Showstopping Main Dish: Venison Rib Roast
If you really want to wow the family at the Christmas dinner table this year, try this recipe for herb-crusted venison rib roast from Girl Carnivore. It looks super fancy and impressive, but it’s not nearly as complicated to make as your guests might assume. You’ll start the rack in a hot skillet and finish it in the oven, so this whole dish comes together in well under an hour. Use a meat thermometer so you don’t overcook it! And if you need help figuring out how to butcher this cut on your next deer, check out this video from The Bearded Butcher. Photo courtesy girlcarnivore.com
Deceptively Easy Entrée: Orange-Glazed Goose Breast
If you want to go with a waterfowl entrée for Christmas, we vote for this orange-glazed Canada goose breast from The Sporting Chef, Scott Leysath. With bright, citrusy flavors and a buttery sauce, how can you go wrong? This recipe cooks on the stovetop and won’t take long at all, so you can even give it a try on a random weeknight for dinner. And you won’t even have to visit the expensive grocery store across town to pick up any unusual ingredients! Photo courtesy thesportingchef.com
Pass-Around Party Snacks: Red Chili Rabbit Tacos
If you’re hosting a holiday party and need a delectable finger food recipe, check out this red chili rabbit tacos from Andrew Zimmern. Everyone loves tacos, and rabbit is a great introduction to wild game for anyone who isn’t used to eating it—it’s mild, lean and delicious. You’ll need a few different kinds of chilis for this, not to mention the rabbits, so plan ahead. Want to take this to the next level? Make your own tortillas! A tomatillo salsa recipe is included here, but we won’t tell anyone if you take a shortcut and buy verde sauce at the grocery store. Photo courtesy andrewzimmern.com
Cold-Night Stew: Wild Hog Cassoulet
Nothing beats a hearty, belly-warming soup or stew on a cold December night, and this wild hog cassoulet from MeatEater will fill the bill nicely. It takes hours to cook, but most of that is just simmering time, so start it right after lunch, then go decorate the Christmas tree or wrap presents and keep an occasional eye on the pot until supper time. With beans, sausage, wild hog (shoulder), veggies and bacon, this French dish has something for everyone. Don’t forget to serve with a crusty baguette! Photo courtesy of themeateater.com
Casual Apps: Pheasant Wings Buffalo Style
How about another snack to nosh on at a holiday party or while watching football? These buffalo wings, courtesy of Hank Shaw, are done wild-game style using pheasant wings. You’ll start by simmering the wings for up to two hours—pheasants aren’t as tender as farm-raised chickens, so they need a little help—then marinate them before baking them until crispy. The classic buffalo-style sauce puts them over the top! Photo by Holly A. Heyser/courtesy honest-food.net
Rich Dessert: Bear-Fat Pie Crust
Who could forget about dessert? Now, hear me out: If you didn’t know, bear fat makes a legendarily flaky and delicious pie crust. Be sure to save and render out the fat from your next black bear and save it in the fridge for baking. (By the way, rendering is easy to do: Put chunks of fat in a crockpot and cook on low until it melts and you can strain out the little bits of meat). Then you can use this recipe from Game and Fish Magazine to whip up this crust and make your favorite holiday pie—apple is a classic, but because this is a two-crust recipe, you could also get two open-top pies out of this, like pumpkin or pecan. Photo courtesy gameandfishmag.com
