4 Venison steaks

4oz Cream Cheese

½ pound bacon, diced

2 Jalapenos

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon cracked pepper

1.5 tablespoons flour (can remove to make gluten free)

1.5 cups milk

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Get your grill nice and hot
• Season your steaks with simple salt & pepper or any of your favorite steak seasonings
• Grill your venison steaks and jalapenos. I tend to grill my steaks for 3-4 minutes per side and serve med-rare. The Jalapenos you’ll want to char the skin on all side
• Remove steaks from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes, place jalapenos in a bowl of ice water
• Take the jalapenos out of the water and rub your fingers over the skin and it will peel off. Dice them and set aside
• While steaks are resting let’s start the bacon and cream cheese gravy
• In skillet add bacon over medium heat cook until crispy, remove from bacon grease
• Add flour to bacon grease, whisk and brown flour cooking 2 minutes
• Add cream cheese,milk, pepper, salt, paprika and garlic whisk until it starts to thicken. If gravy is too thick for your liking add ¼ cup more milk.
• Plate steaks and smother in gravy, top that with fire roasted jalapenos and crispy bacon
• Enjoy

Jeremiah Doughty

From Field To Plate

Let’s get into the real reason you’re here, the recipe. If you don’t have a whole duck or skin on breasts don’t worry, you can still create this recipe you’ll just be missing out on the crispy skin, legs and thighs that come along with this dish.

Honey & Garlic Wild Duck

2 Whole ducks spilt or 4 Duck Breasts, skin on

½ cup soy sauce

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

¼ cup honey

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cracked pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

3 cups cooked, rice

(For added heat 2 tablespoons Sriracha)

• Pre heat oven to 400 degrees
• In small bowl whisk honey, garlic, cilantro and soy sauce (if adding Sriracha add now)
• Season duck breasts with salt and pepper
• In skillet over med-high heat add olive oil
• Add duck halves skin side down and cook for 2 minutes, flip and cook another 2 minutes (may need 2 minutes more skin side depending on size of duck. You may also need to score the skin to help rinder fat if needed.)
• Remove skillet from heat (if you had a lot of rindered duck fat you may want to drain it from skillet at this time, only is you have a lot) 
• Pour honey mixture over ducks, place skillet in oven
• Bake for 5 minutes then baste ducks, cook another 5 minutes or until internal temperature has reached 160 degrees
• Plate duck halves over rice, pour remaining sauce from skillet over top and garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro.

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