Brining Meats For Flavor

Brining is the process of soaking meat in salt water for flavor enhancement or preserving. We most often think of ham or bacon when we think of products created by brining. When I was young I can remember my grandmother brining meats. I thought it was to preserve them but have come to realize that the flavors are just as important or maybe more important. Many people and even restaurants are now brining much of their meat before cooking. The meats have much more flavor and are more difficult to dry out. This past Thanksgiving I brined our Turkey and some pork loins. The flavor was fantastic and the process was simple. You can brine all sorts of meats but my favorites are poultry, pork and fish. Here is a simple brine recipe that is easy to make and use.

Mix the following in a gallon of warm water:
One cup of Kosher Salt
One Cup of Brown Sugar
½ Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
½ Teaspoon of Allspice
A pinch of cloves

This is basic brine and you can add or take away spices to add the flavors you wish. The key ingredients are salt and sugar. You may wish to only brine a chicken breast for an hour or fish fillets for a few hours. You can dilute the mixture for less salt in the meat. I have left a pork loin in the brine in the refrigerator for a week and the end product when smoked was similar to Canadian bacon just better. I recently brined venison tenderloin for two days, rinsed in cold water and rolled in cracked black pepper. I then smoked it with mesquite wood. It was some of the finest eating I know of on God’s earth.
Enjoy, Wild Ed

Nocturnal Bucks

It is always amazing to me that bucks I have never seen while hunting a small tract of property show up at the feeder pictures at night. I currently hunt on a 350 acre family tract in Central Texas but I am limited to 110 acres of this place and pretty much know all the deer on the place. I run two stands and feeders for my daughter and wife to hunt and I just kind of piddle around or take a nap on a fence line somewhere when I take them hunting. Every year there are a few bucks that show up on feeder cameras but are never seen. These are the bucks that learn to pattern people and usually come out after dark and go back in heavy brush before the sun comes up. I am always surprised when I jump up one of these big bucks in the day time. You can find them in strange places where humans seldom go. I have jumped them from brush piles by houses, right behind the barn, in a large cedar pile right out in the middle of a bare field and other places where you would never think about finding a big buck bedding. Check out the micro brush systems where you hunt and it might surprise you what you find. Also hunt at strange times like the middle of the day. These deer figure out that people leave the stand mid morning and do not return till mid afternoon and they can get up a while and feed. Hunt the rut for sure as this is the one time these isolated nocturnal bucks will make mistakes. When those does in heat come by they will get up and follow no matter the time of day. As with most of us the female of the species is often detrimental to our health. Good hunting, Wild Ed

Thanks to our Troops

While you are trying to get over that stuffed feeling from all the food you ate be sure and take a moment to remember all the guys that are on duty in foreign lands. Our soldiers are the ones on guard making sure we can celebrate Thanksgiving and sleep safe at night. I hope you have a peaceful few days guys and get to come home soon. We here at home do appreciate the sacrifices you make and wish you each a happy holiday season. Keep your heads down, Wild ED

Happy Thanksgiving

I would like to wish each of you and your family a safe and happy Thanksgiving. I hope your year has been full of blessings. Don't eat to much and take time to let those close to you know you love them. The proclamation below is by a past presidential candidate that I wish was running today. Happy Thanksgiving, Wild Ed

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation. Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us. And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789. George Washington

Corn Bandits Gang Expands

My wife and I went up to the place to camp over the weekend. I found out I am getting too old to sleep on a pad on the ground. No more camping unless I have a nice cot. We took the lap top so we could see what had been to the feeders and had their picture taken on the Game camera. It looks like I need to have a coon hunt but we enjoy watching them so I guess I will just pay for more corn. One forgets how pretty the moon and stars are when you get away from the city lights and can really see the sky. We sat and watched the skies while listening to the calls of screech owls until we turned in for the night. All of us need to get out in the country a little more and rejuvenate our souls. I am worn out and need a couple of days rest to recover but nice memories were made and some lessons learned. Good camping, Wild Ed

Game Camera False Advertising?

