Ingredients: 10 pounds of summer sausage

Meats:
8 pounds venison
2 pounds wild boar
(could substitute domestic pig or do all Venison)
If you’re not using fats you will need to add a liquid
2 cups water (if not using fats)

Spices:

Homemade:

3 tablespoon cracked pepper
3 Tablespoon garlic powder
3 tablespoon onion powder
3 tablespoons mustard seed
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoon Marjoram
2 tablespoons cup quick cure

(if not using a smoker add two teaspoons liquid smoke.)

If you’re looking for a great pre-made seasoning you have to check out PS Seasonings. I used theirs this last go around and it was perfect. One simple package, just dump, mix and stuff. For a discount use promo code fromfieldtoplate10

Psseasonings.com 

Directions:

Place all your grinder and stuffer parts (minus the motor) in the freezer. The colder the meats and grinding parts, better the sausage. If they ground gets to warm it becomes a paste, and paste in sausages in a no-no, you’re making sausage not hotdogs

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Take Venison and Boar meat and grind together. To me this is a Key step, I like to cube both meats and grind them together. By grinding them together you get a better mixer on the meat. I use the largest grind plate, again I like texture in my sausage.

Once meats have been ground season the meat with Seasonings and Cure. I like to lay out baking sheets and layer the meat on them, this way I get an even coat on the meat. Then simply mix with your hand, or stand up mixer.

Let meat mixture rest in the fridge for 12-24 hours. This will help develop the flavors and allow the cure to start working. If using a quick cure you can get away with 2-4 hours of resting

Using a summer sausage casing ( My Favorite ) start stuffing the sausages with the chilled seasoned meat.

Make sure you are stuffing the meat as full and tight as you can, you want the casings to be filled. I tend to make sure the casings push me rather than the other way around.

Once all casings are filled let sausage sit at room temp while you get your smoker ready.

You want to set your smoker to 180-220 degrees. I smoke my sausage till they hit 150-155 degrees. With the cure this is a safe temperature. I love using my Traeger Smoker

Key step: Remove Sausages from the smoker and put in a ice bath. This ice bath method will stop the cooking of the meats. Once temps get down to 100-120 remove from water, dry off and place in fridge over night.
You’re now ready to eat, freeze or share your amazing summer sausage.

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

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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

I decided to take all those flavors and rework them into a meal rather than an appetizer. It takes as long to create your typical poppers as it does these subs, so why not give it a try. Below you’ll find a step by step recipe, and remember recipes are meant to be tweaked, so get crazy and enjoy.

Dove Popper Meatball Sub

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1 pound ground dove (20-30 doves)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees
Add all ingredients to small glass mixing bowl, using your hands kneed all ingredients together.
Take a spoonful of meat mixture and roll into small meatball
Place in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until meatballs are cooked and temp reads 165

Cream Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

8oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

In small sauce pan add cream cheese and milk over medium heat and whisk until blended
Add remaining ingredients and whisk until blended and smooth
Simmer on low stirring frequently so not to burn for 1-2 minutes, remove from heat

Build your Sub:

Take your favorite sub roll and add cheese sauce to top and bottom, add bacon. Add meatballs, top with more sauce and fire roasted Jalapeños. Most of all Enjoy.

Baked Potato Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

4 Large carrots, chopped small
4 large celery stalks, chopped small
½ large onion, minced
4-5 large potatoes, chopped small
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ pound bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 tablespoons flour, can omit if you want gluten free and sub out for cornstarch
2 cups broth, you can use Vegetable, chicken or even better wild game bird broth.
2 cups water
2 teaspoons cracked pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1.5 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, or any of your favorite cheese your family likes

Garnish:
Green onions
1 cups cheddar cheese
Left over bacon bits

Directions:
• In large stock pot or Dutch oven cook bacon bits over med-high heat. Once bacon is crispy remove from pot, leaving grease behind
• Add carrots, celery, onions, potatoes  and garlic to bacon grease and mix, season with salt, pepper, rosemary and paprika stirring to coat evenly. Cook veggies for 5 minutes until they start to sweat
• Add broth and water, bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer
• Simmer soup for 30 minutes until all veggies are soft
• While soup is cooking mix flour with 1.5 cups of milk in a small glass bowl and whisk until smooth and no clumps.
• Pour flour mixture into soup and remove from heat
• In a blender or food processor blend half the soup until smooth. * be careful soup will be hot and you don’t want to burn yourself. I do it in batches
• Add blended soup back to pot and fold in 2 cups of cheese
• Serve immediately and top with cheese, green onions and the bacon bits you removed earlier.

Try spicing up this soup by adding some leftover wild game meats. In our family we love to add leftover smoked pheasant or turkey. It adds depth and amazing flavors to this already amazing soup. I promise you there wont be much leftovers after everyone has a second and in some cases a third bowl (my wife).

From Field To Plate
Jeremiah Doughty

Many of you know my story, yet many of you don’t. So here’s a quick recap…

6 years ago I found out I had an intolerance to beef, yes this is a real thing. My body could no longer digest the fat found within beef. When I ate beef I got super sick.. imagine having the stomach flu every time you ate, that’s what I was going through. I didn’t know what it was for the longest time, but once diagnosed I reluctantly gave up my red meat. I gave up steaks, trip tips, beef ribs, prime ribs, hamburgers and most of all roast beef.

I was heart broken because I was your typical meat and potatoes kinda guy. But, I did not let this horrible disorder get me down, I found another way to get my red meat fix. I started big game hunting. I was raised a bird hunter but taught myself how to hunt, butcher and cook large game. I recreated some of my favorite dishes with deer, elk, antelope and bear. One meal I never thought I would be able to recreate was roast beef.

