As another season gets underway, Wyoming hunters will be heading out to the mountains, the sagebrush, lakes and rivers to hunt all manner of big game, birds and more. But harvesting an animal is only one part of the process, as once you've processed your meat, it's then time to figure out how you're going to serve it on the table. The Tribune asked a few hunters around the state about their favorite game recipes.

       

Elk Dumplings

These little pockets of flavor have become a freezer staple in our household for quick and easy meals. You can use pre-made dumpling wrappers to save time, but the homemade version is so much better. Once a year, I’ll make a double batch to freeze and eat throughout the year. I think these would be great with taco seasoned filling too.

Dumpling filling

2 pounds ground elk meat

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ black pepper

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

½ cup finely chopped green onions

¼ cup shredded, then finely chopped carrots

¼ cup finely chopped mushrooms

¼ cup teriyaki sauce

1 egg beaten

¼ cup plain bread crumbs

Dough

4 cups flour

2 cups boiling water

4 teaspoon salt

   

Dough wrappers preparation

Pour flour and salt into a wide bowl that you can fit both hands in comfortably. Mix flour and salt well. Create a well in the center and slowly pour in the hot water. Using a wooden spoon mix in the water until clumps form. Then hand-knead the dough until fully combined. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time if dough is too dry and hasn’t clumped.

Form dough into one large ball. Remove from bowl and knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. The dough should be soft and not sticky. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is well-worked and smooth in texture. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for at least one hour.

After resting, using a rolling pin to roll out half of your dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Cut flattened dough with a 4” round cookie cutter. You can save the scraps to re-roll too. Another option is to use a tortilla press with 1-inch balls of dough.

   

Filling preparation

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients for the filling except the breadcrumbs. Once all the ingredients are well mixed, fold in breadcrumbs. 

   

Assembling the dumplings

Place one 4-inch round wrapper in your hand, add a spoonful of the filling in the center, about 1-2 tablespoons, fold in half and pinch the edges together. Pleat the edge to seal the dough. * After using this hand wrapping process once, I purchased a simple dumpling press. I find I get a better seal on the wrapper

Place dumplings on a parchment paper and keep them covered with a towel to prevent them from drying out. 

Assemble until out of wrappers or filling. 

   

Prepare for freezer

Partially freeze dumplings on the parchment paper lined tray or cookie sheet for 30 minutes to one hour.

Package individual dumplings into your favorite freeze bags

   

Cooking

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium to large frying pan over medium heat.

Place dumplings, fresh or straight from the freezer, in a single layer in the pan and fry for 1-3 minutes until the bottoms are golden. Flip and fry the other side for 1-2 minutes

Add 2/3 cup water and cover the pan to with a sealing lid

Steam dumplings for 10-15 minutes. Add water as needed

Remove from pan and serve with your favorite dipping sauce

— Eastmans’ Hunting Journal, Powell

   

Mule Deer For Breakfast

Around the Eastmans’ offices we always seem to be blessed with mule deer, for which we are very grateful. We also share a breakfast together to kickstart every week and that means we eat a lot of mule deer throughout the year. Below we’ve worked up a couple of tips for grinding any game meat into the best breakfast sausage you can make and one of our favorite recipes for a big group breakfast. 

Using mule deer to create delicious breakfast sausage is one of our staff’s favorite ways to bring mule deer to the table. While each of us have different preferences we have found some common ground when it comes to sausage and below you’ll find exactly how we prefer to have mule deer for breakfast. 

The easy to use kits from Hi Mountain are far and away our favorite way to grind up a batch or two of breakfast sausage. Todd’s favorites are the Prairie Sage Blend and Original Mountain Man Blend. Brandon Mason and Scott Reekers prefer the Hunter’s Blend while Ike, Guy and Dan Pickar all go for the Country Style every time! 

   

The Eastmans’ Trick

Simply following the directions provided with the kits is the best way to go but we all prefer a bit of a twist. For fat we grind in 20%-30% bacon ends and pieces. Bulk packs of bacon ends and pieces can be readily had at most grocery stores or Wal-Mart and the added salt and smoke they bring to your breakfast sausage is ideal for lean meat like mule deer. If you cannot get ends and pieces simply use the cheapest, fattiest bacon you can find. 

Once you’ve got your sausage made it’s time to start cooking and a biscuits and gravy casserole is easy to make and sure to please just about any crowd.

   

Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

(Via spicysouthernkitchen.com)

This recipe can be assembled the night before and baked in the morning.

Ingredients

1 (8-count) tube refrigerated biscuits

1 pound breakfast sausage

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups milk divided

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

7 eggs

8 ounces shredded mild cheddar cheese

   

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Cut each biscuit into four pieces and scatter biscuit pieces across the bottom of the baking dish.

Cook sausage in a large pan, crumbling it with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Once fully cooked, remove it with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. I like to leave about 1/4 cup of sausage in the pan for the gravy.

Add butter to the grease in the pan and set pan over medium heat. Add flour and stir and cook for two minutes.

Gradually whisk in 2 cups of milk. Add garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer until thickened. Remove from heat.

Whisk together eggs with remaining 1/2 cup milk in a medium bowl. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Sprinkle sausage over biscuits. Sprinkle one-half of cheese over sausage.

