Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Texas hunters are not only conservationists, they are also philanthropists who help feed hungry Texans.

This past season, we had 192,040 pounds of meat donated, which is the most that we have had donated in one season.

That translated to more than 768-thousand quarter-pound servings of ground venison. Anitra Hendricks coordinates the Hunters for the Hungry program, administered by the Texas Association of Community Action Agencies.

The way that the meat processors package it is in two pound servings. Some of the pantries will use the venison in soups, or they will use it in spaghetti, or they may just hand out the individual packages.

Hunters taking part, bring donated deer to participating processors, and pay a small processing fee.

He can request a receipt if he’s not automatically given one; and that receipt will be for what he paid for the processing. That cost may or may not be tax deductible. And that is up to the hunter to contact a tax consultant.

We have links to more information about Hunters for the Hungry at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show, made possible by a grant from the Sport fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…working to increase fishing, boating, shooting and hunting in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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2009-2010 Participating Processors

Panhandle
North Central
Post Oak Savannah
Pineywoods
Trans Pecos
Hill Country
South Texas
Oak Prairie/Coastal

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Wild Game for dinner, photo © Cecilia Nasti

Tips for Cooking Venison Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We’re in the thick of fall hunting season, which means venison is on the menu. When cooking this perfect protein, it’s important to use the correct method to achieve the best flavor and texture.

Either you’re going to cook it a very short amount of time or not even cook it at all—raw in the form of tartar—which is excellent. Or you’re going to cook it where it’s just got a nice brow crust on the outside, and it’s still rare or medium rare on the inside; or, you’re going to cook it at a very slow rate for a long time like a braise or a very slow roast.

Jesse Griffiths is a hunter and professional chef in Austin. He says slow cooking allows the fats, sinews and collagen to melt, which makes the meat juicy and tender.

So, braising is a good way, because it’s a moist cooking. You brown it off first, develop flavor, and then cook it in liquid. And so that keeps the moisture in there. Then cook it gently—don’t boil it—you have to get a nice simmer. Keep it in the oven. The secret is just to have patience.

Chef Griffiths also does all his own processing, because he uses all parts of the animal, including liver, kidneys, bones and more.

I think it’s just a shame to waste anything off of any animal. Especially when we put so much work into hunting.

We have a venison recipe from Chef Griffiths at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Stuffed Venison Flank
Recipe by Jessee Griffiths of Dai Due Supper Club, Austin, Texas

Tomatoes can be added to this dish to make a tomato-based sauce instead of just stock. Dried Fruit, mushrooms or other vegetables such as carrots or parsnips can be added to the braise as well.

Ingredients
2 boneless venison flanks
salt & pepper to taste
1 pound ground pork
chopped fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary & sage
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 eggs beaten
olive oil
2 onions, sluiced thin
1 pint tomatoes (optional)
wine (optional)
stock or water, as needed.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Lay the flanks in front of you with the grain running horizontally. Season them with salt & pepper. Mix the ground pork, herbs, breadcrumbs and eggs in a small bowl and season with salt & pepper. Spread this mix onto the flanks and roll the flanks around the stuffing. Tie the flanks with kitchen twine.

In a large pan (big enough to accommodate the rolled, stuffed flanks), heat a good amount of olive oil and patiently brown the stuffed flanks until browned. Remove the flanks to an ovenproof casserole. Add the onions (as well as other optional vegetables like carrots, celery, parsnips, garlic, ginger, etc.) to the pan in which you browned the flanks and cook until softened. Add the optional wine / or tomatoes and cook until reduced by half. Pour over the flanks and add enough water or stock to come halfway up the meat. Bring to a boil and place int eh oven, uncovered. Braise, turning the flanks every 30 minutes, for 2 to 5 hours, or until tender (this will depend on the animal). Add more liquid as necessary. Taste the finished sauce and season as needed with salt and pepper. Allow to rest for a few minutes or cool overnight; curt away twine, and slice thickly against the grain.

