Archives for November 2015

Venison flatbread featuring sweet onion, bacon and fig sauce topped with goat cheese

November 29, 2015 by Convivial Boar Leave a Comment

Glamorous hunting trips in exotic locations pursuing trophy game are all the rage. Take the story of my friend, Dewayne, for instance:

Fortune smiled on Dewayne, for he won the lottery —the real one: the South Dakota deer tag lottery! And without a moment’s pause, he booked a local guide and set about a trip.

The morning of his hunt, he eases from bed, well before the sun rises, and finds a world covered in snow with temperatures dropping nearly as forcefully as the northern wind blisters his face. His guide drops him off on a hillside and says “set your blind up facing that way, aim steady, and call me when you drop it flat.”

Groggy and shivering in the dark, Dewayne unpacks his blind and pops it up on the hillside. He unfolds his chair and collapses into it with a heavy yawn. As his weight hits the chair it flips backwards sending, our friend, Dewayne (blind, chair, bow-and-arrows, and all), rolling end-over-end down the hillside.

Snow-covered, bruised, and confused he lays at the bottom of the hill —flat on his back. He digs his phone out of his pocket and mutters to the guide, “It’s flat.”

In honor of our friend’s glamorous hunting adventure, I present:

Smoked Venison Flatbread Featuring Sweet Onion, Bacon and Fig Sauce and Topped with Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

Deer ham
Marinade for deer ham (red wine, apple cider vinegar, onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, orange slices and enough water to cover ham)
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Several slices of bacon
Sweet onion
Olive oil
Brown Sugar
Fig preserves
Flat bread
Goat Cheese

The Plan:

Marinate the deer ham for at least six hours (overnight works perfectly). Bring your smoker to a temperature between 200 and 225 (note: I think mild wood works best for this type of cooking —oak, pecan, apple).

Coat the deer ham with olive oil and generously season with kosher salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Next drape the deer ham in bacon slices--maybe even top with a wedge of onion as pictured.

Smoke the deer ham until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 to 150 degrees (rare to medium rare). The time will vary depending on the size of the deer ham. The ones pictured were quite small and only required about three hours on the smoker. Once the deer ham reaches temperature loosely wrap in foil and let it rest.

For the smoked onion, cut off the root end and the opposite end of the onion so it will sit flat. Roll the sweet onion in olive oil and season it with kosher salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Top it with brown sugar. Make a foil chimney to enclose the onion and limit the amount of smoke. Place on smoker for at least an hour (I let mine smoke for the same time as the deer ham).

To make the sauce, spoon the fig preserves into a foil pan. Remove the bacon from the deer ham and chop it finely. Chop the smoked sweet onion. Add the bacon and onion to the fig preserves and allow the sauce to meld in the smoker for about thirty minutes.

Slice the deer ham into thin slices.

To assemble the flatbreads, brush each with olive oil. Spoon the fig, bacon and onion sauce on each and spread it out with the back of your spoon. Place thin slices of venison on each. Top with rounds of goat cheese and drizzled olive oil.

Place the assembled flatbreads into the smoker until the bread crisps and the goat cheese softens (about twenty minutes –note: I increased the temperature of my smoker for this step to about 350). Slice the flatbread into squares and serve.

Fall flat glamorously, my friend.

Venison Osso Buco and unexpected delights…

November 21, 2015 by Convivial Boar 2 Comments

Nightly sunset display from Convivial Boar’s deer stand

Glorious days, my friend. Rejoice —for hunting season is upon us! And Thanksgiving!

Last year we rooted through the history of Thanksgiving and unearthed the key role that fresh game played in early celebrations. Need a refresher click “here.” This year let’s bolt straight to the game!

As I laze about my luxurious deer stand and soak in a beautiful sunset, I’m reminded of the first bountiful deer hunt I witnessed. My brothers and I began hunting when we were young —but for a few years it was mostly hunting without much finding. Then one of the Boar’s younger brothers changed everything: he shot a deer—a small buck.

Excitedly, he exclaimed, “I got one! I got one!” And was met with a chorus of “one what?”

Speaking of moments of unexpected delight, last weekend at our deer camp I announced that we would enjoy a feast of venison Osso Buco. And I too was met with a chorus of “say what?”

venison osso buck served atop mashed potatoes

venison osso buco served atop mashed potatoes

Venision Osso Buco

Venison shanks
Flour (about a quarter cup —I used gluten free for this creation)
Two slices of smoked bacon (chopped)
Two sweet onions (chopped)
Four stalks of celery (chopped)
Four carrots (chopped)
One head of garlic (chopped)
Red Wine (about a cup —I used a Cabernet Sauvignon)
Crushed plum tomatoes (like San Marzano –24 oz jar)
Beef Broth (around two cups)
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Fresh thyme (several sprigs)

Osso Buco is an Italian creation featuring shank (veal, pork, lamb —or venison) braised in a tomatoes and wine until the meat, draped with the thickened vegetable-laden sauce, barely clings to the bone. How about we ladle a bit of that on some mashed potatoes?