Pour egg mixture on top, followed by gravy and remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

— Eastmans’ Hunting Journal, Powell   

     

Cowboy Elk Lasagna 

Ingredients

1 ¼ pounds elk burger with sausage mix

12 slices of thick-cut bacon

2 cups of marinara sauce

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces egg noodles

½ cup sour cream

1 ¼ cups small curd cottage cheese

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch

2 tablespoons butter

One chopped large white onion

12 ounces of shredded cheddar/mozzarella/parmesan cheese

1 cup of shredded mushrooms

    

Preparation

Brown the elk meat in a large skillet. Drain the fat, then add the marinara sauce, ¼ teaspoon salt and ground black pepper. Stir and then let simmer as you prepare the other ingredients.

Sauté in a skillet with butter the chopped onion and mushrooms. Add to elk meat. 

Chop the bacon into small pieces. Sauté until crisp. Drain the skillet and place the bacon pieces between paper towels. Set aside.

Cook the egg noodles until done. Drain and set aside.

Make a béchamel sauce by taking a large measuring bowl and dissolve the cornstarch with a small amount of milk. When dissolved, add the rest of the milk, butter and ¼ teaspoon of salt.  Cook in the microwave until thickened stirring several times. Do not let boil over. 

In a medium bowl combine the sour cream, cottage cheese and béchamel sauce. Add pepper and a pinch of the red pepper flakes. Add to the noodles and stir. Add the green onions and stir. 

To assemble the lasagna, add half the noodles in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture and then sprinkle on half the bacon pieces and half of the cheese mixture. Repeat with noodles, meat, bacon and then a final layer of cheeses. 

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until all of the cheese is melted and the dish is bubbly — about 30 minutes.

Serves eight big hunters. 

— Nina Webber, Cody

   

Smoked Duck Bacon Sushi

 Ingredients

Half a smoked duck breast or smoked trout or smoked salmon pieces

12 ounces of thick sliced bacon

1 cup of Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice

1 can of diced tomatoes – small

2 teaspoons of toasted cumin seeds

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon of paprika

Salt

Pepper

4 ouncs of Pepper Jack cheese – grated

    

Preparation

Prepare the 90-second rice. Set aside.

Cook the bacon in a skillet or a flat pan in the oven until still floppy.

Pat the grease off the bacon with layers of paper towel. Let cool.

In a medium serving bowl put the rice, water, tomatoes and seasonings and stir. Pour into a pot and let it get hot and then simmer for 20 minutes.  Stir.

Cut a piece of foil 6” by 12”. Lay the cooled bacon strips on it with edges slightly overlapping.  Using a large spoon or spatula, make a layer of the rice and tomato mixture. 

Place the small smoked pieces of duck or fish across the rice and tomato layer. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the first two layers. 

Using the foil, roll the layers into a long roll. Pick up the foil and set it onto a baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes until the bacon is crispy. 

Let the roll cool slightly and then using a sharp knife cut the individual sushi pieces. 8-10 pieces. 

Enjoy!

— Nina Webber, Cody

    

Wild Game Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

2 pounds potatoes peeled and quartered

1 large stick of butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups vegetables – diced carrots, corn, peas

2 pounds ground elk, deer or pronghorn (we add 50% pork sausage to the meat when grinding)

½ cup beef broth

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt, pepper, other seasonings such as Wyoming Steak Rub

1 can creamed corn

2 cups grated cheese

    

Preparation

Place the peeled and quartered potatoes in a medium sized pot. Cover with cold water. Add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender (about 20 minutes).

Sauté vegetables. While the potatoes are cooking, melt three-fourths of the butter stick in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the chopped onions, carrots, peas and cook until tender — about 6-10 minutes.

Add the ground meat, then Worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Bring the broth to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth if necessary to keep the meat moist.

When the potatoes are done cooking, place them in a bowl with the remaining butter. Mash and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Layer the meat mixture and mashed potatoes in a large casserole dish. Spread the meat and vegetables in an even layer.  Place the can of creamed corn in a layer. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the creamed corn. Put a half inch layer of grated cheese over the mashed potato layer.

Bake in oven. Place in a 400 degree oven and cook until browned and bubbling — about 30 minutes.

Very hearty and complete meal that is perfect after a hard day of hunting in the mountains. Will feed five big elk hunters easy. 

 — Nina Webber, Cody

    

Baked Elk Tenderloin

Ingredients

1 3-pound section of elk tenderloin

1 white onion diced

2 cups of sliced mushrooms

1 stick of butter

8 slices of Pepper Bacon

Salt

Garlic cloves

Pepper

Ginger

Rosemary

Worcestershire sauce

Butter

    

Preparation

Season the elk meat generously with salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, Worcestershire Sauce — rub and poke into the meat with fork tines. Place in a sprayed glass cooking dish.  You can also place foil on the bottom if desired. 

Wrap the pepper bacon pieces around the tenderloin and secure with toothpicks. 

Sauté the diced onion and mushrooms in butter stirring constantly until soft. Then pour the contents of the skillet over the bacon wrapped tenderloin. Cook at 350 degrees until medium rare. 

— Nina Webber, Cody

    

Seared duck breast

Ingredients

Mallard breasts

Milk

Salt

Cracked pepper

Garlic powder

   

Preparation

Soak mallard breast in milk for 24 hours. Rinse duck breast. Pat dry with paper towel. Sprinkle salt, cracked pepper and garlic powder on both sides. Smoke at 225 degrees until it hits 110 degree internal temperature. Sear at high temp until internal temperature hits 120-130 degrees.

— Ryan Taylor, Cheyenne