Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Just checking in...

For the handful of people who have been kind enough to follow my blog, I apologize for the lack of posts. Work has been a bit crazy, and then I was stricken with the cold for a good 5 days. I have a few ideas for posts in the works, so I'll try and get something up soon.

In the meantime...

For your viewing pleasure I have a photo of my FM Hi-Power, taken in the very professional environment of my kitchen counter top - the closest thing I have to a seamless background at the moment. Oh, how I miss having a studio to work in.

(click to enlarge)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

A Most Delicious Game

Talking on #gunblogger_conspiracy the other day, we got on the topic of venison recipes. I mentioned that I had some great success with chicken fried venison. I figured this to be a relatively simple recipe and not really outstanding. Judging from the remarks in the channel, apparently no one was familiar with the preparation process I use.

I actually learned the basics of my hand breading techniques during my short stint in the fast food industry, and have refined my process through my years of bachelor cooking. This particular recipe was an instant hit with my girlfriend, who is quite the picky eater, and was put off by the thought of eating game meat before she knew me.

I use whatever pieces of meat I have on-hand. The prep for this post was done with shoulder and front leg meat. The reason this recipe is a good for these pieces of meat is because you can work with small parts. These parts of the deer tend to have a lot of tendon and connective tissues that need to be stripped out of the meat for cooking. Keep in mind that the finished product will be around 3 times the length and width of the original piece of meat (and much thicker). My fryer is relatively small, so I can't make the Texas-sized pieces I'd like to.

This recipe should work for pan-frying as well, though you may have to adjust cooking time a bit.

Chicken Fried Venison

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of venison, divided into pieces.
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 generous pinch of rubbed sage


Preparation:


Heat your fryer to 350 degrees Farenheit.

Before starting, it is important to wash your hands and clean your fingernails well. This breading method is improved by getting the coating on your hands and then rubbing off the stuck batter back into the flour mix as you work. This will create more "crispies".

Venison pieces should be around 3-4 inches in diameter, though this can be adjusted more or less, depending on how big you want to make your steaks. Tenderize the venison pieces thin and flat with a tenderizing mallet.


In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the milk and egg using a fork or whisk.

In another medium-large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, and sage - mixed loosely to make sure spices are spread throughout the flour.


Take a tenderized steak and coat it thoroughly in eggwash. Transfer it to the flour coating bowl and place it in the center. Pile flour from around it on top, and push the flour downward into the steak with your fist or heel of your hand. Flip and press flour in again. Repeat the eggwash/flour process.


Place the steak in the fryer for around 5 minutes, turning over after 3 minutes. The steaks should be lightly browned when ready.
Remove steak and drain oil off, then place on a napkin-covered plate to remove excess oil.



Serve with cream gravy and your choice of vegetables.
Recipe serves 3-4.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Random Hilarity

Sorry for the lack of posts, gunny or otherwise. I'm cooking up a game recipe post to put up in the next day or two. I've also got an extensive gun-related post in the works.

I am sure by now everyone has seen the YouTube video of the little kid in the back seat of a car drugged up after a visit to the dentist. If you haven't, you've been living under a rock. For those of you rock-dwellers, below is the video. Watch it and then continue. Everyone else, skip on to the next part.



Someone thought it fitting to make a parody of the above video. This time, it's Darth Vader who is coming home from the dentist. I nearly shot coffee out of my nose watching it. Here's the video:



[EDIT] If you watch both videos at the same time, giving the Vader clip a 5 second head start, you get an extra dose of synchronous hilarity!