This dish starts by cutting off the shank of the hams and shoulders of the deer. I used four ham shanks and four shoulder shanks. As you can see from the pictures, I did not cut them the same but they ranged from three inches to five inches long. Next, tie each shank with butcher twine so that they will stay together during the long cooking process. Season the shanks heavily with kosher salt and black pepper. Dust them lightly with the flour to assist with browning and thickening of the sauce.

In a heavy pot brown the bacon pieces over medium heat and then remove them from the pot and reserve for later.

Now, increase the heat to medium-high and brown each of the shanks (making sure to turn the shanks to allow each side to brown) in the bacon grease. Be sure not to overcrowd the pot as they will not brown very well. Set the shanks aside once they are browned.

Add the vegetables to the pot and sauté them until soft (ten to fifteen minutes). Note: you can add a little vegetable oil during this step if it appears you do not have enough to coat the vegetables.

Deglaze the pot with the red wine. Scrape all of the meat bits from the bottom of the pot and allow the alcohol to cook off —about five minutes.

Pour the tomatoes and beef broth into the pot. Stir the sauce to make sure everything is incorporated and bring to a low simmer.

Place the shanks back into the pot and roll each over in the sauce to coat. Add the bacon pieces and thyme sprigs on top and bring back to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid.

For fall off the bone tenderness, this creation needs a long cook (two to four hours). You can either finish cooking by keeping it over a low flame or in an oven set at 350 degrees.

Once the shanks reach the desired tenderness, thicken the sauce by uncovering the pot and simmering until the sauce reduces –we are looking for a chunky, sticky consistency.

This creation pairs well with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles. To serve, place the potatoes (or noodles) on the plate and then top them with a shank. Lastly, ladle sauce and vegetables on top.

Give thanks for the unexpected delights, my friend.

The Boar goes a-fishin and packs a lunch…

November 11, 2015 by Convivial Boar 2 Comments

Little Red River

Recently, the Boar was invited to go fishing—fly fishing for trout on the Little Red River near Heber Springs, Arkansas. And that means a shoreside lunch…

Boar’s fishing/lunching companion lounging at our lunch spot

Of course, a fishing lunch has to be simple —nothing too elaborate. That’s why I opted for a few grab-and-go items like Mediterranean olive medley, pickled pepper salad, smoked cheddar cheese, and prosciutto wrapped mozzarella —for our first two courses.

But then I remembered that years earlier I purchased two portable grills at a garage sale. It was the bargain of all bargains, two table-top, kettle grills for twenty dollars! Wife-of-Boar was not convinced of the bargain, wondering rather loudly “when will you ever use those little grills?” (this may have been the precursor to the grill moratorium).

Boy was she wrong —barely a decade later, I fired one of them up for my fishing trip (still had the tags on it and that new grill lack of smell). I bet she feels silly now.

For our third course, we enjoyed shrimp brochette. I assembled them at home before we left. Here’s how:

Shrimp Brochette

Fresh Jumbo Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
Olive Oil
Cayenne Pepper
Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Applewood Smoked Bacon (slices cut in half)
Jalapeño Peppers (cut into small slices)
Havarti Cheese (cut into small slices)

Coat the shrimp in olive oil and season generously with cayenne, black pepper and sea salt. Lay a slice of jalapeño and havarti cheese on each shrimp and wrap each one in a half slice of bacon. Use a wooden skewer to keep it all together. (Notice in the picture that one shrimp got away —it was not the only thing that got away, my friend)

Once the fire was hot, I simply placed the skewers on the grill. They are ready when the bacon browns (slightly crispy) and the shrimp turns pink. It took about ten minutes for these to cook, and I turned them a couple of times during the grilling.

Rib Chops of Lamb

Our next course was the feature: grilled rack of lamb (technically, lamb rib chops because I sliced them for quicker grilling). The night before, I seasoned them heavily with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. I then covered them in olive oil and let them marinate overnight.

After munching on the shrimp brochette, I placed the rib chops on the medium hot grill. Lamb is best served about medium rare. I grilled these for about three minutes per side. As an added bonus, I poured the marinade in a foil pan, added two tablespoons of butter, and brought it to a boil on the grill.

To serve, I placed the lamb chops in the foil pan with the sauce—rolling them around a bit so each was well coated. And don’t worry, we had ample sauce for dipping our French hard rolls.

