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

I enjoy the challenge of combining ingredients that I already have in the pantry to avoid having to go to the grocery store too many times during the week. Soups just happen to be one of my favorite meals to create and tend to be the most flavorful and memorable without breaking the bank.

INGREDIENTS

• 1lb Elk sausage
• 2 – 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
• 1 – 14.5 oz water
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups dry Orecchiette Pasta (or other small pasta)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/2 cube butter
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped basil

Top soup with  fresh grated parmesan cheese and chopped basil.

DIRECTIONS

1) Add oil and chopped garlic to soup pan. Cook garlic being sure not to brown, add canned diced tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil and turn heat to low. Take a hand blender and blend tomatoes to create a tomato puree.

2) Add red wine, pasta, butter, oregano, salt, pepper and fresh basil. Cover and cook on low heat for 45 minutes or until pasta is cooked through.

3) While soup is cooking on low, add elk sausage to another pan and cook thoroughly. Add sausage to soup and stir. When pasta is ready serve immediately.

Top each bowl of soup with fresh parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil.

Try something different with your meatloaf… Make elk meatloaf with olives, onions, horseradish and a little parmesan cheese served up with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 pounds ground Elk
• 3.8 oz sliced black olives
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup seasoned italian breadcrumbs
• ½ cup chopped white onion
• 2 tablespoons creamy horseradish
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1) In a large bowl combine ground elk, olives, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, onion, horseradish and seasonings. Form into a loaf and place into a baking dish.

2) Cover with tinfoil and bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Remove tin foil and continue cooking for approximately 10-15 minutes or until your meat is thoroughly cooked. Remove from over, let rest for 5 minutes and serve with your favorite mashed potatoes and brown gravy.

Watching your weight? Make these mini elk sliders using horseradish mustard and cornmeal. Then top off with a tablespoon of your favorite Barbeque sauce and you’ll be in heaven!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground elk
• 2 tablespoons Horseradish Mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
• 1 tablespoon A1
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper
• Cheddar and Swiss Cheese
• Killer Barbeque Sauce
• Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
• Cherry tomatoes
• Red onion

DIRECTIONS
1) In a large bowl, add mustard, cornmeal, egg, garlic powder, salt and pepper to ground elk meat. Mix all ingredients by hand and then form into small patties. Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to size how much meat to use when forming your patties. Place meat on tinfoil and press gently with your thumb creating a small indent in the center. This will help keep patties from shrinking when cooking.

2) Pre-heat the barbecue to high temperature.

3) I recommend leaving the elk burgers on the tinfoil while cooking on the BBQ. The elk meat is very lean and can have the tendency to dry out if overcooked. Cooking on tinfoil reduces the risk of overcooking.

4) Cook 7 minutes or until brown and then flip patties. Continue cooking on other side until brown – 7 minutes. Add smoked mozzarella cheese to the top of burgers during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Close lid and melt cheese.

5) Place elk sliders on Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, top with some killer barbeque sauce, a few cherry tomatoes, some red onion and you are set! Enjoy!

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!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Onion
• 7-8 Cloves of Garlic
• Olive Oil to cover vegetables
• 21.6 oz Plain BBQ Sauce
• 1 tsp. Cumin (optional)
• 1 tsp. Salt (optional)
• 1 tsp. Pepper (optional)

You really have two options here…

Option 1: Dice up all vegetables large enough to skewer for BBQ (or)

Option 2: Dice up all vegetables and put everything on a sheet of tinfoil and put straight on the BBQ.

Barbeque until all vegetables become browned, not burned … remove from heat. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Remove from blender and put in a bowl for serving. You can also keep the BBQ sauce in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks in refrigerator.

I use this barbeque sauce on all of my grilled elk, venison or antelope skewers. It also pairs well with the chukar and quail parmesan nuggets. Enjoy.

