Nafle BBQ

I wanted to mention a talented friend in Norway who puts out some delicious BBQ! If you get the chance, check out Alf's blog Nafle BBQ
 Not sure if you will see this Alf, but I enjoy your cooks!

Venison Beer Brats and Andouille

I recently received a nice gift of a Lem 5lb sausage stuffer from friends in Florida (Thanks again Tim!).

While prepping for deer season I made a  batch of venison brats and a batch of venison andouille sausage using a hind quarter roast saved in my freezer.

Trimmed and cubed the venison. Used a mix of equal parts venison and pork with pork fat. Combined weight came to 10lbs of ground meat.

First I made the brats using 1/2 of the meat (5lbs) and ...

used 1 tsp mustard powder
2 1/2 TBS salt
1 tsp coarse black pepper
1/2 TBS sugar
1/2 TBS coriander
1/2 TBS crushed caraway seeds
a couple of crushed dried cayenne peppers


and made a slurry with one cup of cold beer...

used a large 2 1/2 gallon baggie to mix the sausage. Worked great!

Found these handy easy to load casings and gave them a try....

These were sweet!! So easy to use. A bit pricey but saved me so much time. 

made a sausage braid...

made a batch of venison andouille using the remaining 5lbs of ground meat and...

10 cloves chopped garlic
1 1/2 TBS cayenne
3 TBS salt
1 TBS thyme
2 TBS black pepper

1 Cup cold beer for the slurry...

made the andouille into bite sized links for easy snacking...

simmered some of the sausages and pan fried for a taste test...

Then grilled some during deer camp...

My brat with caramelized onions, kraut, bacon and spicy brown mustard...

I really liked both the brats and andouille. The Lem stuffer worked great!  So much faster than the grinder attachment that I usually use.

My life just got a whole lot easier. :)

The Bird

Have been kind of busy here with deer season going on, but was able to smoke a turkey yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner.

Spatchcocked the turkey, brined in a simple water, brown sugar, kosher salt brine overnight, slathered in butter (with butter under the skin) seasoned with pepper and smoked in the BPS drum with a small bit of hickory at 325F til done.

It was kinda tasty.... at least no one complained. :)

Still hunting here, no deer hanging yet but I hope that will change soon. 

Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday!

Hickory Smoked Quail and Wild Rice

Something about quail and smoked rice... has to be one of my favorites. :)

So simple to make but the kiss of hickory smoke adds just the right touch.

I add minced scallions and chicken stock to the wild rice blend...

Season the quail with a light sprinkle of Tatonka Dust...and wrap in bacon.

Into the Big Poppa drum smoker at 325F with a bit of hickory..

The rice smokes uncovered until the broth is absorbed, then I remove the pan, cover and let it sit until needed.
The quail are ready in about 45 minutes.

So simple but so tasty. :)

Something for Women Hunters

It's that time of the year... deer season. This is a repost from last year. Thought it might come in handy for those in cold weather areas. :) 




First off, this isn't a picture of me... but it is a picture of the type of coveralls I wear when deer hunting in cold weather.
The picture is from the Carhartt site.

Opening day of deer rifle season is tomorrow and I wanted to pass this along to other women hunters, it might come in handy for you. Men, this post is for the women! :)

If you're like me and hunt in the middle of nowhere, there is a good chance you are not able to find a nice warm ladies room when nature calls. lol
I find it even worse when you have to take off your hunting vest, take off your jacket, and anything else your are wearing.......freezing BOTH your top and bottom during the "call of nature" process.

I've found a way to keep things a little bit warmer. :)
I have removed the stitching in the inside inseam of each leg of my coveralls and inserted long, leg length zippers. One on the inside of each leg.
I am able to unzip both legs and the coveralls almost form a nice floor length skirt or dress...thus keeping lower "moon" shots to a minimum. AND I do not have to remove a stitch of clothing from my top half. :)





Just thought it might come in handy for some of you.
Good luck with your hunting! :)

So long handsome fella :)

Never did get close enough to read the ear tag on this bull ...... but he stayed in the pasture with the girls, didn't hop the fence to see my neighbor's red heads ..... and he pretty much behaved himself while here.
Can't ask for more than that. :)

Rounding him up was easy enough....he'll come runnin' for a sack of cattle cake.

The girls are healthy and happy....and putting on their winter coats.

The horses get a treat and some "sweet" talk while waiting on the bull to settle down.

Going into winter with dry, brown pastures... the drought is still going strong here.

The windmill is pumping away. I remember it broke down this time last year, hope it lasts through deer season at least. :)

Not possible to take pics of loading the bull, but he followed a trail of cattle cake into the stock trailer with not much trouble. I was able to get the door closed just in time, knowing there would be no second chance.

off to the sale...

He was a bit irritated by the time we got there but at least we made it safe and sound.

He turned out to be a fairly "easy keeper".  I will miss him.

Hope to find another nice tempered bull next spring. :)

Venison Snack Sticks on the Drum

Deer season (for me) starts next weekend. I used the last of my venison burger in some snack sticks.
For burger I grind 3 parts venison with 1 part pork fat.

For the sticks I combined a mixture of

1 tsp. mustard seed

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1 1/2 tsp. onion flakes

2 TBs. Tender Quick

Added to one cup of water to make a slurry..
then add 3 lbs of ground venison.

Also added a small amount of ground beef  (cause I like the blend)...

 let the mixture chill overnight...

Stuffed the casings...
I had odds and ends pieces left over, so I used them all.

Into the BPS drum. I had not smoked these in the drum before and did not know if I could keep the heat low enough. I placed a diffuser over the hot coals and closed the air intakes down to 1/2 of a hole open on each side.  Was able to keep the drum at 150F then slowly raise to 200F until the internal temp of the sticks reached 165F. The drum worked great. :)

I turned and rotated the snack sticks every so often for even cooking.

Let the sticks rest for 30 minutes. ( gave them a taste test first :))

Cut and wrapped the venison sticks for quick snacks later...

The venison snack sticks served with cheese, drizzled with olive oil, red pepper flakes and a pepper blend.

I was really happy with the way they turned out. It's nice to know the drum can handle these with no problem.
I have some of the sticks hidden in my freezer to take hunting with me.  I'm a happy girl. :)


Good luck to all the hunters out there!