On this episode of Huntavore, Nick was able to take a healthy sized doe in the early part of October.  Now the preparation comes into play.  Nick sits down with Paul Phodes, author and creator of Sizzlin Arrow.  Together talk about the things you will need for an effective field kit, the skilled art of field dressing, and to embrace this powerful moment with your harvest. No need to skip corners here. The guys also touch on some cut up and preservation ideas that will have you making some notes before getting your harvest.  All this and more on the next episode of Huntavore.

Paul Rhodes, creator of Sizzlin Arrow, is an advocate for taking more control of your food.  Whether it's making choices on where to source quality farm produce or actually heading to the woods to kill for your own meat.  Paul also is involved with talking college students afield to  hunt for deer and turkey in his home state of North Carolina.  Couldn’t think of a better person to chat with about field dressing.

Field dressing is a powerful moment.  It's the moment where the once living creature is transformed into a carcass for food.  For several reasons folks skim over this process; its gross, its bloody, its intimidating, and not a lot of people have been taught the whole process.  Paul walks us through his method.  True tip here is using your fingers as guides cutting the underbelly from the inside out. Protecting that gut from knicks and tears.  Second would be to get the anus out.  Nothing to be worried about cutting inside the pelvic cavity.  Run your blade along the pelvic bone, on the inside and it will free the colon enough to pull free.

Paul and Nick go back and forth on steps of chilling the carcass, breaking it down into whole muscle or into pre-portioned meals, and how both guys appreciate the vac seal style of bagging the cuts.  You can find more about what Paul is up to at: sizzlinarrow.com or @sizzlinarrow on instagram.

Tappecue Meat Probes

Instagram: @tappecue

Website: https://bit.ly/2NIr0Xj

Coupon Code 10% off: HUNT10    

Huntavore is powered by Simple Cast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Huntavore, Nick calls up Sophie May, author of the website wifeofahunter.  Sophie finds herself as the solo cook in her house.  While her husband, father, and even herself go hunting, when game enters the kitchen, she has taken it upon herself to transform it into meals.  Sophie explains that for her family a big hurdle is picky eaters who are not fans of the wild funk many of us enjoy.  If this sounds like your household, than stay tuned, we got some good picky palate pleaser and weekday wildgame talk on the way.

Sophie May is a native to Texas.  Growing up working outside, and enjoying the outdoors, Sophie is no stranger to being behind the gun.  Chasing many types of game that Texas has to offer, from a whole number of deer species, wild hog, waterfowl, and even gators.  Her niche in her household formed procrastinating in her college studies at Auburn, into pleasing her family with a spread of wild game dishes that they would enjoy.

Sophie, like many of us has a full time job that can suck the energy from ya.  Sometimes coming home to prepare a meal can be more of a chore, even for the most hardy kitchen lovers.  Sophie enjoys using tools like a crockpot or instapot in her cooking.  For example, from a box, two alarm chili mix can be whipped up and put on low in a crockpot.  Or the shanks from her axis deer put on simmer all day to be stacked high on an axis french dip in a matter of minutes.

When time is available, a good home cook will put meals up in the freezer.  Be it burritos, freeze a stew, or a good lasagna can last a long time, and be ready for the table with minimum effort.  Sophie drops a recipe from her book with a White Gator Lasagna that sounds fantastic.  We discuss that here in the Midwest we might not be able to get gator easily, but can transition this recipe to use wild turkey.

Sophie can be found on facebook and instagram, @wifeofahuntercooks and on her website, www.wifeofahunter.com   

Tappecue Meat Probes

Instagram: @tappecue

Website: https://bit.ly/2NIr0Xj

Coupon Code 10% off: HUNT10

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this Episode of Huntavore, Nick is joined by Steven Athay, author of Live Wild Eat Wild.  Self proclaimed good cook and terrible hunter, Steven writes about his hunts, and then follows up with recipes and write ups about the dishes he and his wife make from that animal.  Steven has a true passion for being connected to his food and the process it takes.  We go deep on a bare bones home butchery set up, contaminating wild ground with domestic fat, and an incredible story of a once in a lifetime Utah Bison hunt.

Steven Athay runs the blog, Live Wild Eat Wild.  His whole mission with his platform is to be an educational tool for hunters and anglers who take pride in their harvest and want to celebrate the hunt and the animal through more ways than antlers on a wall.  In fact, I had to ask for Steven’s name because its not written on his page.  He told me that was purposeful, the focus here is the wild game, and the butchery.  He was afraid of trending into the “instagram influencer” territory.  I appreciate that mindset.  Ironically, maybe more hunters and anglers should be influenced by Steven.  

