I am sharing this post at this time because some of you, may have recently looked at your freezer(s) and thought, “I wish I had another package of this cut or that cut to make this recipe.” So, I just wanted to share my thoughts on how I manage the game meat that I harvest to ensure I have the cuts I desire, on hand and am able to extend my supply until the next hunting season. My game meat management efforts begin during each harvest and encompass strategic decisions that are accounted for during the hunting season. These decisions usually change with each subsequent harvest. The decision logic that goes into this also accounts for the consumption of game meat beyond the hunting season and, regular reassessments are made throughout the year as we consume our harvests.
I’m fortunate enough to be able to harvest enough wild game so I have it throughout the year and I make the effort and take steps to manage my inventory of cuts so I can make them last until the next hunting season. While our family enjoys game meat year-round and “Changing The Game” offers recipes for every season, summer is my favorite time of year to enjoy the game meat I harvested because I am pairing it with freshly harvested vegetables and herbs from our garden and local farm stands. In fact, I will specifically save a few packages of certain types of cuts to ensure I have them available for meals on summer weekends or even during the week. One example of this is saving venison medallions or my New Jersey Strip Steaks for grilling, after marinating them in my lemon-soy-garlic marinade and then pairing that fare with my Central Jersey Pesto and a Caprese salad. And… while we absolutely love our stroganoff recipe, especially during cooler weather, I’m always saving a few packages of cubed meat for dishes such as my delicate Cinghiali and Fennel Essence Stew which I first experienced on a hot August day in Siena, Italy. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how both Sue and I absolutely love fresh arugula and grape tomatoes from our garden on our Pronghorn (or venison) Milanese. By the way, all of the dishes I just mentioned are in “Changing The Game.”
I discuss “game planning” and processing your harvest to achieve the cuts you desire in the first three chapters of “Changing The Game.” The foundation of that discussion is to ensure you give thought to and have the cuts you want available to create your endgames… or the recipes you want to make with those cuts that may have caught your eye in chapters 7, 8 and 9. Part of this “game planning” process includes the ongoing assessments of what cuts you have available such as those that I previously mentioned.
So, if you haven’t done so. My suggestion is to take some time to think strategically about how you want to use your game meat over the next few weeks and complete a brief inventory of what is left in your freezer(s). What you may find may require you to shift on the fly if there is a recipe you want to make and you don’t have the desired cut for it. But, that is where “plan B” comes in. For example, I keep the front portion of the hindquarter or what would be described as a part of a round steak, as roasts. These cuts are vacuumed sealed and frozen. If I run out of steaks or medallions, one of these roasts may be sliced into steaks for grilling. Or, I may use it for ground meat or sausages if I run out of those. Otherwise, it is getting roasted or smoked using my Brace Yourself Brisket recipe, also in “Changing The Game.”
Lastly, there is some commentary in “Changing The Game” on simplifying the inventory process by separating the cuts into the various freezer space you may have available. For example, we have four freezers in the house, three of which Sue allows me to use for storage of both our game and domestic meats. And if you really need to know, I’m good with that little rule because not only is she just in that request, but it also simplifies my inventory efforts. Within those freezers, I separate the meat by type, then by cut. This is done by placing it on a specific shelf, separating with a divider… maybe cardboard or, placing similar cuts into a plastic or paper bag or box.
So, yeah, that’s kind of it. Thinking strategically from the onset and having your endgames in mind goes a long way in ensuring you have the cuts you need to create your desired endgames. Then, ongoing management of your inventory to get you to the next season is all it takes. I’m hopeful the sharing of these observations will provide you with some food for thought when it comes to managing your game meat inventory for the remainder of the summer and for future hunting seasons. “Changing The Game” contains an even more encompassing discussion of these “game planning” aspects and readers can actually follow the entire process I use, to achieve my endgames or… how I go “from field to fork.”
