Category Archives: The Sportsman’s Table

Deep Fried Turkey and Apples With a Pecan Caramel Dip

This turkey recipe is absolutely fantastic. You can’t go wrong with fried food, apples, pecans and caramel.  Check out how you can wow your friends with a turkey, apples and some pecan caramel dip!

Deep fried Turkey and apples with a pecan caramel dip

  • Dash of salt, pepper, garlic powder
  • Your favorite injectable marinade
  • 6 apples (Cored out)
  • 1 stick butter
  • ½ lb caramel
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
  • 1 (10 to 12 pound) whole turkey
  • 4 to 5 gallons peanut oil (see note)

Directions

Preheat oil to 375 degrees F.

Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey. Rinse the turkey well with cold water and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Take care to dry both inside cavities. Place in a large pan and inject the marinade throughout the cavity and legs of the bird.  You need to let the bird rest so the marinade can spread evenly throughout the cavity. To allow for good oil circulation through the cavity, do not truss or tie legs together. Cut off the wing tips and plump little tail as they may get caught in the fryer basket. Cover pan and place in refrigerator overnight.

Place the outdoor gas burner on a level dirt or grassy area. Never fry a turkey indoors, in a garage, or in any structure attached to a building. Do not fry on wood decks, which could catch fire, or concrete, which could be stained by the oil. (Safety tip: have a fire extinguisher nearby for added safety). Add oil to a 7 to 10 gallon pot with a basket or a rack. At medium-high setting, heat the oil to 375 degrees F.(depending on the amount of oil, outside temperature and wind conditions, this should take about 20 to 40 minutes).

Meanwhile, place the turkey in a basket or on a rack, neck down. When the deep-fry thermometer reaches 375 degrees F. slowly lower the turkey into the hot oil. The level of the oil will rise due to the frothing caused by the moisture from the turkey but will stabilize in about 1 minute. (Safety tip: to prevent burns from the splattering oil wear oven mitts/gloves, long sleeves, heavy shoes, and even glasses. It is wise to have 2 people lowering and raising the turkey). Immediately check the oil temperature and increase the flame so the oil temperature is maintained at 350 degrees F. If the temperature drops to 340 degrees F. or below, oil will begin to seep into turkey. Fry about 3 to 4 minutes per pound, or about 35 to 42 minutes for a 10 to 12 pound turkey. Stay with the cooker at all times, as the heat must be regulated. When cooked to 170 degrees F. in the breast or 180 degrees F. in the thigh, carefully remove the turkey for the hot oil. Allow the turkey to drain for a few minutes. (Safety tip: allow the oil to cool completely before storing or disposing). Remove turkey from the rack and place on a serving platter. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.  Then place apples in fryer basket and place in oil, cook for about 5-8 minutes or until golden brown. Heat up caramel, butter, and pecans in microwave, serve with the turkey

NOTE: Use only oils with high smoke points, such as peanut, canola, or safflower oil. To determine the correct amount of oil, place the turkey in the pot before adding the seasoning and add water until the turkey is covered. Measure the amount of water and use a corresponding amount of oil. Dry the pot thoroughly of all water.

Venison Tenderloin Recipe

Here is another fantastic venison recipe. Deer season is here and we’re filling our meat lockers so be sure to save a little tenderloin for this great recipe.

Venison tenderloin with a berry balsamic vinegar and horseradish

  • 4 venison tenderloins
  • 2tsp horseradish
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 package of veggie medley
  • 2tsp olive oil
  • 1 package of black berries

Marinade venison in Ziploc for one day. Next, place the meat in a pan…sauté to preferred temperature and remove from pan. Add balsamic, horseradish and serve over the meat.

Enjoy!

Van Lent Fishpuppies Recipe

Everyone has been asking for this awesome hushpuppy recipe, and here it is. We’d love to hear from you and see if you enjoyed them as much as we did!

  • hushpuppiesAutry’s hushpuppy mix
  • Italian Rose Salsa
  • chopped onion
  • chopped Jalapeno
  • 1/4″ cubed Red Snapper

Prepare hushpuppy mix as suggested, be sure to use salsa as half the suggested liquid!

Ater your inital prep, let the hushpuppy mixture rise for a couple of minutes. Next, you’ll want to add the marinated fish, onions, and jalapenos to your mixture. Begin to spoon mixture into fryer with oil temp at about 350 degrees. Cook until golden brown, remove and drain well onto a paper towel. Season with Italian Rose dressing and you’re done! Finally, grab a plate, hit the couch, and watch another episode with Bob, life is good!!

Elk Tip Salad

Elk Tip Salad with Olives and Feta Cheese

  • 1/2 head romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 large head Belgian endive, thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
  • 3 cups fresh baby arugula or romaine
  • 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 4 ounces Feta cheese, coarsely crumbled
  • Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 pound elk tenderloin tips  grilled and chilled

In a large bowl, combine the romaine lettuce, romaine, red onion, baby arugula and cherry tomatoes, and half of the cheese. Toss the salad with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the salad on a platter.
Cut the steaks crosswise into thin slices. Arrange the steak slices atop the salad and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Drizzle more vinaigrette over the steak slices and serve.
Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil
Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil.

Stuffed Venison Loin

Stuffed Venison loin with Smoked Gouda and spinach

  • 1 bag of fresh spinach
  • ½ cup of broken up Smoked Gouda Cheese
  • Dash of salt and pepper
  • Splash of olive oil
  • 8 in of butcher string

Take about a foot long piece of venison loin/ back strap and trim off all of the silver skin. Next take one end of the loin and run a knife up through the loin length wise, cutting from side to side. Place in a Ziploc bag and pour a half jar of marinade in the loin; let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. Then the next day take the entire bag of spinach and quick cook with olive oil on a very hot pan. Keep the spinach moving around for about 5minutes. Lay out spinach on a plate and let cool. Pull out the venison loin from the bag; mix the spinach salt and pepper and Smoked Gouda together in a bowl. Take the spinach mix and stuff the loin evenly throughout. Tie the end off with a string, so the mix will not leach out. Preheat the pan on stove; do not put oil in until pan is extremely hot…otherwise you will burn the oil. Dump a splash of oil in the pan once hot, place loin in pan and sear. While that is going on, preheat oven to 400 degrees, remove loin from pan and place on a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 15- 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let meat rest for about five minutes, then serve.

Smoked Roast of Venison

Three words: Venison + Bacon + Bourbon. Hope your stomach is ready! Here is a recipe for an awesome smoked roast of venison injected with your favorite bourbon marinade, wrapped in bacon with a side of sauteed squash. Mmmm mmmmm, buddy.

Smoked roast of venison wrapped in Bacon with sautéed squash

  • 2 cups of your favorite bourbon marinade
  • 1 Venison rear roast (Ball Roast)
  • 1lb bacon
  • ½ stick of butter
  • 2 cups sliced squash or zucchini
  • 4ft of butcher string

Pour 2 cups of your marinade into a bowl. Inject half of the marinade from the bowl into the roast. Pour the remaining marinade in a Ziploc with the roast and let sit for about 3-4 hours. Lay bacon out on a cutting board. Let it sit out for about 5-8minutes to make bacon more malleable and easier to use when wrapping. Lay out bacon and wrap roast and tie off spacing each string about 2inches apart. Smoke meat until desired temperature is reached. Next, sauté the veggies in the pan with a half a stick of butter and serve it with the venison.