From the field to the table
Texas Wild Game Recipes
Original recipes for the deer, hogs, birds and fish you bring home, written for Texas hunters and anglers. Every recipe includes safe cooking temperatures.
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Recipes from the field and the bay
Cast Iron Venison Backstrap with Garlic Butter
The backstrap is the prize of the deer.
Get the recipe →Texas Red Venison Chili (No Beans)
A proper bowl of red: chunks of venison simmered low and slow in a sauce made from dried chiles.
Get the recipe →Smoky Black Pepper Venison Jerky
Sliced-whole-muscle jerky from the hindquarter.
Get the recipe →
Smoked Wild Hog Shoulder (Pulled Pork)
A wild hog shoulder is leaner than a store-bought pork butt, so it's smoked a little lower and wrapped earlier to keep it juicy.
Get the recipe →
Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Fig & Pepper Sauce
A good mallard, pintail or gadwall breast cooks like a little steak.
Get the recipe →
Redfish on the Half Shell
Fillets grilled skin and scales down so the scales act like a pan.
Get the recipe →Cornmeal-Fried Speckled Trout
Fresh speck fillets, a seasoned cornmeal crust and hot oil.
Get the recipe →The spice box: rubs and seasonings
Mix these in big batches before the season and keep them in labeled jars in the camp box. Every one is used somewhere else in this book.
Brush Country Rub
An all-purpose salt, pepper and garlic rub with a little chile heat.
Get the recipe →Coastal Blackening Seasoning
A paprika-heavy seasoning with thyme, oregano and cayenne.
Get the recipe →Fish Fry Cornmeal Mix
A fine cornmeal and flour breading with seasoning.
Get the recipe →Safe cooking temperatures for wild game
| What you're cooking | Minimum safe internal temp |
|---|---|
| Venison steaks, chops and roasts (whole cuts) | 145°F, then rest 3 minutes |
| Ground venison, sausage and burgers | 160°F |
| Wild hog (any cut) | 160°F |
| Dove, quail, turkey, duck, goose and other game birds | 165°F |
| Rabbit | 160°F |
| Fish (redfish, trout, flounder) | 145°F, or until opaque and flaky |
| Crab and shellfish | Shells bright red, meat opaque (145°F) |
| Leftovers and casseroles | 165°F |
Based on USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service safe minimum internal temperatures. Wild hog at 160°F follows Texas A&M AgriLife and USDA guidance for feral swine. Use a food thermometer: color is not a reliable test.
Kitchen gear for wild game
Instant-read thermometer
The single most important tool for lean wild game. It's the only way to know you hit a safe temperature without overcooking.
Vacuum sealer
Air is what causes freezer burn. Sealed venison, duck and fish keep their quality for many months longer than meat in zip-top bags.
Meat grinder
Grinding your own trim into burger, chili meat and chorizo lets you control the fat and saves processing fees.
Cast iron
A heavy skillet and a Dutch oven handle searing backstrap, frying fish and braising neck roasts, on the stove or over coals.
Smoker
Hog shoulders, turkey breasts and goose pastrami all want low, steady heat and real wood smoke.
Jerky gear
A dehydrator, a slicing board for even strips and a jerky gun for ground-meat sticks.