Prepared right, wild game is a tasty delicacy

CENTER POINT - Once you try wild game, you'll like it, Keith Lowe assures.

However, the meat needs to be prepared and cooked just right, says Lowe, executive chef at Coe College in Cedar Rapids.

“You need to get the fat and gristle out of it so it's not greasy,” he says.

Another common mistake is overcooking wild game.

“It will lose all its texture and flavor if you overcook it,” he says.

Like beef, deer meat (venison) can be cooked to medium doneness, Lowe says. But pheasant, like all poultry, needs to reach 165 to 170 degrees while cooking to avoid bacteria contamination.

Lowe, of Mount Vernon, and fellow hunter Steve Ries, of Alburnett, prepared wild game in a variety of ways - fried, grilled and in Creole and Alfredo dishes - for friends on New Year's Eve.

The annual wild game feed at Interstate Grain Service in Center Point started about 10 years ago in appreciation for the elevator's customers. It has grown to include landowners who allow hunting on their land. The crowd grows every year as people are introduced to wild game and come back for more, Ries says.

“It's got a little different taste to it,” says Harold Wilson, of Walker. “It depends on who cooks it.”

Ries deep-fried pheasant nuggets and deer loin.

“You need to get the grease boiling before you put them in because you want to seal the moisture in there,” he says.

Seasoned potatoes, deep-fried pickles and jalapeno poppers were also put in the fryer and served as sides.

“It's not all about the game, it's about whatever you eat with it,” Ries says.

It usually takes about 10 minutes for the meat and sides to fry, but “when the potatoes start floating, they're done,” Ries says.

His specialty is the poppers - pheasant wrapped in bacon and filled with cream cheese and jalapeno peppers.

“If you don't like that, you've got a tasting problem,” he says.

Chef Lowe grilled a variety of cuts, including deer filet mignon wrapped in bacon and kebabs made with deer, pheasant or goose. He uses zesty Italian dressing as marinade for the kebab meat.

He doesn't have a rigid time table for cooking. “I grill them until they're done,” he says - usually about 10 minutes.

All the game meat was provided by local hunters. Lowe cleaned and prepared 24 deer for the feast.

“I prefer to take care of my own food,” he says.

Most hunters clean their own game, Ries says. It is a skill that needs to be preserved with young hunters.

“It's handed down from generation to generation,” he says.

After a deer or other large game is cleaned - or dressed - in the field, most hunters take the carcass to a locker to be processed into cuts of meat or jerky. Smaller game and birds can be processed at poultry plants, although those are sparse in Eastern Iowa.

Ryan and Kate Giannini own a hunting preserve near Riverside. They recently began cleaning and processing pheasants for hunters. They also plan to sell pheasant meat to the general public.

Pheasant meat is becoming more popular and is considered a delicacy, Ryan Giannini says. Ruthie's Steak and Seafood at Riverside Casino and Golf Resort serves a Pheasant Civet appetizer made of pheasant, wild mushrooms, port wine, cream, Gruyere cheese and roasted-garlic crostinis.

“It is leaner than chicken and is something different,” Giannini says. “There are a million ways to cook it.”

Among Lowe's specialties are Rabbit and Deer Heart Creole and Cajun Pheasant Alfredo.

The Creole is tomato-based with peppers, onions and spices. The Alfredo is similar to chicken Alfredo - but with pheasant which tastes similar to chicken.

“Just tell yourself it's free-range chicken and you're good to go,” Lowe says.

PHEASANT POPPERS

1 pound pheasant breast1 tub (16 ounces) Philadelphia cream cheeseJalapeno slicesBacon stripsToothpicksPound out pheasant breast to flatten and cut into smaller pieces. Spread cream cheese over pheasant slice and top with jalapeno slices. Wrap like a croissant. Wrap with a bacon strip and hold together with toothpick. Fry in hot grease or grill for about 10 minutes.From Steve Ries

KEBABS

Chunks of favorite meat (deer, goose, pheasant, chicken, beef or pork)Zesty Italian dressingChunks of favorite vegetables (peppers, onions, squash)Bacon stripsRemove fat from meat. Marinate meat chunks in dressing for four hours in refrigerator. Wrap meat in bacon and assemble with vegetables on skewer. Grill for 10 minutes, rotating occasionally.From Keith Lowe

RABBIT-DEER HEART CREOLE

1 dressed rabbit, cut into pieces1 cup deer heart, chopped1 cup crushed tomatoes1 cup diced tomatoes1/4 cup each diced red, yellow and green peppers1 cup quartered mushrooms1 onion, diced1/4 cup vegetable oil1 clove garlic, minced1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper1/4 teaspoon basil1/4 teaspoon oregano1/2 teaspoon thyme leafHeat vegetable oil in frying pan. Saute peppers, mushrooms and onion until about half done, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add rabbit and deer meat and cook until vegetables are tender and meat is browned. Add tomatoes, garlic, black and cayenne pepper, basil, oregano and thyme leaf. Cook until mixture reaches 165 degrees.From Keith Lowe

CAJUN PHEASANT ALFREDO

1 dressed pheasant, cut into piecesBlackened or Cajun seasoning1 bag (16 ounces) frozen egg noodlesA bottle of Alfredo sauceSeason pheasant meat with blackened or Cajun seasoning; marinate in refrigerator for 24 hours. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until meat reaches 170 degrees. Heat Alfredo sauce in a large pan. Add meat juice to sauce. Add frozen egg noodles and meat to sauce. Cook until noodles are done, about 25 to 30 minutes.

PHEASANT POPPERS

1 pound pheasant breast

1 tub (16 ounces) Philadelphia cream cheese

Jalapeno slices

Bacon strips

Toothpicks

Pound out pheasant breast to flatten and cut into smaller pieces. Spread cream cheese over pheasant slice and top with jalapeno slices. Wrap like a croissant. Wrap with a bacon strip and hold together with toothpick. Fry in hot grease or grill for about 10 minutes.

From Steve Ries

KEBABS

Chunks of favorite meat (deer, goose, pheasant, chicken, beef or pork)

Zesty Italian dressing

Chunks of favorite vegetables (peppers, onions, squash)

Bacon strips

Remove fat from meat. Marinate meat chunks in dressing for four hours in refrigerator. Wrap meat in bacon and assemble with vegetables on skewer. Grill for 10 minutes, rotating occasionally.

From Keith Lowe

RABBIT-DEER HEART CREOLE

1 dressed rabbit, cut into pieces

1 cup deer heart, chopped

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1 cup diced tomatoes

1/4 cup each diced red, yellow and green peppers

1 cup quartered mushrooms

1 onion, diced

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaf

Heat vegetable oil in frying pan. Saute peppers, mushrooms and onion until about half done, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add rabbit and deer meat and cook until vegetables are tender and meat is browned. Add tomatoes, garlic, black and cayenne pepper, basil, oregano and thyme leaf. Cook until mixture reaches 165 degrees.

From Keith Lowe

CAJUN PHEASANT ALFREDO

1 dressed pheasant, cut into pieces

Blackened or Cajun seasoning

1 bag (16 ounces) frozen egg noodles

A bottle of Alfredo sauce

Season pheasant meat with blackened or Cajun seasoning; marinate in refrigerator for 24 hours. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until meat reaches 170 degrees. Heat Alfredo sauce in a large pan. Add meat juice to sauce. Add frozen egg noodles and meat to sauce. Cook until noodles are done, about 25 to 30 minutes.

From Keith Lowe