I’m a pretty simple cook when it comes to cooking up wild game cuisine, but when asked if I have ever tried cooking wild game in a SousVide Supreme machine, my first response was… “What the heck is it?”

After doing a little research on the product, I found that it’s a culinary way to cook your food in controlled and precise water bath or water oven. First you have to prep your meats or poultry with seasoning and/or herbs then place in a bag and vacuum-seal the bag being sure to remove all air. Then set your food into the warm water bath to simmer. Cooking times may vary depending on the thickness of your selected cuts of meat, anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

It’s noted by other users that cooking with this technique produces an outcome that is unlike any other cooking method. Tough cuts of meat become fork tender and can be left for longer cooking times without over cooking.

I selected pheasant to be one of my first tests using the machine. Having no idea what temperature I needed to use, I found a recipe to work with on the Sousvidesupreme.com website. The information gave me an idea on what temperature I needed to set the water too and an approximate length of time to cook ensuring that my pheasant would be cooked through to the correct temperature.

Of course I decided to try my hand at this after a long work day… I filled my water oven up at 5pm and set my temperature for 146F/63.5C. The machine took approximately 25-30 minutes to reach the correct temperature which gave me the time to prep my pheasant.

I breasted my pheasant and simply seasoned it with garlic powder, salt and pepper. I placed the breasts in a vacuum-seal bag, added several sprigs of thyme and 4 tablespoons of melted butter. I then vacuum-sealed by pheasant breasts removing all air.

In a second bag I added the legs of the pheasant with the same garlic powder, salt and pepper blend of spices, a few springs of thyme and another 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Vacuum-sealed and set aside.

Having both bags sealed, the machine beeped letting me know that my water oven was now at the set temperature of 146F/63.5C. I placed the breasts and legs into the water bath making sure that they were completely covered and put the lid on. Using the timer on the machine I decided to cook the pheasant for 1.5 hours. So figured dinner would be around 7:30pm.

Having read other’s reviews on this cooking technique, cooking in a water bath can generate some juicy and amazing flavors but what it does lack is the outer crispness or grill markings that I’m pretty accustomed too. You know that outer crust on a pan seared steak or the perfect criss-cross on a BBQ steak.

Now you should have a towel handy when removing the lid because of the condensation that’s built up you can drip water all over the place. I’m still working on my best technique to avoid this from happening directly on the plug of the machine.

Removing my pheasant from the water bath, I placed in a large bowl, grabbed a pair of scissors and opened the bag removing the pheasant breasts. I was saving the legs for another meal the next night. (Pheasant mushroom orechiette pasta – Recipe coming soon.)

Let me say it smelled incredibly good. I placed the breasts on a cutting board and decided to take a quick taste. Unbelievable… the pheasant was so buttery and fork tender that I was ready to eat it as it sat on the cutting board, but I had one more step that I wanted to take.

Heating up a pan on medium-high, I added a few more tablespoons of butter, sliced up the pheasant breasts and did a quick sauté until the butter added a little more color. Quickly removed, plated and served with mashed potatoes and gravy.

It was all gone after about 5 minutes.

My conclusion is that I ended up buying a machine. Now granted it’s not a cooking method that I would use for a quick turn-a-round dinner but more of a fine cooking technique for weekends, holidays or days off.  Definitely worth the wait!

What’s next? Antelope Sirloin Steaks. (coming soon)

Do you have recipes for wild game cooking using the SousVide Supreme? If you do I’d be interested to hear how you’ve been using it for your home cooking. Thank you for sharing – Kristy

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INGREDIENTS

• 8-10 Chukar breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
• 4-6 Quail breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
• 3 eggs
• 3 green onions
• 4 cloves
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup Bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

1) Use skinless chukar breast and quail breast (could substitute with chicken breast, pheasant or quail but we always have chukar in our freezer.)

2) Beat about 3 eggs. Add 3 sliced green onions. Toss in a couple of whole cloves. Add 1-2 cloves of minced fresh garlic. Marinate chukar and quail in egg mixture for at least 24-48 hours.

3) Pull chukar and quail from egg mixture then roll in fresh grated parmesan. (Could substitute with the canned stuff if that’s all you’ve got.) From parmesan, then roll in dried bread crumbs.