Roast beef, sliced thin on dips, sandwiches, cheese steaks and so many other dishes, this is what I craved. I decided it’s time to change that. Campchef sent me there new Camp Chef SmokePro LUX Pellet Grill and I knew the first dish I had to make. Before the box to the grill was opened I had pulled a beautiful two pound whitetail roast from the freezer. I built the smoker while the whole time my mouth was watering. That night I marinated the roast in my favorite marinade I use for smoked game meats. I went to bed tasting that roast in my mind.

The next morning I got up early, took the daughter to school and hurried home, turned on the smoker to 220 degrees and got excited as I watched the temperature rise. I watched as the mixture of hickory, apple and cherry wood smoke rose to the sky. I opened the smoker and placed my roast dead center, like it was on it’s thrown! I shoved my thermometer in the meat and walked away. I let it cook and smoke for 5 hours till the internal temp read 140 degrees. I pulled the roast and put it straight into the fridge to stop the cooking as fast as I could.

After an hour of waiting I pulled the roast from the fridge and placed it on my Weston 7.5-Inch Food Slicer. I began to slice beautifully thin pieces of tender melt in your mouth smoked venison roast. After 6 years my tongue jumped for joy as memories on some of my favorite roast beef meals played over and over in my mind. Today was a great day!

So here I am ready to share my marinade and smoking recipe with you. I am not one who sits back and enjoys meals alone, I love to share and enjoy my meals with others. So let’s get into to this super simple Smoked Roast Venison Recipe

Ps. Don’t let anyone tell you smoking dries out game meats, they are wrong!

Marinade: smoked game meats

Ingredients:

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tsp cracked pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

¼ tsp sea salt

½ teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

• Mix all wet and dry ingredients together in glass bowl

• Place roast in mixture, turning to coat roast.

• Place plastic wrap over bowl and refrigerate for 8-12 hours

Let’s talk smoking:

Now that you’ve got the meat marinated, let’s talk about smoking it. I own one of every type of smoker on the market from charcoal to pellets and everything in between. Each one has it’s pros and it’s cons, but that’s okay as long as you know what you’re doing with temps you’ll be just fine. I prefer the pellet style smokers because of the accuracy of temperatures and the quality of the smoke. All though I prefer pellet any style smoker can and will work wonderfully.

What we need to start out with is “Wood”. What wood pairs well with red meat might not pair well with upland game birds, and the same goes for waterfowl and alike. Knowing how the woods flavor will impact your over all flavor is key.

My top 4 woods I love to use are

1. Apple:Weber 17005 Apple Wood Chunks, 5-Pound
Apple has a mild flavor, with a sweet fruitiness to it. Apple pairs great with all game meats from winged to hoofed and everything in between. It’s smoke will not over power the meat like you’ll find in other woods. It’s a staple in all wild boar recipes for me.

2. Hickory:

With hickory you’ll get a strong smoke, packed with sweet yet bold flavor. I use hickory in many of my red game meats. I don’t use it to often win my upland game birds because they tend to take on to much smoke. It does though go amazing with waterfowl.

3. Citrus: Orange & lemon

Citrus wood here in California is easy to find with our orange and lemon groves. It’s also a tree that 75% of California’s have growing in their yards. Citrus wood tends to have a medium smoke flavor with just the right amounts of tangy and sweetness. I use citrus on upland game birds, seafood and waterfowl. I avoid it on red game meat and pork, it tends to over sweeten the meat.

4. Cherry:Weber 17007 Cherry Wood Chunks, 5-Pound

Cherry is another one of those sweet mild fruit woods that complements all game meats from land and water. It has a much milder fruitiness than Apple, but still punches the smoke flavor yours craving.

Bonus: oak can be added to any of the mild smokes to add a richer depth and a traditional smokey flavor.

I avoid mesquite, and walnut when cooking with my wild game meats. Both of these woods tend to leave your meat with a very bitter earthy flavor. Since most people think wild game already has a very strong bitter and earthy taste adding more just seems to kill it. But, hey if that’s your thing, then more power to ya.

Now that we’ve discussed the woods let’s look at temps. People tend to think hotter is better while smoking meats, but again this is not the case. I was always preached at with these three words when it came to smoking meats “low and slow” and I live by those words. If you push to much heat and smoke into the meat it starts to create jerky. You began to pull all moister from the meat and in turn do the opposite of what your intending to do.

When I smoked my Venison roast I kept my smoker between 215-225 degrees the whole smoke. My meat took 4 hours and 47 minutes to reach my goal

Internal temperatures 140 degrees. What the low and slow method does is helps create a bark on the meat, thus allowing the moister to stay within the meat.

This brings me to my last point on smoking meats, an amazing thermometer. Not just one but two. You’ll want one to hang on your smoker so you know the temp and can adjust your flame accordingly but adding more heat or reducing it. You’ll want a second one to be in your meat the whole time. This way you can check the meat every hour without lifting the lid and allowing the power of the smoke to disappear.
Smoked venison roast:

Directions:

1. Remove venison roast from marinade and slow to rest at room temperature until smoker has reached it preset temperature of 215-225 degrees.

2. Add meat to the middle of the rack, place thermometer in middle or largest part of meat and close lid

3. Cook until internal temperature of meat reaches 140 degrees

4. Pull meat from smoker and place directly into fridge to cool the meat and stop the cooking process

5. After one hour of cooling, remove meat and slice thin. If you’re using a knife slice as thin as you can. I prefer Weston 7.5-Inch Food Slicer for those paper thin slices

Now that’s it, I could talk for days on the subject of smoking and grilling meats, but this is a step in right direction for anyone wanted to get their feet wet. Have fun and thanks for reading and remember..

Low & Slow baby!

Jeremiah Doughty

From Field To Plate