Hunted Deer

Again, this is all subject to the animal itself and how it was handled. The venison I am cooking my spouse hunted and butchered. I'm happy to cook heart and liver from his hunting. Something else to consider--if the hunter's biggest concern is how many points on the rack?

Believe me, I'd much rather he bring home young and tender than fancy headgear.

n_whiting in General Chowhounding Topics

Hunted Deer

My spouse does our processing himself, and we turn the fat into dog treats--I render it down in a big cast iron dutch oven and mix in rolled oats and all the meat scrap from processing. How much fat is going to be on an animal is dependent on where it's from. SD pronghorns? Basically no fat. Muledeer? Same. PA whitetail, living around a cornfield? THICK with fat.

And yes, you CAN successfully slow-cook venison. I marinade (common elements--cranberry juice and balsamic or apple cider vinegar) fairly commonly, and I will tell you that venison sourbraten is WONDERFUL. Also, most folks don't seem to bother with the ribs, but I'll take venison barbequed ribs anyday. There's not a lot of meat on 'em, but what's there is wonderful.

I also love venison liver and bacon and onions--slice, then soak the liver, first in brine, changing it frequently as the water darkens, then in milk to finish.

What we DON'T do--and what seems to be the common advice--is cover it with canned cream of mushroom soup. As far as we're concerned, we want it to taste like venison. We do a lot of quick stir-fry meals over rise or pasta--especially pairing the venison with wild rice.

n_whiting in General Chowhounding Topics

tell me about broken rice, please

Best deal around? I get "soup rice" or broken WILD Rice--when my spouse goes to MN. 3lb bags cost about $10.00--wild rice at just over $3.00 a lb is a treasure. I use it in any wild rice recipe, and it cooks up beautifully in my rice cooker.

n_whiting in Home Cooking

problem with sourdough starter

Keep going with it. The more you use it, the more it will mature. Alternate milk and water when replacing the starter you've used, and if you want to speed the development of sourness, replace starter with milk more often.

n_whiting in Home Cooking

Wilbur Buds: Where to find in Philly

Also, where's your quilting retreat? Lancaster CO PA? Because Wilber Chocolate is located in Lititz PA, and they have a little storefront there.

n_whiting in Pennsylvania