Wild game recipes are often no-fuss like grilled tenderloin, venison hamburgers or elk fajitas.
Not so at the Wyoming Wildlife Federation’s Wild Game Cookoff. At this annual culinary competition in Lander, amateur chefs push the boundaries with exotic techniques and innovative combinations to showcase the harvested game in all sorts of unexpected ways.
Here was moose, slow roasted for several hours in a smoky chile and spice brine before being griddled in a soft taco with melted cheese and topped with avocado crema, pickled onions and cilantro. Dean Christianson, who was handing out plates, made sure eaters had containers of extra consommé for sopping up. Anders Christianson of team Kifaru International was forking out the tender meat of the bull he had harvested in Alaska and braised all day.
Elsewhere, elk meatballs encased in rice were fried like the Italian delight Arancini — using cast iron skillets over an open-air cook stove for a chuck-wagon twist. These were dipped in chokecherry mayonnaise and washed down with chokecherry wine. Austin Chase of team Wild Iris had gathered the chokecherries and harvested the elk.
Maven, an outdoor gear company that also sponsored a team, had put out a staff call to contribute wild game for the event. The resulting mixture of pheasant, elk, antelope, and other game meat was chopped up and fried in the Japanese karaage style, and participants were served the crispy morsels with a squirt of Kewpie mayonnaise and pickled vegetables tart enough to cut through the richness.
The Wild Turkey Federation, which kept it classic with savory turkey, elk and veggie kabobs charred just so and served alongside chokecherry chipotle sauce, won the judge’s choice for a simple recipe done exactly right.
And the people’s choice award? That honor went to Kifaru’s moose tacos.
They were savory and satisfying on their own. Dipped in the rich consommé? Undeniable.
Succulent writing. Sign me up for the tacos!