This is passport to Texas

Jesse Griffiths, a hunter and professional chef in Austin, held a class where he taught folks how to efficiently process their own deer.

You know, there’s just a lot of reasons why doing it yourself is so much better… because, you don’t know what they’re mixing it with. Maybe you’re not even getting your own deer back. Maybe the people that they’re mixing your deer with –they didn’t take very good care of their deer. Maybe they did the whole, carry it around on the top of their Suburban in some hot weather for awhile. So, you don’t really know. And by putting it in your own hands, it’s really going to do everybody a little more good.

When you process your own animal you minimize waste and maximize flavor potential, because you can use every part of it. Nothing is wasted.

We’re going to use the liver and the kidneys and the bones, and the neck—everything today. I just want to show people how good that stuff is and if you’re taking the time to kill it, then take the time to enjoy every little bit of it, too.

In short order, this perfect protein was transformed into usable cuts of meat. Tomorrow the best cooking methods for game…

I want to get people beyond the bacon, jalapeno situation that most game cooking is in.

Find one of Chef Griffith’s venison recipes at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Venison Chorizo
Recipe by Chef Jesse Griffiths from Dai Due Supper Club in Austin, Texas

Ingredients

5 pounds of venison
-or-
3 pounds venison
2 pounds fatty pork

1 1/4 ounces Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon cumin seed
1 Tablespoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon Mexican Oregano
3 Tablespoons dried chili powder (i.e. bolsa, chipotle, ancho, paprika, etc.)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Preparation

Season the venison (or venison and pork) with the salt and set aside. Grind the spices in a spice or coffee grinder and add to the meat with the vinegar. Toss well and grind through a medium plate. Use as bulk sausage.

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This is Passport to Texas

December’s Parks and Wildlife TV Series offers segments on rare breeds, including the endangered whooping crane. Producer, Ron Kabele.

The whooping cranes have two problems. One is that they are all centrally located into one area. So, if a hurricane come s up, or any other major storm, it could wipe out the entire population. So, what biologists want to do, is they want to create different places along the coast where the whooping cranes will nest. This has proven to be a pretty daunting task. But it’s a good idea. The other problem is one that people probably don’t think about. As the rivers come down, we divert more and more of that water for agriculture, for cities, and that decreases what’s called freshwater inflow. And this robs the bay of the nutrients that the whooping cranes need.

Another rare breed is the Texas Game Warden.

They have to be as much a diplomat as a law enforcement officer. Another thing, too, that’s cool about the wardens that I learned is not all of their contact with the public is in a negative way. They have to be as much a diplomat as a law enforcement officer. Who would have thought that law enforcement would be a basically a huge networking game? And that’s what it is for the game wardens. If they don’t have the contacts with landowners and the hunters and just everyone else—they’re going to be very limited in how they do their job.

That’s our show… we receive support from the Sport Fish Restoration program…which funds fisheries research in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

Trees are habitat for wildlife. And if you’re adding new trees to your landscape, you need to know the rules.

People frequently ask how close they can put a tree to the house, because shade on the house obviously is a huge energy savings. The general rule of thumb is you go no closer to the house than the eaves are high. So, if you measure up to the eaves of your house, and it’s ten feet high, then you need to get ten feet back from the house.

Scott Harris, a certified arborist in Austin, recommends planting only native specimens.

You always want to plant your trees at the exact level they were in the pot. Don’t dig a big deep hole, dig a big wide hole. Always use the same soil you took out to backfill. But, you can put your compost underneath the mulch, and then all of that organic goodness will dribble down in the way that nature intended.

By watering infrequently and deeply, we can help new trees develop extensive root systems.

If you just have a little bit of water in one area, that’s where the roots are going to go. But if you water very deeply, it’ll spread into the surrounding soil, and the roots will follow that moisture out.

Strong root systems help trees remain strong and withstand drought.

That’s our show…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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