Living out in Utah has offered a bountiful amount of game for Steven along with a wealth of adventures to write about.  We start with a bare bones home butchery set up:  a utilitarian 6” boning knife, plastic wrap and butcher paper, and a hand grinder.  Many decades, if not centuries of animals were processed this way.  Recently home setups have expanded to near cut shop size and quality (including my own), but there is no need to drop a fortune on equipment to get into the home butchery game.  Steve has taken animals to the processor, and knows that the professionals do a good job.  His hang up was he was giving up why he wanted to hunt for food in the first place, the connection.  

We take a deep tangent on ground meat.  Our conclusion on grinders, a hand grinder is a great way to start.  If you want to go electric, forget the cheapies, budget friendly, base models.  This is one area where bigger is better. Stay away from plastic parts, cast and steel are essential.  Mixing domestic fats into wild burger sparks opinions.  Some are purists and want only lean wild.  Others, including myself, cut in domestic fat for a number of reasons related to cooking.  Steven goes for an “all around ground” of 80/20 with pork or beef fat.  Sausage is more of a 70/30 with pork.  For griddle-enthusiasts  I challenge you to try a 60/40 round of smashburgers.

To finish out the episode, Steven takes us on an epic saga of his father’s journey to bag a Utah Bison.  “20 years applying, tons of planning, and a successful hunt.”  Be sure to follow Steven @livewildeatwild  

Tappecue Meat Probes

Instagram: @tappecue

Website: https://bit.ly/2NIr0Xj

Coupon Code 10% off: HUNT10

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of Huntavore, Nick calls up Travis Stockstill, member of team USA butchering team and host of The Meat Block Podcast, to talk about field care, and prepping your carcass for better quality meat.  Using his expertise from over a decade in the butchers trade, he gives some tips and tricks hunters can use whether it's taking your animal to the processor or the DIY butcher job.  If you are a fan of geeking out over meat, this is the episode for you.

Travis Stockstill lives in California, but has spent over a decade mastering the craft of animal butchery.  Getting his start on the slaughter floor, knocking a holstine on the first day, holding just about every position on the cut floor, and hosting a podcast about butchering and meat cutting.  While having not a lot of experience as a hunter, Travis had his fair share of time butchering venison.  He explains that bringing your venison to the processor in pristine order should be a concern of yours.  Not just for your peace of mind, but for the other hunters as well.  When cutting at home, taking good care at the start will help with your final product.  Travis says hide off to get any contaminants in the hair away, and to spritze the carcass with vinegar to stop bacterial growth.  He also touches on surface and knife cleanliness, using 180 degree water to sterilize.  Cleaning with soup is a start but now adding a sterilizing process to your home butchering is a good idea.  Travis also claims that when people ask what is his favorite cut of meat, that it's ground.  Versatile, no meat loss, delicious, hard to screw it up.  A good argument for full animal utilization.    

Huntavore is Powered by SImplecast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Huntavore, we talk about adventure, and spiritual reflection while on the hunt.  It's hard to separate ourselves from wild creation and the majesty of it all without opening up those big questions while glassing from a peak, or hunkering into the stand.  Hunter shares some of past experience that has lead to the making of The Hunter’s Quest and opens up about his family in the kitchen, making some wild exotic dishes that has this midwest foodie wide eyed and wanting a taste.  Join Nick and Hunter on this walkabout style episode comin’ atcha’.

Hunter McWaters is a native to Virginia.  However he isn't one to stay still for long.  Hunter’s drive for adventure had him shooting footage in lots of amazing places.  Being a Christ-follower, Hunter also sees our backcountry wilderness, not as any random chance, but a glorious display from an intelligent designer.  When chasing caribou, elk, or even whitetail he explains that adventures like these can have you working on filling your soul along with pursuing your game.

Hunter does provide wholesome natural game for his family, but takes a back seat when it gets to the kitchen.  His mother-in-law, raised in the middle east, grew up with quarters and halves of animals coming into the kitchen.  Her experience at breaking quarters, and butchering animals for meals has Hunter watching attentively.  Her sure handed knife skills rival any butcher shop.  In addition, Hunter shares some traditional dishes that utilize every scrap.  His description of simmering the butchered bones, including the spine has Nick’s culinary wheels spinning.  While the concerns of CWD makes him nervous, utilizing the last bits attached to the bones to make a delicious meal is something Nick can get behind.