I am now using a Bushnell Trail Camera and have been very pleased with the model I have. I do wish it used a rechargeable 6 volt battery instead of D cells and it would be nice if the flash worked farther out. It was an investment of around a $115.00 and for the money I am pleased.
Bushnell has now sued Non-Typical Cuddeback for false advertising on their game cameras. We have all seen the commercial with the guy walking in front of the cameras. I looked at Cuddeback and liked the camera. I just could not see paying the price they wanted for them. I have a hard enough time leaving a $100.00 camera strapped to a tree in the woods. It now looks as though I, for once in my life, may have made the correct choice.
You can read about Bushnell Trail Cameras at the link below. While you are there if you are curious you can watch a test between Bushnell and Cuddeback cameras by clicking on Trigger Time Truth.
http://www.bushnell.com/trailcameras/trailcameras.cfm?section=General%20Use

"Bushnell repeatedly tried to convince Non-Typical to remove its false and misleading advertisements, but they refused," said Phil Gyori, Vice President of Marketing at Bushnell. "While we much prefer to compete in the market—as we have been doing for years—true competition is difficult when faced with false and misleading advertising. Because Non-Typical refused to remove their false advertising, our management decided that this lawsuit was the only course of action left to us," concluded Gyori.
It is up to you and me to make sure these companies are on the up and up. They should be truthful and stand behind their products. We control where the money is spent and it is time outdoorsman spend their money where it will do the most good.

Have a great season, Wild Ed

Customer Service Saga Continues

Four days after I wrote the article on my experience with the Simmons Scope company I was contacted by email. I have enclosed it for you to see.

Name: Corey Foy

Email: corey.foy@simmonsoutdoorcorp.com

Subject: Eye rubber for Simmons 44mag

Message: Hello Wild Ed

My name is Corey Foy. I am a Consumer Solution Rep. for Meade Instruments Corporation. I would like to help you with your eye rubber problem. If you would please call me any time Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST at (229)-227-9053 ext.164.

Regards,

Corey Foy
Meade Instruments Corporation

I called Corey Foy and he was very nice and apologized for the problem I had with the Simmons Representative I talked to the first time around. I very much appreciate Mr. Foy’s effort but want to say there is no excuse for the first contact. He told me the part I needed was available and one would be sent to me. I offered to pay for the part but he assured me that there was no charge and that I could publish his name and number in case any of you have a problem with a Meade product. I wish to be fair and responsible in what I report to you my readers so I am telling all as it transpired so you can be the judge for yourself. I will let you know if and when I get the part and anything else that transpires. I am always ready to give someone another chance as I hope others do me.

While we are on the subject of customer service I recently received this email from Mike T in Austin.

Subject: good articles

Message: I read all your articles. Good reading. Ditto on the companies that no longer offer decent customer service (unless they get some bad press!) While some companies have gone the no service route, Okuma rods is not one of them. I broke a surf rod I bought from them and they sent me a replacement free. Now that is service!
Mike T.

If you have a customer service story, product review or recommendation you would like to pass on send me an email by clicking on the link on the upper left hand section of the page. If you or your buddies have a good hunting or fishing adventure send it to me and I will publish them when I can. Hope you are having a good season, Wild Ed

Port Aransas Fishing Trip

I received this email from Mike T. in Austin and thought you might like reading about his office fishing trip. Looks like you all had a great trip, wish I had been there.

