Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of the BBQ Beat Podcast. When I started this podcast, it was with the intent of covering the world of BBQ and Grilling, but with a broader reach into some of the basic beliefs that I know a lot of you hold dear – primarily those of family, of friendship, of knowing where your food comes from and sharing the love we have of preparing delicious meals that celebrate who we are and what we’re about as human beings.
This show moves us further on down that path as I share a conversation I was privileged to have with Mr. Hank Shaw, celebrated cookbook author and truly an omnivore who has solved his dilemma.
Hank Shaw - Suggested Reading
Hank's website has a lot of great recipes and will help you embark on some amazing wild game oriented culinary adventures. However, for a more centered view on how to prepare and enjoy different types of wild game, I highly recommend you check out one or more of his books.
Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast
From field, forest, and stream to table, award-winning journalist Hank Shaw explores the forgotten art of foraging. If there is a frontier beyond organic, local and seasonal, beyond farmers' markets and grass-def meat, it's hunting, fishing and foraging your own food. A lifelong angler and forager who became a hunter late in life, Hank Shaw is dedicated to finding a place on the table for the myriad overlooked and underutilized wild foods that are there for the taking -- if you know how to find them.
In Hunt, Gather, Cook, he shares his experiences both in the field and in the kitchen, as well as his extensive knowledge of North America's edible flora and fauna. Hank provides a user-friendly, food-oriented introduction to tracking down and cooking everything from prickly pears, to grouper to snowshoe hares.
Duck, Duck, Goose: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Waterfowl, Both Farmed and Wild
Duck is having a renaissance in American restaurants and kitchens as cooks discover that diverse breeds, species, and cuts of meat offer an exciting range of flavors and textures. Many cooks—and even hunters—have a fear of cooking fowl. Duck, Duck, Goose shows you how to cook duck and goose like a pro: perfectly crisp skin crackling with each bite, succulent confit, impeccable prosciutto, and more.
Hank Shaw, an award-winning food writer, hunter, and cook on the forefront of the marsh-to-table revolution, provides all you need to know about obtaining, cleaning, and cooking these flavorful birds. Duck, Duck, Goose includes detailed guides on species and breeds, selecting a duck in the market, and plucking and hanging a wild bird.
Shaw’s delicious and doable recipes include basics such as Grilled Duck Breast and Slow-Roasted Duck; international favorites like Duck Pho, Sichuan Fragrant Duck, Mexican Duck with Green Mole, and Cassoulet; and celebration-worthy fare such as Perfect Roast Goose. It also features an array of duck and goose confit and charcuterie, from fresh sausages to dry-cured salami.
The most comprehensive guide to preparing and cooking both domestic and wild ducks and geese, Duck, Duck, Goose will be a treasured companion for anyone who wants to free themselves from the tyranny of chicken and enjoy perfectly cooked waterfowl.
Buck, Buck, Moose: Recipes and Techniques for Cooking Deer, Elk, Moose, Antelope and Other Antlered Things
This is not your father's venison cookbook. Buck, Buck, Moose is the first comprehensive, lushly photographed, full-color guide to working with and cooking all forms of venison, including deer, elk, moose, antelope, and caribou.
Buck, Buck, Moose will take you around the world, from nose to tail. The book features more than 100 recipes ranging from traditional dishes from six continents to original recipes never before seen.
You'll also get thorough instructions on how to butcher, age and store your venison, as well as how to use virtually every part of the animal. Buck, Buck, Moose also includes a lengthy section on curing venison and sausage-making.
Peppered throughout are stories of the hunt and essays on why venison holds such a special place in human society. Venison is far more than mere food. It is, in many ways, what made us human.
Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail: Upland Birds and Small Game from Field to Feast
Game birds have always held a high place at the table, whether it's a hunter's prize of roast grouse or the turkey we all eat at Thanksgiving. Pheasants, quail, rabbits, doves, grouse and more - these are singular species with grand culinary traditions that offer the cook an unmatched range of flavors. Many cooks fear the fowl, however. Lean and athletic, game birds, rabbits and hares can dry out in a hurry. Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail shows you how to cook small game like a pro: perfectly crisp skin over tender breast meat, melt-in-your-mouth braises and confit, stews, sausages, and more.
Hank Shaw, an award-winning food writer, hunter, and cook at the forefront of the wild-to-table revolution, provides all you need to know about obtaining, cleaning, and cooking birds ranging from quail to pheasant, turkey to dove and beyond. Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail also covers a range of small game animals such as rabbits, hares, and squirrels.
You'll find detailed information on how best to treat these various species in the kitchen, how to select them in the market, as well as how to pluck, clean and hang wild birds. Shaw's global yet approachable recipes include basics such as Roast Pheasant and Buttermilk Fried Rabbit; international classics like Tuscan Hare Ragu, French Rabbit a la Moutarde, Mexican Turkey Tamales with Pumpkin, and General Tso's Pheasant; as well as unique dishes such as Roast Woodcock Michigan. It also features an array of small game charcuterie, from fresh sausages to confit and terrines.
The most comprehensive guide to preparing and cooking upland birds and small game, whether domesticated or wild, Pheasant, Quail Cottontail will be a valued companion for hunters as well as home cooks looking for new ways to cook store-bought turkey, rabbit or quail.
What's more, every purchase of this book helps our wild habitats. A portion of the proceeds of every book sold will go to help the non-profit conservation efforts of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, which will use the money to restore, maintain and expand habitat for all upland birds.
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