4) Heat skillet to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter to heated skillet. Add the chukar and quail to the pan. Meat should sizzle lightly when added to the skillet. Sauté a couple of minutes on each side till golden.

5) You want it crispy and golden on the outside but still tender and dry on the inside so be careful not to overcook.

Enjoy with a side of Killer BBQ sauce or Pesto sauce. Be sure to get plenty because they go fast!

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We were a little late to the party for sage hen in 2011 but were lucky enough to bring a few home for some good Barbeque. Amazing lightning storm over the weekend brought 700+ lightning strikes to Humboldt County, Nevada and 30 some fires. Unbelievable storm that seemed to blow in and blow out so fast that it could cause so much damage.

We have been pretty lucky this year to have had the opportunity to get out and hunt Nevada. This year seems to have been a better year for harvesting some of our favorite upland game birds and even so without the use of a dog!

Chukar is one of our most popular Upland Game Birds in Nevada and this recipe just happens to be one of our all time favorites… upcoming recipe for chukar will be breaded and fried with a hint of rosemary – but that will be next week!

The recipe for sage hen comes from a good friend of ours who introduced us to the amazing flavors of Nevada’s Sage Chicken. Tender and rich meat that tastes amazing when paired with a sweet teriyaki marinade. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 strips bacon
• 2 Sage hen breasts
• 6 Chukar breasts
• Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki marinade
• Grill Mates® Peppercorn & Garlic Marinade
• 1/2 cup plain barbecue sauce
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons chopped chipotles in adobo sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Freshly ground pepper

(NOTE: if this is too hot for you, simply use your favorite barbeque sauce. You’re mouth will be happy either way!)

DIRECTIONS
1) Cut sage hen breasts into 1 inch pieces, put in Ziploc bag and add ½ cup Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki marinade. Marinate for 1 hour.

2) Cut chukar breasts into large enough pieces for skewers. Season chukar with a very light amount of Grill Mates® Peppercorn & Garlic Marinade seasoning rub.

3) Soak 8 bamboo skewers in water for about 20 minutes to keep them from burning on the grill or under the broiler.

4) Mix the barbecue sauce, lemon juice, mustard, chipotles, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper in a bowl. Set aside half of the sauce for dipping.

5) Cut 6 slices of bacon into 1 inch pieces.

6) Skewer sage hen pieces onto two skewers adding a piece of bacon into between each piece. Do the same with the chukar.

7) Heat BBQ to high and be sure that it’s good and hot. Place skewers on tinfoil or direct on barbeque. Cook 3-5 minutes turning the meat to ensure that the bacon is thoroughly cooked. Do not overcook the tender meat.

Remove from heat and serve with the chipotle barbeque sauce!

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Thank you to our good friends Danny and Leslie for sharing their ‘Secret’  Parmesan Chukar recipe. What I enjoy about this recipe as well as several of the other Big Game Recipes is that they are all flexible for other substitute game birds and game meats!

INGREDIENTS

• Chukar breasts
• 3 eggs
• 3 green onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• Parmesan cheese
• Bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

Use skinless chukar breast (could substitute with chicken breast, pheasant or quail but we always have chukar in our freezer.)

Beat about 3 eggs.  Add 2-3 sliced green onions.  Toss in a couple of whole cloves.  Add 1-2 cloves of minced fresh garlic. Marinate in egg mixture for at least 24 hours.

Pound breast meat lightly with a meat mallet.

Pull chukar from egg mixture then roll in fresh grated parmesan.  (Could substitute with the canned stuff if that’s all you’ve got.)  From parmesan, then roll in dried bread crumbs.

Heat skillet to medium heat.  Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter to heated skillet.  Add the chukar to the pan.  Meat should sizzle lightly when added to the skillet.  Sauté a couple of minutes on each side till golden.

You want it crispy and golden on the outside but still tender and dry on the inside so be careful not to overcook.

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We have been pretty lucky this year to have had the opportunity to get out and hunt Nevada. This year seems to have been a better year for harvesting some of our favorite upland game birds and even so without the use of a dog!

Chukar is one of our most popular Upland Game Birds in Nevada and this recipe just happens to be one of our all time favorites… upcoming recipe for chukar will be breaded and fried with a hint of rosemary – but that will be next week!

