Whitetail Skewers

The years that we have whitetail deer in our freezer are few and far between; most of our hunting season is dedicated to mule deer, which are found in more prolific numbers where we live. That said, over the last decade we have begun to see more whitetail around, and last season we were lucky enough to put one in our freezer.

 

There’s something about February that has me eagerly looking forward to the warmer weather of spring. While it is typically the worst month of the year when it comes to the cold and snow, I really find myself craving what I deem “summer foods.”

 

These spicy (for me… add in more hot pepper or chilli flakes if your taste buds can handle more than mine) whitetail skewers have me embracing all the summertime feels in the dead of winter. One of the quintessential parts of cooking skewers is the use of a barbecue, but you can recreate some of that flavour by searing the skewers in a cast iron pan prior to cooking in the oven.

 

Ingredients

1 lb whitetail stew meat*

3 tbsp roughly chopped fresh mint

2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh cilantro

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Miscellaneous chopped vegetables such as mushrooms, red onion, bell peppers and zucchini.

 

*When we are butchering our own wild game, we are meticulous at what meat goes into the stew pile. If you find that some stew meat is a bit chewy for your liking, cubing up a small roast is a great way to have tender meat.

How To Make Whitetail Skewers

In a glass dish, combine the fresh herbs and spices. Cover with around four tablespoons of oil and stir to combine. Place the stew meat or cubed roast into the dish. If you need to add more oil to cover the meat, do that now. Cover and allow the meat to marinate for six to eight hours. This is also a good time to get your kebab skewers soaking so they don’t burn in the cooking process.

 

Assemble skewers by alternating meat with whatever chopped vegetables you desire. Once skewers are ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is preheating, brown the skewers over medium heat in a cast iron pan on the stove (around 90 seconds per side.) This will crisp the meat and, to some extent, the vegetables. Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet and cook in the preheated oven until the meat is medium rare – approximately 10 minutes.

 

Serve immediately. Makes one dozen skewers.