Ways to cook game

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Sutton's special venison grill

In our household, venison is a favorite, and though we butcher and freeze 50 to 150 pounds each year, we rarely have enough to satisfy our desire for this flavorful treat.

We prepare venison for breakfast, lunch and dinner; fried, grilled, broiled, roasted, sautéed and smoked; in soups, stews, casseroles and pies.

But the recipe that follows, which incorporates a simple marinade, is our favorite of favorites.

# 2 pounds venison steak or loin, cut 1/2 to 1 inch thick
# Unseasoned meat tenderizer
# 1 garlic clove, sliced and mashed
# 1 tablespoon brown sugar
# ½ teaspoon each: lemon pepper spice, ground ginger, coarsely ground black pepper
# 1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
# 2 tablespoons water
# ¼ cup soy sauce

Sprinkle meat tenderizer on both sides of the venison, and pierce the meat all over with a fork. Transfer to a glass baking dish, and allow to sit 10 to 15 minutes while you mix the remaining ingredients to create a marinade. Pour the marinade over the meat; refrigerate one to four hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Remove meat from marinade, drain and cook to desired degree of doneness on the grill or beneath the broiler.

Grandma's rabbit stew

Few wild game meats are as delectable and versatile as rabbit. The flesh is delicate, white and lean, with just a hint of gaminess. It can be cooked in every conceivable way, from simply fried, baked or roasted to stews, casseroles and pies. But in my mind, rabbits are best when cooked in a stew, like this one my grandmother used to make.

# 2 teaspoons salt
# 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
# ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
# 1 or 2 rabbits, cut in serving pieces
# 5 cups water
# 2 cups coarsely shredded cabbage
# 2 cups fresh or frozen whole-kernel corn
# 1 cup chopped onion
# 2/3 cup chopped green onions
# 1 cup peeled potatoes, diced
# ½ cup peeled and sliced carrots
# ½ cup chopped canned tomatoes
# ¼ cup green beans
# ¼ cup chopped celery
# ¼ cup tomato sauce
# ¼ cup tomato paste
# ¼ cup uncooked rice
# 1 clove garlic, minced

Combine salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, and rub into rabbit pieces. Place the meat in a large stewpot, add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, two to three hours or until rabbit and vegetables are tender.

For quicker cooking, place ingredients in a 7-quart pressure cooker, seal and place over high heat. Cook until pressure reaches 10 pounds, or about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow pressure to reduce to zero, which takes about 45 minutes.

Poor Boy duck fingers

Duck can serve as the basis for a wide variety of mouthwatering recipes. The meat is dark and less moist than domestic duck, with a much more pronounced — and, in my opinion, pleasing — flavor. This quick and easy recipe, shared by a cook at Arkansas' Poor Boy Duck Club, makes the most of this wonderful game.

# Breast fillets from 2 ducks
# Salt, pepper
# 1 cup milk
# 2 eggs, slightly beaten
# Cracker meal
# Vegetable oil for frying

Slice the fillets crosswise into ¼-inch-wide strips. Salt and pepper lightly. Combine milk and eggs in a shallow bowl. Dip duck strips in milk/egg mixture, then roll in cracker meal. Fry in hot oil until golden brown.

Smoked bacon-wrapped dove breasts

Tasty treatments for mourning doves, America's favorite game birds, need not be complicated, as evidenced by the following recipe.

# Any number of dove breasts
# Italian salad dressing
# Garlic salt
# Black pepper
# Sliced jalapeño peppers
# 1 slice bacon per two dove breasts
# Toothpicks

Place dove breasts in a zip-seal plastic bag, cover with Italian dressing and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Remove breasts and use a knife to slit the breast along the bone that runs the length of the breast. Insert one or two slices of jalapeño in each slit. Season breasts to taste with garlic salt and black pepper. Wrap each breast with a half-slice of bacon. Secure bacon with a toothpick through each breast. Cook in a smoker for 90 minutes to two hours or until done to taste.

Baked goose breast fillets

This delectable recipe can be used for preparing any type of goose — Canada, snow, white-fronted and Ross' —using boneless fillets cut from the breast.

# Breast fillets from 3 geese (6 pieces of boneless meat)
# Salt, pepper
# Flour
# 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
# 2 (10.5-oz.) cans cream of mushroom soup
# 2 soup cans' full of milk

Season fillets with salt and pepper, and roll in flour. Put butter or margarine into a skillet, and heat to frying temperature. Brown fillets on both sides. Place the fillets in a glass-covered casserole dish and bake one hour at 325 degrees.

Mix soup and milk, and pour over meat. Reduce heat to 275 degrees and cook 30 minutes to 45 minutes or until breasts are done.

To contact Keith Sutton, email him at catfishdude@sbcglobal.net. His new book, "Out There Fishing" (Stoeger Publishing; $19.95), is available at www.catfishsutton.com.

WOW that makes me want to run to the old 6' chest freezer and get cooking.