The Huntavore

On this episode of Huntavore, Nick is joined by Jesse Griffiths; Author, Restaurant owner, and champion of local eating.  This episode jumps right into seasonal food preparation, and of course we pick the brain of the author who wrote The Hog Book on how Nick can keep enjoying his wild hogs.  A lot to harvest and hold onto on this episode of Huntavore.

Nick had the pleasure of digitally sitting down with Jesse to talk about seasonal foods and Wild Hogs.  In Texas, seasonality is key.  When it’s in season and growing, take advantage.  When the season is over and the heat of summer comes, those precious produce or proteins will be drying up.  He talks about his restaurant, Dai Due and how when farmers are producing, that is the time to bring in the great produce, and then to spread the love, preserving that bounty is key.  Pickling, drying, freezing, you name it.  Meat is similar in that Jesse’s menu will adapt to what the rancher has available.  That nose to tail doesn’t have to stay in the house, but nose to tail can extend to the entire community.  To finish up, Nick does want to talk wild pigs.  Jesse explains like it that pigs are so variable from one pig to the next, and even season to season.  No water, limited food and graze, the product at that point will be gamey. When the rains come and forage blossoms, that’s when hogs can be their tastiest.
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On this episode of Huntavore, we join Nick after a series of events, both awesome and not so awesome.  First, he was humbled by an article entitled Roast What You Kill, and is reflecting on his thoughts.  Second, in preparation for a bachelor party, Nick prepared Carnitas, and Venison Barbacoa to be slung out as blackstone tacos on a tailgate.  Finally, Nick was again humbled by a wall of water and ice coming from his freezer.  All sorts of ups and downs on this episode of Huntavore.

Nick is solo on this episode, and reflects on an article by Greg Morse.  Expanding on the Proverbs 12:27, Nick is noticing areas where he has gotten worn down and lazy.  In the examples it doesn't just point to hunters not roasting their game, but points to areas where we as men have lost motivation and slacked.  The Beautiful thing is we can alway get back up, and get better.

Link: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/roast-what-you-kill

Next is what we were waiting for, and that is the Carnitas and Venison barbacoa on a tailgate.  Nick turned out almost 60 of these tasty birra tacos using the cooking liquid from the barbacoa.  Simple add ons like cheese, onion, cilantro, and a chipotle drizzle sauce make these babies a home run.

Last is a reminder to us all who eat out of the freezer.  Ajar doors are an ever present danger.  Be vigilant and have fail safes for these meat safes.  Nick talks about his quick plan to move the still frozen solid bounty, but also discard the thawed door items.  He also lays out the plan to be proactive about protecting that door.

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On this Episode of Huntavore, Nick is joined again by David Rabe, a California native who takes everything to the next level.  His recreation is extreme, his hunts are for the biggest and the best, and his harvested wild game gets prepared with only herbs and spices that elevate his kill, not clog it with a bunch of additives.  Come along as Nick and Dave catch up on what has happened in the past year, How Kairos is the perfect rub to use on heavily valued harvests, Explains the idea of perfect moment, perfect place, and the meaning of Kairos, and finally finishes up with some incredible dish ideas.  It's all come this moment and this time on this episode of Huntavore.      

David Rabe is no stranger to the spice game.  David first launched Wilde Seasonings a few years back.  David sought out some partners to grow his brand and get high quality seasonings to home cooks and hunters who want only the best for what they are preparing.  Jiving with the term Kairos; the right critical moment, opportune timing.  Dave has relaunched his original blends along with others to try and cover as many proteins as possible.  Dave is also an accomplished hunter who strategizes the points game in the west.  On the spectrum of meat hunter to horn hunter, Dave is on the far edge of looking for mature animals in highly sought after units.  Which is part of the reason why Dave has spent so much time on these seasonings.  Not every season will bring back a trophy animal, so when he does, it gets the absolute best treatment possible.

Kairos Artisan Blends: craftedbykairos.com @craftedbykairos

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On this episode of Huntavore, Nick is joined by a couple of BBQ pitmasters, Cowboy Kev and Mikey K.  Both of these guys live for the live fire pit and the low and slow lifestyle.  You can find these guys at the pit or on their own podcast, BBQ Chat.  Nick tries to take advantage of their expertise by having them give him some pointers when cooking large cuts of pork.  If you plan on putting something on the pit this weekend, Mikey and Kev will have you thinking about your process.  WIth the memorial holiday coming fast we need to get ourselves in the spirit of low and slow, on this episode of Huntavore.