The recipe for sage hen comes from a good friend of ours who introduced us to the amazing flavors of Nevada’s Sage Chicken. Tender and rich meat that tastes amazing when paired with a sweet teriyaki marinade. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 strips bacon
• 2 Sage hen breasts
• 6 Chukar breasts
• Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki marinade
• Grill Mates® Peppercorn & Garlic Marinade
• 1/2 cup plain barbecue sauce
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons chopped chipotles in adobo sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Freshly ground pepper

(NOTE: if this is too hot for you, simply use your favorite barbeque sauce. You’re mouth will be happy either way!)

DIRECTIONS
1) Cut sage hen breasts into 1 inch pieces, put in Ziploc bag and add ½ cup Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki marinade. Marinate for 1 hour.

2) Cut chukar breasts into large enough pieces for skewers. Season chukar with a very light amount of Grill Mates® Peppercorn & Garlic Marinade seasoning rub.

3) Soak 8 bamboo skewers in water for about 20 minutes to keep them from burning on the grill or under the broiler.

4) Mix the barbecue sauce, lemon juice, mustard, chipotles, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper in a bowl. Set aside half of the sauce for dipping.

5) Cut 6 slices of bacon into 1 inch pieces.

6) Skewer sage hen pieces onto two skewers adding a piece of bacon into between each piece. Do the same with the chukar.

7) Heat BBQ to high and be sure that it’s good and hot. Place skewers on tinfoil or direct on barbeque. Cook 3-5 minutes turning the meat to ensure that the bacon is thoroughly cooked. Do not overcook the tender meat.

Remove from heat and serve with the chipotle barbeque sauce!

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Fried Duck Egg Rolls

So the question is which is better: Fried or Baked? My answer would have to be that they are both amazing but you just can’t beat anything that’s fried. PERIOD!

INGREDIENTS
Made 10 egg rolls

• 4 duck breasts (goose or sage grouse breasts would work too)
• 1 package Egg Roll Wraps
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger (extra for marinade)
• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 carrot shredded
• 3 green onions chopped
• 2 cups cabbage shredded
• 1 8oz chopped water chestnuts
• 1 small red pepper chopped
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• Olive oil
• Canola Oil

DIRECTIONS
1) Marinade Duck breasts in a Ziploc bag adding 1 tablespoon olive oil, minced ginger and 2 chopped garlic cloves. Leave for 30 minutes.

2) In a bowl combine cabbage, carrots, onion, remaining ginger, garlic, red hot pepper, nutmeg and water chestnuts.

3) Remove duck from bag, chop and quickly fry in hot skillet. About 3-5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add ½ cup chicken broth to pan along with all vegetables and cook for about 3 minutes or until vegetables soften. Remove from heat and stir in duck meat.

4) Follow egg roll instructions on the back of the package. Simply taking a few tablespoons of filling adding it to the wrap, folding the bottom corner up over filling, folding sides in and rolling the rest up to form a roll. Simple.

FRIED EGG ROLLS
In large skillet, heat oil to about 350 degrees and place rolls flap down. Turn rolls until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Remove and place on paper towels. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

BAKED EGG ROLLS
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place rolls on a baking sheet coated with non-stick spray. Brush tops of egg rolls with olive oil and bake until golden brown. Keep an eye on them and turn every few minutes. Cook about 10-12 minutes. Serve with your favorite sauce.

Vegetables: cabbage, carrots, water chestnuts, green onion, red hot pepper, garlic, ginger and nutmeg

Cooking duck – never overcook

Vegetables and duck filling

Baked Duck Egg Rolls – Amazing

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INGREDIENTS:

• 10-14 dove breasts
• 1 egg
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• Garlic powder
• Sea salt
• Cracked pepper
• Fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves

DIRECTIONS 
1) Split doves down the back and slice 1/4 inch thin strips from each of the bird’s breast.

2) Add all spice ingredients to the bread crumbs and then whisk the egg in a separate bowl. Wet the meat in the egg wash and then lightly toss in the breadcrumb mixture. Put pieces to the side.

3) Add oil and garlic to a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. Get the pan really hot and then place the Dove pieces into the oiled pan. Brown on all sides which should take about 5 minutes.

4) Remove and let rest for 3-5 minutes. They taste just like chicken nuggets so feel free to use your favorite condiments or dipping sauce or simply eat alone.

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