Tappecue Meat Probes

Instagram: @tappecue

Website: https://bit.ly/2NIr0Xj

Coupon Code 10% off: HUNT10

Huntavore is Powered by Simplecast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of the Huntavore, Mahting Putelis, CEO of Hunt to Eat joins Nick for a chat about a wild foodie’s favorite fashion wear.  Hunt to Eat started as just a t-shirt company that has blossomed into an organization whose mission encompasses community, real food, and conservation.  Mahting opens up about his start in the outdoors as a kid, how the phrase “food for fuel” relates to his upbringing, a love for photography lead to getting behind a rifle, and reveals some incredible new content coming from Hunt to Eat.

Mahting Putelis comes from humble beginnings.  Living within their means and having a perspective of “food is fuel”, Mahting and his siblings had a unique upbringing with food.  Which makes hunting for sustenance a reality.  Only fitting that Mahting and his brother started the company Hunt to Eat.  First just a t-shirt company that created tasteful wears for hunters and anglers, expands to an organization that brought together a community of folks who showed what they can do with their harvest, introducing new people to our passion of acquiring real food, and teaching others the importance of conservation.

Mahting does admit that he may not find his home in the kitchen, but he does take his place as the grill master.  Mahting likes to keep things simple which given his choice of wild protein will ultimately end up delicious.  A marinated turkey breast grilled up nicely into carnitas is a goto from Mahting.  Or a beautiful elk burger with straight ground.  Letting the game take the driver seat in the dish.

Hunt to Eat also is announcing that they are growing from just a website and clothing, but breaking into the media realm.  With a few of their own podcasts, a show, and a magazine launching soon.  I myself, am excited to soak up the content from folks who hunt to eat.

Tappecue Meat Probes

Instagram: @tappecue

Website: https://bit.ly/2NIr0Xj

Coupon Code 10% off: HUNT10

Huntavore is Powered by Simplecast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of Huntavore, we take a culinary deep dive on a topic of wanting to get the most flavor bang from their wildgame or anything really can do.  Nick unpacks the flavor profile umami as best he can.  What is it? How do we taste umami? And most importantly, how can you use it on your food?  Nick goes into detail about the process of making your own umami seasoning shake that blows your mind.

Nick took a trip into the world of flavor enhancement.  Umami translated from Japanese means pleasant savory taste. That is exactly what we are going for on our wild game dishes, pleasant and savory.  Now along with umami, we need to unpack Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG).  MSG is a chemical compound that can be added to food to enhance flavor, but not a whole lot of folks are looking to do that.  At least in its mass produced, ultra refined form.  However MSG is a natural occurring chemical compound in quite a number of foods already.  Many of the items that top pizza have a high concentration of MSG (tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, anchovies, parmesan).  Capturing this as a seasoning that can be applied to meat, veg, etc became the challenge.  By dehydrating these items and blitzing them in a grinder, you can amp up the exhausting flavors of food, without over doing the salt.  Salt has its purpose, but overdoing it can take away from the taste.

Check out these two videos I found that will help you make your own:

Guga foods

https://youtu.be/sE3dYCphy2M

ChefSteps

https://youtu.be/WFMtBstGHAA

Tappecue Meat Probes

Instagram: @tappecue

Website: https://bit.ly/2NIr0Xj

Coupon Code 10% off: HUNT10

Huntavore is Powered by Simplecast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of Huntavore, Nick is joined by Lee Kleinow, fellow podcast host of Freshwater bite and MI Life Outdoors on Sportsmen’s Nation and avid angler.  Lee hails for the east side of Michigan enjoying the amazing opportunities that the Great Lakes provide.  Together these two unpack the challenges the Great Lakes face with environmental impacts and the impact of evasive, non-native species that have worked into the watershed.  After that downer, Lee goes on about the bountiful species that are available and how a hungry angler could seemingly never get bored, chasing so many fish.  Nick focuses on his favorite catch, panfish in inland lakes.  Wanting to improve his boom or bust trips, Lee gives Nick some pointers and tactics to chase those bluegills in the dead of summer.   Finally the guys wrap up their talk with a different preparation of walleye than frying.

