I love to celebrate the arrival of hunting season with a hearty, seasonal meal. This boozy stew combines the best fall-flavored ingredients: slow-cooked venison, pumpkin, and a shot of bourbon to make a rich and savory dinner.

Everyone knows what it’s like to pull a hunk of meat out of the freezer, only to find a fibrous, brown layer across it. Freezer burn sucks, but before you toss that meat in the garbage, know that you can often salvage some of it. Here’s how to make use of this meat.
What Causes Freezer Burn?
Whether bones poked a hole in your plastic wrap or your vacuum sealer failed to suck all the air out, the end results are the same. Air seeps in the package...

This filling appetizer is uses my tried-and-true venison taco recipe and avocado, sour cream, and zesty salsa. The sheet-pan trick makes for gooey cheese and crispy chips—the perfect texture combination. It’s a family favorite that won’t disappoint.

About a decade ago I received some backstrap to try cooking venison for the first time. This gracious gift came with precise instructions: soak the steaks in buttermilk before grilling. 
I’m sure most venison enthusiasts have heard this advice before. I find that people fall in one of two categories: purists that believe soaking venison in buttermilk is sacrilege, and results-driven cooks that have witnessed the benefits of buttermilk...

I’ve never met a hunter who hasn’t turned a bird or ungulate into a popper. It’s a universal appetizer that everyone has served at some point.
In this recipe, I utilize venison in more ways than one. I take a classic jalapeño and cream cheese popper and wrap it in caul fat instead of bacon. Caul fat is the net of fat that wraps around the stomach of ruminants. It’s self-adhesive and renders well in a cast iron skillet, making it the perfect...

Aging meat isn’t really optional when it comes to wild game. For lean, tough cuts that hunters are familiar with, this is a necessity to create a quality end product.
There are two types of aging, each with their own pros and cons. Dry aging is considered to be the traditional form of aging. For those who aren’t set up with the right equipment to hang a critter, wet aging is a great alternative. This process is really simple, but when it...

The flat iron is one of the most underrated steaks you can take from a deer (probably because most folks don’t know where it is). This tender cut is excellent when flash-seared and sliced thin. Serve it on this open-faced sandwich with a mustard cream sauce, pickled onions, and grated parmesan for an unbelievable meal.
To get a flat iron steak off the shoulder, follow the directions below. A deer will yield a cut about the size of your palm...

When field dressing a deer, you’ll find a thin, lacy net covering the stomach. Don’t mistake this for something to be left in the gut pile. Although it doesn’t resemble a prime cut, this web of valuable fat is great for imparting flavor, moisture, and shape into meals.
What is Caul Fat?
Caul fat, sometimes referred to as lace fat, is a delicate, thin membrane of connective tissue with fat deposits embedded in it. This sheath covers the stomach in...

I’ll get this out of the way right now: No, you can’t actually get bacon from a deer. But what you can do is create small pieces of venison that have rich and savory flavor just like bacon bits. It’s essentially smoked venison jerky, finely chopped.
Use these like you would the real thing—with soup, salad, burgers, baked potatoes, etc. Venison bacon bits are super versatile and a staple in my pantry.

Creating your own dehydrated meals is a great way to use wild game while pursuing wild game. Though it might sounds intimidating, it’s actually pretty easy—as well as superior to a lot of store-bought offerings. This recipe brings a lot more flavor than you would expect from a backpacking meal. It can be eaten right out of the pot or scooped on a tortilla and rolled into a burrito.