NEPA Game Dinners (Riverside, Penn: house, buy, living)

[varmintblaster]

With the chill of autumn in the air, the grunts of deer coming into the rut, fish putting on the feed bag in preparation for winter, birds flying south, I start to think about another great NEPA tradition that some of the newcomers may not know about - Game Dinners.

Every year - normally in December or January, some area bars put on game dinners. All the food is donated by it's patrons and neighbors. They cook up a free feast for anyone interested in attending.

These no-charge meals are a great way to meet the men and women who take part in the great outdoors.

Buy a drink or two to support the establishment and everyone is happy.

A wide range of offerings is usually available - bear,deer,elk, rabbit,squirrel,geese,duck,grouse,pheasant,all types of fish, even rattlesnake on rare occasion.

For the vegetarians, there are usually a few selections of wild mushrooms and red oak acorn muffins..

Keep an eye out in your area for these events. Most are held in private clubs, VFW posts, but there are still a few commercial bars/taverns that sponsor the events each year.

They are a wonderful way to meet new folks, chat with old friends, share stories, and celebrate the harvest that the Pa. Wilds & Mother Nature provided.

[sheena12]

Thanks for including us! Sounds like a nice tradition but would I take a ribbing (no pun intended)if I did not partake in the meat? O wonder if anyone would be interested in a hearty vegetable stew?
I am a former omnivore but even when I ate meat, I have to say that snake would not appeal to me.
Bet it tastes just like chicken right? :-)

[weluvpa]

I'm not down with the snake thing either , but what the hell I would try it.

Not sure about the chicken thing, but marinaded goose cubes wrapped in bacon and grilled on high heat for a very short time does taste amazingly enough like beef....Same texture and all.....

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We should throw some of our recipes out here for folks to try.........

[varmintblaster]

Sheena - I would venture to bet someone would bring a vegetable stew or two without meat in it. Not everyone eats meat. I put a smiley behind the mushrooms and acorn muffins for you, but they are o the buffet table with even more offerings for vegetarians like interesting salads made solely from wild Penns Woods ingredients. You'd be amazed how good sauteed fern roots and various forest greens taste.

I had rattlesnake before, first time in Texas, and yes it does taste like chicken.

Snake is not a commonly served item. Even though Pa has a good population, there are not any that hunt them (for obvious reasons).

For those that do, they are legally allowed one permitted kill per year.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

We should throw some of our recipes out here for folks to try.........

True story... you first need to be sitting by a fire next to the river. For this recipe to work correctly you first need to prepare your place by the fire. You will need one cooler full of beer, plenty of wood, one roll of tin foil, butter, and all the necessary fishing equipment.

Sit down and be prepared to sit for long time. It is important that you don't mve from this position for many hours except to take a leak. Open a beer, bait your hook, begin fishing.

As you catch the fish immediately gut and fillet. Wrap in tin foil with some butter and seasoning. Throw it on the fire for about 5 minutes.. Enjoy. That's what you call fresh fish.

We sat like that for about 4 hours one night, never even stood up to reel the fish in or cast. LOL

[frank754]

That all sounds like a great idea, but I guess you have to know where these events are, as locals, as they probably do not advertise. I know some buddies in the past (when I lived in upstate NY in the 80's) would have extra ground venison and give some away to their friends. I didn't hunt, but did fish on occasion, one time though I did get a wild turkey from inside the house through my bedroom window (then open, of course) with my shotgun, and he made a nice meal (no nearby neighbors, and living out in the woods then).
Those goose cubes in bacon sure sound like a treat, when I was a kid I remember my mom often made a German dish called "Rouladen", beef strips rolled up with bacon and held together by toothpicks. That was always a real treat.
Just for sake of example (I don't know if this was how she did this), here's a link.
German Beef Rouladens, German Rouladens, Beef Rouladens, King of Meats, Beef Recipe, Steak Recipe, Rouladen Recipe

[Riverside4ever]

I ate rattlesnake in florida . It was pretty good .

I rather buy my meat in a store , But Im NOT against Hunting for food ..

If I needed to I would .. Even the fish I catch I let go .. Ive yet to taste a deer meal I liked . I dont like the taste of deer meat at all , I know of a few familys that DEPEND on the outdoors to feed themselves .. To each their own .. If you eat them then I have no problem with it .. But if you kill it for the antlers then I think otherwise ..

[varmintblaster]

Riverside:

Vennsion has less fat than store bought beef, and zero of the other nasties that are injected into cattle. The food source of the deer has alot to do with the texture and taste of the meat. A deer that grazed along farmlands will be more tender than one that inhabitats the scrub oaks and forests.

No big secret to the proper prep of vennsion. Rule #1 - don't overcook it.

I don't begrude the trophy hunters, they still eat the meat, I don't expect them to throw away the rack.

I C&R most of the fish I catch. Trout are o.k. over a campfire. But give me a bunch of perch,bluegill, or walleye and you have a meal that will rival lobster tail.

Catching and keeping fish is an important management tool in smaller streams and farmer's ponds, otherwise overpopulation will result in stunted growth and increased occurrences of disease. It is part of a proper balance and is actually a necessity to control the population of panfish (that is why the state sets the daily limit at 50).

Frank - you are correct. They are not going to place big ads in local newspapers offering free food to the masses (for obvious reasons). But if you get out and about and socialize within your town, whether it be a bar, restaurants, church group, or other activities you are likely to hear about one or two.

[Huskyz]

When we attended and helped plan family oriented game dinners, we included some dishes for non-game fans and kids. Typical were chicken dishes...and hot dogs for kids. We also provided some veggies and starch dishes.

One favorite was ratatouille, a nice accompaniment to meat game dishes. We got a chuckle out folks who were unfamiliar with it inquiring if it contained rat

[weluvpa]

Goose cubes are easy, but the preparation of the meat is important.

We take great care to immediately or as fast as possible field dress the birds, especially if its hot out. You want to cool the meat down as fast as possible and leaving the goose in one piece with all of that down on it won't allow that to happen.
Mod cut - too graphic

Next clean the breasts well, removing any fat(there is usually none), veins, skin, etc.....Once the meat is cleaned then I proceed to cut the breasts into cubes about 2" square or smaller and then marinade it in teriyaki sauce with pineapple juice in it already, but you can use your own separately and I have added lemon and orange juice on times as well. The acid in the juice is what really helps sink the flavor of the teriyaki sauce into the meat. I let marinade 4 hours+ or overnight.

Remove meat from marinade and then wrap in 1/2 piece of bacon and tooth pick. You have to use 1/2 piece because if the bacon wraps all the way around and over top of itself it will be to thick and it will not cook right.
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Grill on high heat, the idea is too cook the bacon, but not over cook the goose so that the juices and fat from the bacon runs into and all over the meat. Once bacon is cooked and the goose should be medium to med rare and then your good to go. Remember to continuously turn the cubes so that it cooks evenly on all sides.
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Texture is the same as beef and the taste is very similar. Trust me if my 12yr old son will eat it, most would like it.
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Maybe I'll throw up my recipe for Panko CRusted Striped bass with a citrus drizzle to go with over it....
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