If you have an adventure in the Texas Outdoors that you think others might be interested in please pass it and your pictures on and I will publish them as time allows. Wild Ed

Dear Wild Ed,
I hear many of my close friends and sportsman complaining about the high cost of hunting and fishing these days. Yes, there are a lot more people hunting and fishing and the cost for our sport has gone through the roof in many cases. I am an avid fisherman and some of my co-workers had been asking me to put together a fishing trip for them. All of the guys are sports minded men, but most of them had never fished the Texas coast or been out on a charter boat before. We decided to rent a nice condo right on the beach. This time of year you can get a really nice 4 bedroom condo with full kitchen for 2 nights. The cost ran $60 per night, per person. (That is a real deal even during the off season.) I also reserved 4 spots on the Scat Cat just to give the guys a taste of what saltwater fishing is all about. As you can see from the pictures, we caught a variety of sharks, amberjack, kingfish, various snapper, pompano, tuna and a few other species. These types of party boat trips may not be for folks that fish all the time or can afford private charters, but they are a great way to introduce your children, friends or anyone that wants to learn what saltwater fishing is all about. The deck hands went to a lot of trouble to make sure all the kids, ladies and new fisherman got a chance to reel in one of the larger fish, and made it really fun for the people who had never been out on a boat before. There are several different charter companies in Port Aransas and each one caters to a different group of customer. First timers may want to use the Scat Cat as it is a large air conditioned boat and should the seas be rough, the larger boats help keep seasick newcomers to a minimum. You can put together a trip like this for under $250 per person. That is not bad for a real weekend of fun with friends and family.
Mike T.

Hawking and Falconry Pictures from Today

A close friend and I took our hawks to a new place to scout for game today. It was beautiful and scenic country but had little in the way of small game. We ended up flying sparrows and large winged grasshoppers with a Red Tailed Hawk and a Harris Hawk. Final tally was ten grasshoppers and one sparrow. The Hawks and the grasshoppers put on a great aerial show and some fantastic grabs on the wing. I thought you might like to see the pictures I took along the way. Good Hawking, Wild Ed

Game Camera Saga Continues...Corn Bandits

I just wanted to pass on some pictures taken by a Game Camera set up at a corn feeder. My family enjoyed the pictures of several Raccoons that come every night to the all you can eat buffet. Also a small whitetail buck keeps showing up just in time for dinner. Enjoy, Wild Ed

Customer Service? NOT!

Through the years I have been a big fan of several optic companies. My first rifle scopes were Weaver and later I had several Redfields. As optics got more expensive I became a fan of Simmons and have used the 44 Mag series of scopes for many years. On a recent hunt I lost one of the rubber eye rings on the back of a Simmons scope. It had been from hot to cold and in tough conditions many times and had stretched somewhat through the years. It was completely my fault and I lost it so I do not blame Simmons for that, but it probably should not have stretched. I am however very upset about this new company that now owns Weaver, Redfield and Simmons. It is Meade Instruments Corporation. I called to order a replacement ring for my scope and was informed that they do not carry replacement parts for their optics. They acted like it was no big deal and that I was wasting their time to even call. They now bring them all in from over seas and basically are selling disposable scopes. I have the first scope I got many years ago and several that my father and grandfather bought when they were young. It is ridiculous to sell a product you can not get parts to keep it in service. If you lose a turret cap or eye ring on a Meade product you are out of luck. I now have a mid range scope that looks a little weird because it does not have the rubber ring at the back. The scope works great it is just incomplete. From my viewpoint this new world economy sucks. Whatever happened to customer service, manners and wanting to support your product? Before I buy any more scopes I will be contacting the company to make sure that parts will be available for their products in the future. I have learned my lesson and just thought I would pass it on to those of you that read this Blog. It is a sad day to see good American brands like Weaver and Redfield sell off to foreign interests. Do some research before you buy, Wild Ed

