Reviews

Steven Rinella's Favorite Recipes for 4th of July

Independence Day is here and grilling season is in full swing, so heed my words and do your wild game justice this 4th of July.

For starters, make sure your grill is hot before cooking. Even if I plan to cook something on low heat, I start by turning it on high to get the grill ripping hot. This will help with the searing process and create good, distinct grill marks.

Once the meat is on the grill and cooking, everyone—even me—has the burning desire to lift the meat up and check on it. When you go to lift the meat and you are met by a sticky resistance—stop—don’t let the temptation to rip that thing off the grill win. When you lift the meat before it’s ready, you end up tearing off what would be beautiful grill marks and leaving them on grill.

As the meat sits on the grill, those char marks will cook into the meat, freeing it from the grill. You’ll find that when you let the meat cook long enough, steaks and burgers will flip without any resistance. My Independence Day tip: let the heat liberate your meat.

Check out these four recipes fromSpencer Neuharth,Danielle Prewettandmy cookbooksif you need some grilling inspiration this week.

Wild Game Sausage by Steven RinellaFresh sausage is the best way to turn low-grade cuts of meat into high-grade food. My favorite sausages are fresh (meaning not cured or dried), and stuffed into hog middle casings.

I view fresh sausages as a blank slate since you can flavor them in so many different ways. This recipe makes a basic sausage mixture to which you can add whatever flavorings you like. I’ve got three styles here: a classic Italian sausage, a bratwurst-style sausage, and one that uses Vietnamese-inspired ingredients for a slightly more novel taste.

Venison Chislic by Spencer NeuharthChislic is a South Dakota secret. Residents love their cubed meat, but it’s about time for this local dish to make its way beyond the borders of the Rushmore State.

Chislic should be sliced into small, un-uniform pieces that are roughly as wide as a quarter and thick as your thumb. The best cuts for venison are the backstraps and round roasts, as these offer the biggest hunks of meat that require the least amount of trimming. Like mutton, it’s acceptable to serve it loose or on a stick.

Wild Game Hot Dog Recipe by Danielle PrewittYou’d be hard pressed to find a more iconic food for watching fireworks and celebrating Independence Day than a hot dog fresh off the barbecue.

Toppings selection is very personal, but I’m fond of the Chicago style ingredients—“dragged through the garden,” as they say in the Windy City. The ingredients are extensive, but worth it.

Wild Game Burgers by Steven RinellaI’ve probably eaten more pounds of wild game as burgers than any single other preparation. Back in college, when we lived off whitetails, I probably ate my weight in venison burgers every year.

You can get fancy with all sorts of toppings, but I never do. I like a classic burger: lettuce, tomato and cheese.