Arkansas PBS > Programs > Cooking on the Wild Side > s07 > Cooking on the Wild Side October 2018

Cooking on the Wild Side October 2018


Venison Ragout

  • ½ lb. bacon, diced
  • 3 lb. venison, cubed
  • 1 c. flour, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder
  • 2 large onions, chunked
  • 1 bulb garlic, peeled and divided into cloves
  • 2 cups Burgundy wine
  • 1 can beef stock
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 lbs. new potatoes
  • 1 lb. baby carrots
  • 1 tsp. thyme

Brown bacon to render fat. Set bacon aside. Coat venison pieces with flour mixture. Brown in kettle. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add sauce and beef stock. Cover and simmer over coals for 1 hour. Add carrots, potatoes and thyme. Simmer another 45 minutes or until meat is tender and veggies are done.

Bean Hole Baked Beans

  • 2 lbs. cubed venison
  • 1 lb. dry white beans, soaked overnight
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 3 large cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 lb. smoked bacon, chunked
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. course ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. ginger
  • Water

Dig a hole deeper and larger than your oven. Build fire in hole and let burn down to embers. Place Dutch oven over embers. Add small amount of fat to heated #14 deep Dutch oven. Brown venison. Add onions and garlic. Cook till soft. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover with water. Place lid on oven. Place embers on lid. Cover with a large flat rock, dirt and sod. Let cook 8 hours. Uncover being careful not to get dirt in oven.

Jo's Duck Casserole

  • 2 ducks
  • 1 onion    
  • 2 ribs celery
  • 1 apple, quartered & cored
  • 1 stick butter
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • ¼ c. flour
  • 2 boxes long grain and wild rice, cooked according to pkg.
  • 1 (6 oz.) can sliced mushrooms
  • 1 ½ c. half and half
  • 1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. pepper
  • 1 pkg. slivered almonds

Boil ducks with sliced onion, celery and apple for 1 to 2 hours, until tender. In deep skillet or Dutch oven, melt butter. Sauté onion and stir in flour. Add can of mushrooms with juice. Add half and half, parsley, salt and pepper. Add rice to mixture in skillet. Add duck that has been deboned and cut into bite-size chunks. Pour into baking dish coated with nonstick spray. Sprinkle almonds on top. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Marinated Bear Roast

  • 1 large bear roast
  • 6-8 cloves garlic
  • Salt & pepper

With filet knife, make holes in roast 2 to 3 inches deep. Insert garlic clove into hole. Repeat process to use all garlic clovers. Salt and pepper lightly.

Marinade:

  • 2/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. curry powder
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • ½ tsp. ginger

Mix ingredients in large crock or glass container. Place roast in bowl, turning once or twice to coat. Place in the refrigerator overnight, basting as often as possible. Place roast in cast iron Dutch oven or heavy roasting pan. Pour marinade oven roast. Cook in 250° oven about 2 to 4 hours depending on the size of roast. The last hour of cooking, add a large can of mushrooms if desired. Bear should be served well done.

Bonus Recipes

Orange Rind Carrots

  • 2 lb. carrots
  • ¼ c. butter or margarine
  • 1 ½ c. water
  • ¼ c. firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp. grated orange rind

Peel carrots; cut in quarters lengthwise and in half crosswise. Bring water and salt to a boil and add carrots. Cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until tender; drain. Add remaining ingredients to carrots. Gently stir over low heat until butter is melted and carrots are glazed.

Black-Eyed Peas Creole

  • 2 strips bacon
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 cup bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 (20oz.) can tomatoes
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 large bay leaf
  • ½ tsp. sweet basil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 pkg. frozen black-eyed peas

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from fat, brown onions, bell pepper and celery to the fat. Add crumbled bacon, tomatoes, sugar, bay leaf, basil, salt, pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Add peas and cook slowly for 1 ½ hours. If needed, add water as peas cook.