Wildlife and Game Cameras

Most of us are so busy in our daily lives that we get to spend very little time in the outdoors. The majority of us now live in the city and have to drive long distances to leases or land where we spend a few precious hours pursuing that which we love. No one has time to do long duration scouting trips or spend days observing wildlife in order to pattern game movements.
Into this picture comes the Digital Game Camera with all the high tech bells and whistles. I will not go into all the models nor which is the best and greatest in this article. I will tell you that they are the greatest thing to come along for hunters and wildlife watchers in this century. Seeing what the memory card captures is almost as much fun as the actual hunting. It is simply amazing the things that we get pictures of around a feeder. Deer, hogs, turkeys, quail, foxes, bobcats, coons, squirrels, rabbits, bats, snakes, feral dogs, feral cats, ring-tailed cats, cows and people have all been subjects of our game cameras. We have also put cameras on piles of offal after dressing a deer to see what predators show up at the buffet. I have friends that have used them to catch trespassers and poachers. You would not believe the number of people that pass through some of these posted, private ranches and properties. You can spend a fortune or buy a basic model but if you like to see what is coming around on the property you frequent these things are great. Modern Game Cameras are being used in wildlife studies all over the world. Several rare animals have been captured on these cameras. Whether you are a believer or not, if we ever find Bigfoot, the chucacabra or a black panther it will most likely be on one of these modern game cameras. Put one out and you to will become addicted to changing memory cards and batteries. Hoping you get some great pictures, Wild Ed

VENISON STEW

Rob from the Airgun Sport forum http://www.network54.com/Forum/543831/
sent the following comments and question. I thought some of you might also like to make a venison stew when the cold weather hits.

Message: Hello sir...

Been reading your blog and love the recipes. Got two deer this year, one with Blackpowder and one with the DAQ. Haven’t posted on the one taken with the airgun but I do have pictures. Nice big doe.

Prepped the deer as per your instructions on the blog. Had some steaks the other day. Turned out nice, but dry. I had not done the steaks per your instructions. Will do so next go round.

Anyway, I wanted to make a stew next week and was hoping you had a great recipe for venison stew...?

Love the site, Ed. If you end up with a cookbook, please let me know, I would like to purchase it.

Rob in NC

Venison Stew

Thanks for the comments Rob. Be sure and cook your venison steaks on the rare side of medium or they will get to dry quick. For stew I coat my venison with flour and brown in oil. Then I put it in a crock pot or stew pot and add the usual, potatoes, carrots, onions, bell pepper, mushrooms etc. Season to taste with cracked pepper, salt, garlic and thyme. I then use a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of golden mushroom soup, fill the rest of pot with water. Mix all and cook long and slow until the meat will break up with a fork. Stir in a little Kitchen Bouquet Browning Sauce to get a good brown color. If you need to thicken use flour shaken in a jar with water. I put a little Louisiana hot sauce on the stew when served. If you like you can serve it over rice, noodles or with dumplings. To make dumplings just mix an egg, a little oil, flour, baking powder, parsley and water to a spoon drop consistency. Drop in the Stew and cover. Simmer on low until done and enjoy. Good cooking, Wild Ed

Chopped Brisket Question

A reader sent in this question about Chopped Brisket and I thought many of you might like to hear the answer. Most of us here in Texas take for granted that others should understand how we do things when in reality we are a pretty unique bunch down here.

My husband and I visited the great state of Texas back in the summer. We very much enjoyed the brisket. It is something we cannot get in South Carolina, but we are prepared to attempt one on our one. We plan to use mesquite or oak in our offset smoker. Your recipe is definitely one we will try. We need to know more about how to chop the brisket. We liked both sliced and chopped, but don't quite understand what is involved in chopping the brisket. This is probably a simple question for most, but it remains a mystery to us. I would appreciate any information you might have. Thank you in advance for your time.

Chopped Brisket is simply the ends of the brisket and the fatty parts with meat in them all chopped together into a great tasting concoction that you need to have a heart doctor with you when you eat. Chopping is just dicing and cutting the meat. It allows you to use the fatty meat and blend it together. You can control how moist the chopped is by how much fat you trim before chopping. The lean end of the brisket is best sliced; use the fat end of the brisket for chopped. You can simply cut it up or chop it with a knife or you can even use a food processor but most tend to chop it to much with the processor.
I add extra cracked pepper and sauce to my chopped and heat it in a crock pot. Then spoon onto a warm bun with onions, pickles and hot sauce. We also top baked potatoes with chopped brisket for a hearty meal. Good luck, Wild Ed