Toss in a growler full of a locally brewed nutty brown ale along with a fine cigar, and you have a shoreside fishing lunch—Convivial Boar style.

And in case you are wondering, we did catch a fish…

Want to go fishing, my friend?

A Yardbird Feast for a Spring Chicken

November 1, 2015 by Convivial Boar 1 Comment

Grandmother-of-Boar, Iris, recently celebrated a milestone: her 90th birthday—a feat most folks can’t enjoy until they are much older. Iris welcomed her tenth decade still astride a four-wheeler, wind in her face, romping through the pastures of life—a spring chicken, my friend.

And it did not come as a surprise to me, for there were signs along the way. About twenty years ago, when she was a mere seventy and I, a strapping young lad of twenty five, or so, loaded a truck of firewood together (I was raiding her stash of cut, split and well-seasoned wood to burn in the fireplace of my family’s first home). She jumped into the back of my truck (before the days of the old man step —which I have used now for several years and can’t figure out how anyone managed before) and hollered, “you put it up here and I’ll stack it.” You know, your typical grandmother stuff.

Then a few minutes later, she added, “you let me know if you get tired and need a break.” And not being one to disappoint, I called break soon thereafter —and often, ever since.

In celebration of the Spring Chicken turning ninety, our family threw a party —and if I’m involved there will be feasting!

Smoked Baked Beans

For this event, we fired up Your Honor (my storied smoker). The menu featured smoked chicken breast (aka: yardbird) and pork tenderloin; smoked baked beans; and a celebratory Fiesta Corn! (for information about creating Fiesta Corn click here and here).

Mother-of-Boar dazzled everyone with an array of light and crispy cookies. And oh yes, the Spring Chicken, herself, brought two of her famous chocolate pies. It was a feast, my friend!

In the spirt of our Spring Chicken, let’s focus on the yardbird. Ordinarily, when we fire up the smoker, we are cooking big meat (think whole venison legs, small pigs, racks of ribs —you get the picture), but given time restraints and dietary needs —somebody suggested that a 90th birthday party shouldn’t involve a lot of bone-gnawing.

Alas, I recall years earlier that Wife-of-Boar issued the same edict when I proposed that our child’s third birthday party should include a rib-eating contest (just imagine instead of the gift-bag full of candy, each child leaves clutching butcher paper filled with saucy ribs–we could even tie a celebratory ribbon on it, if needed).

But, I digress…

Boneless chicken breasts are not naturally suited to long-form cooking (like smoking), mainly because they dry out easily. But following this plan, we were able to create delicately moist yardbird with a hint of smoke.

Party in the Smoker

When cooking poultry the most important step for keeping it moist is brining. A brine is a mixture of salt, water and other aromatics. I suggest placing the chicken in plastic bags with kosher salt, mandarin orange slices, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, onion, and hot sauce. Then fill the bag with enough water to cover the chicken. Let the chicken sit a spell —ideally, the whole eve before the party.

Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse off the residue. Coat the chicken with olive oil and season with a dusting of black pepper and paprika (note that we don’t need additional salt because of the brine).

Because boneless chicken breasts are thin and uneven (each has a thick section and a tapered end), I recommend creating a brick of chicken by stacking two together. Lay one chicken breast flat on the table and layer another on top, by placing the thick section of the top chicken breast over the tapered end of the bottom one. To cook evenly, it is important to have the meat as uniform in size as possible.

Brick of Chicken two chicken breasts wrapped in bacon

Next, when in doubt turn to a friend: bacon! You can have a party without it, but I wouldn’t, my friend.

Bacon adds flavor and moisture to the chicken. I suggest wrapping three strips fully around the small side of the chicken brick and then another strip laid lengthwise on top for good measure.

Bacon wrapped chicken bricks adorned with citrus umbrellas

For the final touch, skewer slices of limes, lemons, oranges, or mandarins and then run the skewer through the bacon and brick of chicken. These citrus umbrellas serve a functional purpose (help hold everything together); flavorful purpose (the juices flow on the chicken during cooking); and a festive purpose (a blast of color and whimsy that screams party!).

Smoke the bacon-wrapped chicken bricks adorned with citrus umbrellas until the chicken is just done through about an hour to an hour and half at 225 degrees. Check for doneness with an instant-read meat thermometer or by cutting one of the bricks open in the center.

Chicken after smoking for an hour

To serve, remove the citrus umbrellas (squeeze any remaining citrus juices on the chicken). Next, disassemble the brick (you can either reserve the bacon for future use or slice it up and serve with the chicken). Serve the chicken breasts whole or to make it easier for the feasters to enjoy, you can slice it in to medallions.

Stay a spring chicken, my friend.