It's entirely possible that the one thing we love as much as the hunt is the actual cooking of wild game meat (and eating, of course). And even if you already have a few favorite go-to recipes, it can be nice to switch things up with new ways of cooking your hard-earned game.
Who better to turn to for inspiration than chefs who specialize in exactly that? Conscious and prepared eating are now the buzzwords for today's great wild game recipes and these folks have the knowledge and the experience to show us how.
Let's dig in and take a closer look at some of today's best wild game chefs and what they (literally) bring to the table!
Jennifer Danella
Jennifer Danella
Jennifer Danella is an author, hunter, and wild game cook who shares simple yet intriguing ways to bake, roast, fry, grill, and smoke wild game meat. Danella has her own page here on Wide Open Spaces and on Instagram, but she is also an author of The Weekend Wild Game Cookbook: Easy, Everyday Meals for Hunters and Their Families. Whether you are looking for breakfast, soups and stews, or even some great tailgate food, this is one wild game chef you're going to need to add to your favorites list.
Wade Truong
Self-taught chef and hunter, Wade Truong has loved the outdoors since he was a boy growing up in Virginia. An avid hunter, angler, and forager, Truong has made a name for himself as a wild game chef with features in the New York Times and Garden & Gun. His blog and brand, Elevated Wild, shares beautifully photographed recipes for venison, small game, waterfowl, all types of fish, and wild edible plants Truong has foraged,
Bri Van Scotter
Bri Van Scotter, creator of Wilderness to Table, is a professionally trained chef and an advocate for conscious wild game eating through hunting. Van Scotter has written multiple books, has worked as a Culinary Chef Instructor, and cooked in some of the best restaurants in the nation. Although she hasn't been a lifelong hunter, she now has a large resume of rifle hunting, bow hunting, spear fishing, and fly fishing adventures from all over the world.
John Wallace
Whether he's stuffing sausage or frying tenderloins in the cast iron skillet, John Wallace has made it his pleasure to share and teach others how he treats wild game like gold. Some of his venison recipes include Philly cheesesteak, salisbury steaks, venison Wellington, country fried steak, sloppy 'does,' and spaghetti with meat sauce. The Wild Game Cook (as his Instagram account is called) is the perfect follow for finding new recipes that everyday sportsmen and women can tackle at home — and also serves up the occasional occasional gourmet dish, too.
Jeremiah Doughty
In 2010, Jeremiah Doughty found out that he was allergic to bovine fats and other processed red meats. As he explains on his blog, From Field To Plate, it was then that the lifelong hunter and outdoorsman began to lean on his knowledge of wild game. Some of his most recent mouthwatering recipes include Duck Camp Chili, Loaded Wild Turkey Fries, and Honey Whiskey BBQ Turkey Bites just to name a few. This wild game chef has a unique perspective on hunting and the outdoors, teaching us all over again where our food really comes from.
Hank Shaw
If you hate the idea of buying your meat from a store and want to take your level of cooking wild game to the next level, you need to follow Hank Shaw, creator of Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook. As he explains on his blog, "I spend my days thinking about new ways to cook and eat anything that walks, flies, swims, crawls, skitters, jumps - or grows." Shaw has written five cookbooks and his recipes have been published in many of our favorite journals including Field & Stream. One look at the venison, duck and goose, and sausage recipes alone will have you licking your chops.