Cowboy Kev hails from Connecticut and runs Wilee BBQ while Mikey is based out of the Chicagoland area and heads up Man Meat BBQ, yet is poised to head south sometime soon.  These two share a passion for barbecue.  These two take on challenges that normal home cooks don’t take on, cooking for huge crowds and serving amazing bbq.  These guys gave me some great pointers when cooking up pork butts and picnics.  First, that butts trump picnics because of their meat content and shreadability.  Picnics have more bone and do not shread as easily. Which makes them good candidates for chopped pork instead of shredded. Second, don’t forget to season after the shredding or chop because the outside got all the seasoning, 85% of the internal pork won’t be seasoned. Mikey Kay says for a special punch, add all the juices back in after the shred or chop. cowboy Kev does his whole hogs upside down with a skin facing the heat. Skin does a great job of keeping things in or out, essentially creating a bathtub for flavor all the juices render and can’t run off the meat.  You can find these guys, and their show @bbqchat on Instagram.

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On this episode of Huntavore, Nick has had some time to ponder about his hog hunting trip, and gotten some pork cooked, so it is time to wrap up the saga on Oklahoma Wild Pigs.  Laying out a bit of the process he went through, Nick covers most of the after the shot details.  Gutting, hanging, the high drama hair torching, and chilling a couple hundred pounds of pork carcass.  Along with his own observations, Nick has taken the testimonies of Andrew and John on their experience of turning wild hogs into flavorful pork. A whole lot of reminiscing on this episode of Huntavore.

First off it seemed like a dream to be invited on a hunt for problem hogs.  John was an incredible host and a huge resource on getting within range of these pigs.  After the shots rang out, and Dan dropped our first catch of hogs, the work began.  First observation was how far forward, and low the vitals were.  The heart seemed as if it was pinned directly to the chest wall.  Second, how the skin and hair worked together to make a very tough and resilient protection from the Oklahoma elements that seemingly wanted to sting, stick, or prick you.  Next, these animals didn’t smell.  Now it was pretty dry, and cool.  But the notorious smell was not there.  On our trip we didn’t have a chiller but we did have running water and cool temps at night.  Hanging the animals in the nightly breeze was wonderful for getting the body heat down and drying the flesh.  Getting these pigs home was a matter of a mass of coolers, ice, and a solid 14 and half hours of driving.  But well worth the effort.  Butchering observations was again the beautiful lack of musk, even on my boar.  While it has a slight whiff of boar taint, it was very flavorful and delicious.  Cutting the meat with the fat was a dream, sharp cuts and clean separations.  Most important, in my mind, the taste.  Both the fat and meat are a wonderful pork flavor, where not a lot of the animal will be discarded.  I am honored that John, a man that has lived around pigs for his whole life, would say that I have the chance to change the narrative on hogs being not fit for eating.  Let’s count this as  the introduction to the long tale of elevating wild pork.

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On this episode of Huntavore, Nick sought out the expertise of Brandon Sheard; custom slaughter man and butcher, and creator of Farmstead Meatsmith.  For his trip to Oklahoma, Nick was preparing for the hopeful achievement of being able to harvest wild pork.  Brandon brings a knowledge base of being a mobile slaughterman and custom butcher for domestic pigs and heritage breeds.  He walks Nick through an effective kill shot, a field dress of pigs, and a unique way of keeping the skin on the animal to gain maximum harvest, with the added benefit of keeping the meat and fat clean.  If hogs are in your future, this is an episode you should save.  Get ready for an informative episode of Huntavore.

Brandon Sheard is owner and creator of FarmStead Meatsmith.  A podcast, youtube channel, and instructor of butchery classes at his farmstead.  What started as a job opportunity, became a passion for taking ownership of his food.  Brandon explains the differences in domestic and wild pork.  How boars will have a musk known as boar taint, and how some communities have learned to enjoy the taste.  Where an effective shot can be taken on a hog to bring it down quickly.  Lastly, how can the hair and outer skin be torched off to clean the animal to keep the skin on in hopes of keeping the fat and meat clean and get maximum use of the harvest.

Farmstead Meatsmith Website:  https://farmsteadmeatsmith.com/

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On this episode of Huntavore, Nick’s sights turn southward as he is joined by John Hudspeth, Host of the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast.  John may be the pickiest eater on the show, yet resides in a true sportsmen’s cornucopia of species to chase.  One in particular is the feral hog, an animal that brought a lot of attention to itself in the past several years.  John paints a picture of what Nick is to expect when he travels down and faces off against these formidable beasts.  To top it all off, John lays out a couple dishes for the Emperor’s Table that even picky eaters will enjoy.  Lots of great conversation on this episode of Huntavore.