Meat pies are such an easy item to prep and cook for everyone to enjoy. In this shepherd’s pie I added butternut squash and a red potato mash that really sweetened the flavor of the pie. Made in about 2 hours and devoured in less than 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 pounds ground elk sausage
• 2 cups butternut squash diced 1/2 inch cubes
• 3 celery stalks (chopped 1/4 inch or shredded)
• 3 carrots (chopped 1/4 inch or shredded)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 2 shallots
• 1 slice bacon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup shredded cheese blend
• 1 1/2 cup mashed potato (red potatoes)
• Fresh Tarragon
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Puff Pastry Sheets (defrosted)
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) Add 2 cups chopped butternut squash and 2 tablespoons water to microwave safe dish. Cover and microwave fro 5-6 minutes.

3) Add elk sausage to skillet and cook until browned. Remove meat from skillet and set aside.

4) Add butter to skillet and proceed to sauté chopped celery, carrots, onion, shallots and fresh tarragon. Approximately 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add mashed potatoes, elk meat and butternut squash to pan. Remove from heat and stir.

5) Sprinkle surface with cornmeal, roll 1 pastry sheet to be the size of your pie dish. Place the pastry sheet on the bottom of the dish. Transfer meat and vegetables into the pan.

6) Brush the outer edge of the bottom pastry sheet with egg wash.

7) Roll the second pastry sheet out on floured surface and cover the top of the meat. Press and close the edges of the pastry sheets together. Brush top of the pastry sheet with remaining egg wash. Season with salt and pepper. Cut an ‘X’ into the top of the pastry.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes. Cover with tinfoil for the last 20 minutes so the pastry doesn’t burn. Remove from oven when done and enjoy.

The Mini Elk Meatball

You can also make these mini meatballs for your favorite spaghetti and meatball dish, a stand-alone appetizer or a meatball sandwich. Any which way you cook them – they’ll taste great!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1lb or 3/4 lb elk burger
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 egg
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

The Soup
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 2 celery chopped
• 2 carrots chopped
• 1 large shallot diced
• 32 oz. chicken broth + 14.5 oz chicken broth
• 14.5 oz water
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Sides and condiments: shredded cheese, sour cream, green onion, tomatoes or tortillas chips and of course a little heat…some Tobasco!

DIRECTIONS:

Put all meatball ingredients into a bowl and blend together using your hand. Form small 1-2 inch meatballs and place on a separate plate.

Heat a heavy soup pot with olive oil and cook mini elk meatballs thoroughly. You’ll more than likely need to cook the meatballs in a few batches so not to overcrowd. When meat is cooked thoroughly remove and place on a separate plate.

Now for the soup… Add olive oil, garlic, onion and shallot into the same pot you just cooked the elk meatballs in. Slowly braise the onions and garlic adding a little chicken stock at a time until softened. Add celery and carrots and continue braising until all vegetables are softened.

Add chicken stock, water, bay leaf, vinegar, cilantro and spices. Bring to boil and then turn the heat to low and continue cooking for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add meatballs to soup and warm … Serve immediately and enjoy.

My Opinion… the soup tasted even better the next day!

Antelope sirloin with black beans, a cup of sweet white corn, a little green onion and fresh cilantro are the perfect ingredients for the makings of a great taco.

I always like to keep dinner pretty simple on the weeknight so I had all the intention to make these ‘Southwestern’ inspired meat filled rolls but once I started sautéing up these 5 ingredients – I suddenly changed my mind and made tacos. (My all time favorite!)

Here’s an added flavor to any homemade taco… add parmesan cheese to a quickly fried corn tortilla. The cheesy shell seriously adds some amazing flavor to every bite.

If you don’t want tacos – you could always use this combination of meat mixture to make antelope enchiladas or create an antelope ‘taco’ salad or an antelope Southwestern wrap.

Makes 4-6 Tacos

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ lb finely chopped antelope sirloin
• 1 cup black beans
• 1 cup sweet white corn (frozen or fresh)
• ½ cup diced green onion
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp chipotle cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4-6 Corn tortillas
• Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and garlic to your skillet. Add antelope to pan and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add corn, black beans, green onions, cilantro and all spices. Stir together and continue cooking until antelope is cooked thoroughly. Remove from heat.

Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a small non stick skillet and quickly flash fry your corn tortillas. Remove from oil and pat tortillas with a paper towel to remove additional oil. Sprinkle one side of each tortilla with parmesan cheese.

Add antelope meat filling to tortilla and enjoy with your favorite salsa, guacamole or all by themselves.

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