There are so many things about hunting that I truly love. The preparation long before the hunt that includes figuring out the new regulations, which can be as complicated as writing a term paper on a subject that you think you have knowledge about and find out that you actually know nothing. Making sure we have the arrows/points or other ammo that we think we should use for each species or hunt. Getting to the range to perfect our skills and tune up our weapons for success. These are all so individual and personal they almost feel like a religious experience, at least to me they do.

As in most all cooking, prep work is essential to allow smooth flowing of the cooking process. Here, onion, celery, carrots, parsnips, and rutabaga are prepped.

The camaraderie of hunting has always been my favorite. Talking and comparing ideas and information at the range, the bar, or the garage. Hunters have so much information to share, and some actually share what they know. But some just keep it all to themselves until you speak up about a subject that you are not exactly the expert on but then you will really hear from these folks! And you should pay attention!

The way hunters help each other and cheer each other on is a beautiful thing to behold. We often make sure that our friends who are newer to hunting are successful, even if it means we personally go home with nothing but a smile on our face, new campfire memories, and a plan to help take care of the meat if someone is fortunate enough to bring some home. Now we are getting to my favorite part!

When a group of people, whether it be just two or 22, gathers in the garage or kitchen to process an animal, a magical thing seems to happen. There are so many different experiences and methods that each person has gleaned from their personal hunting heritage that I stand in awe. Sometimes the awe is, “Awe, hell no! That is not how that is done.” But still, there is an “awe” factor. And then everybody kicks into their task. Some just drink beer and give direction and the rest cut, trim, package, and store. It is kind of a perfect storm.

We all seem to know how to break down the hind quarters into their primal cuts. But we all seem to differ on what to do with our backstraps. Cut them out and butterfly is another, “Awe, hell no!” I prefer to leave them in a beautiful bone-in crown that has so many future applications. And then there is the question of what to do with the chain meat, the scraps, and the pieces we ferret out of the nooks and crannies. There are some fairly strong opinions on this, too.

This is what I do…I leave the chain meats whole, as they can either be used as stew meat or put into the grind pile at the end. Some of the chain pieces come from cleaning up the best cuts, so I keep those pieces for kebobs. Other pieces have a place in the butchery of beef but seem to end up in the grind pile when it comes to wild game processing. If the piece is somewhat like a miniature roast, I cut this up for stew. And frankly, most anything that you wouldn’t cut into a chunk for stew or kebob is bound to hit the grind pile. I usually end up with at least one good pack of kebob chunks and two or three 2-pound packs of stew meat. But that is just me. We all do things differently.

So, if you have some packs of stew meat, burger, or have made a nice roast and have some leftovers, this is a great comfort food that you can make into individual portions or one big pot to be shared. The aroma will make your house smell inviting and your friends and family will always remember it as a comforting and filling meal that won’t soon leave their memories. And it is super easy, too. I hope you enjoy just a bit more camaraderie!

Venison or Elk Stew with Drop Biscuits

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds of stew meat or you can use ground meat for a burger stew
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 3 carrots
  • ½ pound quartered potatoes
  • 3 parsnips
  • 1 rutabaga
  • ½ butter nut squash
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 1 quart of beef broth or bone broth
  • 2 tsp fresh chopped garlic
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • One packet of Red Lobster brand biscuits or use the biscuit recipe of your choice
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp fresh chopped chives
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Methods:

In lieu of Red Lobster brand biscuit mix, you can prepare your own batter and add cheese of your choice, freshly chopped chives, and thyme.

In your stew pot, heat the oil to a high heat and season your meat with salt and pepper or any other seasoning that you really like. Sear your meat a few pieces at a time, browning each side, and remove to a bowl. If you use ground burger, just brown it up nicely and leave it in the pot and proceed with the rest of the recipe. (This is really good with burger, FYI.)

Add the chopped onion and chopped celery and sauté until the onion becomes slightly translucent, turn the heat to simmer and add the garlic, rosemary, and thyme and stir into the pot until it becomes aromatic. Remove the rosemary and thyme, don’t worry about any leaves or bits that might fall from the stem. This will be great, but the whole sprig will overwhelm the dish.

In the same pot, pour your beef broth in, add your meat, and put this in the oven at 275°F for three hours checking to make sure there is plenty of liquid, and if you need more, just add more broth. Then add all your fresh peeled and chopped ingredients. Turn up the heat to 350°F and let stew for one more hour, lid on.

When all your meat and veggies have made your house smell amazing, stir the corn starch into 1 cup of cold water, making a slurry. Take the stew pot out of the oven and slowly add this to the stew while stirring until thickened, making it saucy.

Make your Red Lobster drop biscuits according to the manufacturer’s directions on the box and drop them onto the top of the stew. This is where the butter, chives, thyme, and cheddar cheese come into play. They are all part of the biscuit directions on the box. Or you can make your own recipe of biscuits adding 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and some thyme and chives to the dough.

Place the stew with the biscuits on top back into the oven with the lid off at 425°F for 15 minutes or until they turn a nice golden brown. After you pull your stew from the oven, brush the biscuits with butter and serve in a bowl or on a plate.

The final dish is aromatic and delicious.

You can also make individual stew bowls with one biscuit on top. It’s so much fun and easy to make.

Repurposing the roast from a family dinner into another meal is so smart and easy to do. Sometimes there aren’t enough leftovers to make a second meal unless you are thinking ahead about using it as a base for something else. Just break up the meat, sauté the onions, celery, garlic, and herbs as above and add the broth and other vegetables bringing it to a boil on the stove top. Put the lid on it and let it simmer for an hour before adding the biscuits and baking in the oven.

Pot Roast is ideal for a secondary meal. I just try to not serve it the next day. I give it another day, so everybody thinks I slaved over the stove again. Deep down inside I know I just made another great repurposed leftover meal that everyone will enjoy during the long winter months.

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Featured image caption: This recipe is excellent for venison or elk. Margie used elk stew meat, but burger works just as well.