John Hudspeth, AKA “The Voice of Oklahoma” , coined by one of his listeners, invited Nick and the Sportsmen’s Empire crew to a hog hunt.  Biting at the chance, Nick wanted to have John on the show to lay out what was to be expected when chasing hogs.  John gives some details on how to approach hog hunting, like feel free to take off in the morning, since the pigs in his area tend to be active evening and night.  Also, pigs are heavily motivated by food this time of year.  Put out the best grub, you’ll find the pigs.  Speaking of grub, John lays out some great dishes to be presented at the Emperor’s table.  John and the Oklahoma Outdoors Podcast can be found on Mondays on Sportsmen’s Empire Network.

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On this episode of Huntavore, the Emperor’s Table continues to fill up as the Missouri Woods & Water hosts, Nathan, Micha, and Andy join Nick for a fantastic chat.  We talk about celebration meals, including Nathan enjoying venison steak with his boy.  Things go sideways as Nick loses power, but the gang finishes with their submission to the Emperor's Table.  Join us for a great episode of Huntavore.

On today’s episode Nick is joined by the whole crew from Missouri Woods & Water Podcast, Nathan, Micha, and Andy.  These guys are always looking to hang out together, or find a way to be outdoors.  The guys like to chase coyotes as much as deer, yet cautious of putting one on a grill or smoker.  However, Micha has a love for red meat; beef and venison alike.  Something he prides himself in is his smoked beef tongue.  A very underused cut, yet surprises a lot of naysayers  with a wonder flavor that isn't off putting.  To finish, the three present their submissions to the Emperor’s Table, adding to the wonderful bounty.  Check these guys out at the Missouri Woods & Water Podcast on Sportsmen’s Empire.

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On this episode of Huntavore, Nick is joined by host of the Pennsylvania Woodsmen Podcast, Mitchell Shirk.  Together the guys unpack the unique hunting traditions of Pennsylvania, and how they also relate to many of the Northern states' big woods traditions.  Mitchell also tells about bears and bear hunting, a practice that gets him very excited.  And to finish off the discussion, Mitchell lays out his favorite celebration meal, and his dish to pass at the Emperor's Table.  Thanks for tuning in, and enjoy this episode of Huntavore.

Mitchell Shirk says that he didn’t find podcasting, but podcasting found him.  As host of the Pennsylvania Woodsman Podcast, he brings a unique skill set of hunting big woods for deer and bears with coordinated drives. These drives could be a few friends and a woodlot, to 20+ hunters over several miles.  Bringing a team effort to a normally solo style of hunt.  Hunting for black bear specifically becomes a huge trophy, for the fact that in a no bait state, and given the range of bears coming into range of shooter is rare.  Mitchell tells the story of how his and his grandfather share getting their first bears on the same hunt.  Being a novice in the kitchen, Mitchell appreciates using minimal to basic seasonings on wild game, letting the flavor of the animal come through.  Mitchell is a regular contributor to the Sportsmen’ Empire network, and you can follow along with him @pennsylvaniawoodsmanpodcast on Instagram.

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On this episode of Huntavore, Nick calls up Andrew Muntz and Paul Campbell of the Ohio Outdoors Podcast.  This duo is a great pairing, Andrew, being a whitetail guy and Paul, a Turkey fanatic.  Nick does a fly by on how their 2023 seasons went and their follow up celebration meal, that may surprise you.  In addition Nick gets into the details of what each of the guys would bring to the Emperor’s Table, where Paul does a culinary flex on his Turkey dish.  All this and a bunch of fun on this episode of Huntavore.

Andrew and Paul are hosts of the Ohio Outdoors Podcast, and Paul being the host of How to Hunt Turkeys, both airing on Sportsmens Empire.  Andrew is an accomplished bowhunter who loves nothing better than chasing whitetails.  Paul, is a turkey guy through and through, and with the help from Andrew, got back into chasing deer.  Both guys were successful this year in the deer woods.  Andrew went through many ups and downs, close encounters and near misses that made for an epic tale of getting his Thanksgiving buck.  For his celebration meal, Andrew went beyond just utilizing, and donated that buck to Farmers & Hunters feeding the Hungry.  Paul was able to harvest 3 deer in 18 minutes giving him a load of venison right now.  His go to was backstrap done up in the smoker, paired with a hand chopped chimichurri.  Now to the Emperor's Table, Paul goes for the fences with a Citrus Brined Smoked Wild Turkey,  and Andrew submits another fried walleye submission, using his wife’s breading mix and Paul’s tartar sauce.

Go and check out the Ohio Outdoor Podcast and How to Hunt Turkeys both on Sportsmen's Empire.

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