Lee and his family live on the east side of Michigan, striking distance of the biggest freshwater fishery in the U.S.  The Great Lakes also are habitat to waterfowl, major shipping lanes, and hold thousands of recreational boaters.  Due to a whole host of reasons, major impacts have his the lakes.  One being evasive, non native species.  While asian carp are at the front door, zebra mussels have moved in and made a mess (or the opposite I guess).  These mussels have multiplied without predation and filtered out vital nutrients used to feed native fish fry, and allowing sunlight to travel deeper, changing lake temps and affecting water vegetation.  But on the other side of the coin, the lakes have an amazing opportunity for many species of fish, including Zee’s favorite, walleye.  Zee talks about the fish spawning in the Detroit River and hundreds if not thousands of anglers on hand for the event.  The phrase goes, “you can hop from boat to boat and touch water.”  Nick certainly is putting that on his list to do, but improving his summer panfish game is on his mind.  Lee talks about sticking to early morning or evening, catching the cool hours of the day.  Locating weedy deep holes to find fish saying cool and staying hidden.  An adapted trick of using a ice fishing style jigging action seemed very doable for Nick who along with his rod, will be baiting and unhooking a could kiddos as well.  To finish off the conversation, Zee breaks down a refined recipe for walleye.  Preferring a breaded and baked approach topped with parmesan cheese and crisped up.  Leaving you satisfied, but not feeling like you had a cup of grease along with the fish.  Paired with a crisp cocktail or wine, you have a great meal for the middle of summer.

Tappecue Meat Probes

Instagram: @tappecue

Website: https://bit.ly/2NIr0Xj

Coupon Code 10% off: HUNT10

Huntavore is Powered by Simplecast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of Huntavore, Cast Iron Steve is back again to chat about heavy metal cookware and specifically camp kitchen setups.  We talk about making kitchens portable,  a whole range of equipment we use or wished we used, how calories at the campsite don’t count, and our favorite camp meals and extra fancy desserts to be served fireside.

Steve and Nick first break into what makes cast iron special.  Durability, even heating especially on intense burners that some stoves have, ease of cleanup with a nice cooked in seasoning.  Its hard to beat traditional cookware that pioneers themselves could have used on their expeditions.  To beat the weight, carbon steel cookware offers many of the benefits on cast iron.  The guys talk about how the griddles they use are carbon steel and could be helpful in making more pieces portable.  Steve’s solution to their weight and space issue is to downsize the number of pieces.  I'm sure for him it's as if you are asking which of his children have to stay home, but hard decisions have to be made.  Nick continues to stay within the confines of the chuck box.  The kitchen size can stay the same yet with some creativity, and continues to find ways to add items.  A single 12” cast pan, a 12” teflon pan, steel pot, and aluminium dutch oven can all be stored and cover a wide range of dishes.

Steve likes his dutch ovens at the campsite, but doesnt like the inconsistent nature of cooking over fire pits.  He's not afraid to do it, but with the addition of a Charcoal table, he gains control, ease of cooking at countertop level, and being a native of Utah, fires are a real danger.  Containing his coals for efficiency and safety makes the charcoal table a necessity.  

Steve also hits us with a favorite dessert of his being a cobbler out of a dutch oven.  His twist, add a half a can of sprite to the dry cake mix.

Tappecue Meat Probes

Instagram: @tappecue

Website: https://bit.ly/2NIr0Xj

Coupon Code 10% off: HUNT10

Huntavore is Powered by Simplecast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of Huntavore, Nick goes over some of his summer wildgame plans. Taking on a Middle East style of marinade, yogurt based.  Being slightly acidic and yet creamy it offers a great way to impart seasonings along with tenderizing.  Coupled with some homemade flat bread should be a perfect meal for a warm summer's night.  A new addition to his cooking fleet might be a smokeless fire pit that has a searing ring.  Making kabob night a “fondue” style of choosing your own ingredients.

Nick also stepped up in the bow department this year.  The ol Quest Forge is on standby and a Prime Black 1 has taken its place.  Since developing his form, Nick can feel the subtle differences in build quality and improvements.  All this to be said that Nick hasn’t put down the bow this year, hoping to make a good showing at the Total Archery Challenge in Boyne, MI.

Recently, the JBS meat packing company was hacked by possible Russian cyber criminals.  From what we understand it halted meat production yet was figured out quickly, and plants are back running.  Just another victory for folks who hunt and fish, grow animals, or who go direct to farmers or growers.  Shortening that food chain to you, makes it possible to not have to panic.

Tappecue Meat Probes

Instagram: @tappecue

Website: https://bit.ly/2NIr0Xj

Coupon Code 10% off: HUNT10

Huntavore is Powered by Simplecast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.