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The Road Kill Cookbook – A feast before your very tires

 

As you may have noticed, I use a lot of wild game in my recipes. I prefer wild meat over store bought because I know that the wild game has been feeding on natural foods and not chemical enhanced super-nutrients to make it grow fast.

I know what you’re  thinking: I must be the greatest hunter in the world to have all that great wild meat to cook with. Well you are right, I am the greatest hunter in the world. However, living in a state that has a one animal per year bag limit does tend to limit the meat supply, so come spring it’s time to do some road side shopping.

The Road Kill Cookbook is full of helpful hints and tips for obtaining, preparing and cooking your gourmet roadside meal. The book details the best vehicles to use for obtaining your game — now we all know why I drive a Ford Ranger — as well as what critters are best to avoid. The recipes for preparing the different game are simple and easy to follow, but when you serve these dishes to your friends they will think you had the party catered by a gourmet chef.  You will be the star of your circle of friends.

The Road Kill Cookbook is a great starting point for road side shopping and as you get more experience you will learn even more techniques. The section titled “The Roadside Shopper” Is full of helpful hints to get you started.  It has great detail on how to shop for yellow line yummies. “When and Where to Shop” explains the best times and locations, and the equipment list has details on the equipment you will need to process your bounty for the table.

The “small game” and “upland bird” sections would be the best place for you to start your roadside shopping career. They will get you ready to shop for all of your favorite cartoon characters and they both explain the best techniques for a successful shopping trip. This includes the best spot on the car to use to collect the critter as well as how to tell if the one you find already waiting at the yellow line is good to eat.

After a few successful shopping trips you will be ready to move up to the waterfowl section.  These require a bit more planning to avoid costly repair costs. When you have your confidence up you can then try the “Big Game” section. This is where the real fun begins. There is nothing better than skinning and deboning a deer or elk along the road to get the choice cuts home for dinner. “Buck’s Butcher Shop” Section is a must read before you take on the big game. Buck explains how to skin, quarter, and debone your prize here.

Some of the better recipes in The Road Kill Cookbook are Roast Smokey, a simple and tasty way to prepare Bear roast. Moose Saddle is another roast that Buck explains how to cut from the Moose in his “Butcher Shop” Section.  And the Antelope Back strap recipe is wonderful. Backstrap steaks with onions and Mushroom Soup will work just as well for any of your big game prizes.

The Road Kill Cookbook is written to be quick and easy to read and well worth your time to read. With the way prices are skyrocketing on groceries I think we will be seeing a lot more roadside shoppers in the future so don’t wait until it’s to late.

I give The Road Kill Cookbook my 5 Camo hat rating.

5 camo hats

Photo Credit: Jeff Love

2 Responses to “The Road Kill Cookbook – A feast before your very tires”

April 5, 2009 at 4:23 PM

Ok Mr Love, I gotta read this book it sounds very informative, Keep these tidbits coming our way, I enjoy most of your recipes, but what I enjoy most is the humor you add to other wise good recipes. Your recipes are what I call down to earth hearty food.

April 7, 2009 at 12:55 PM

Oh my god – I can’t even put a lobster in a pot of boiling water! Nor can I eat lamb or veal without thinking of cute wittle baby animals. And I was once so traumatized after hitting a squirrel that I couldn’t even bring myself to leave the scene of the “crime” until I finally realized there was no tiny squirrel ambulance coming to take the little guy away. It’s almost like you and I are from two different planets Mr. Love!

Nonetheless, I appreciate that tastes and culinary experiences vary within the U.S. just as they do across the planet and I love learning about more than just my local food choices and traditional ways of preparing meals so I will continue to read your posts and enjoy your unique and humorous perspective — even if the likelihood of me ever aiming to hit an animal, skin it, debone it, cook it and eat it are pretty much zero-point-zero percent ;-)

Darlene W.

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