Jeremiah Doughty | From Field To Plate
Ten years ago, when I hunted my first big game animal, I had no clue what I was getting myself into. I was working in the restaurant industry as a corporate training manager and had just found out I was allergic to bovine fats and beef. I shot my first big game animal, an antelope from Wyoming, and was hooked. The only problem was I didn’t know how to cook wild red meats. I had only been a bird hunter up until this point.
Fast forward to when I’m home and I throw my first piece of antelope on the grill, and I would love to say I took that first bite and loved it, but that is not the story. I hated the meat; I hated everything about it. Now this wasn’t the meat’s fault, it was mine (I now LOVE everything about antelope meat). I did not know what I was doing. Being a corporate trainer, I decided to use my training skills and researched and studied what pairs well with the very earthy flavor, or what you’ll sometimes hear as “gamey.”
After much research, I landed on key flavors like ginger, garlic, and pepper and knew I had to create a teriyaki style meal. This one meal changed who I would become and started what is now my full-time career. I decided it’s time to re-tackle the dish that started it all and work on making it even better. So, it’s your lucky day, this is the recipe I remastered and came up with, so grab any chuck of wild game you’ve got and let’s get cooking.
Meat:
- 1-2 pounds wild game, sliced lengthwise and thin
- 1 whole pineapple, cut in half and meat removed (reserve pineapple and juice)
- 1 red onion, rough chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp cracked pepper
- 1 cup soy sauce, low sodium
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- 10-12 skewers, soaked in warm water
Teriyaki Sauce:
- ½ cup water
- 5 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 cloves garlic, grated and smashed
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp pineapple juice
Other:
- 4 cups cooked rice
Directions:
1. In large bowl, add wild game meat along with remaining ingredients under meat.
2. Mix well, then cover or place in a Ziploc bag for 8 hours. The soy sauce and pineapple juice will help break down the meat and make it tender.
3. Remove meat from marinade and discard liquid. Add meat to skewers and place on a preheated grill. Preheat the grill to a medium high.
4. Skewer pineapple chunks and place on the grill also, grill 5-10 minutes, flip and cook 5-10 minutes more.
5. While meat is cooking over medium heat, place 1 tbsp cooking oil into a medium saucepan.
6. Add garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute or so.
7. Add water, soy, pineapple juice, honey and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
8. In a small bowl, mix cold water and cornstarch, add to sauce and whisk. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
9. Using the empty pineapple half, fill with rice, skewers, pineapple and drizzle with sauce. You can finish with green onions, sesame seeds or sriracha. Enjoy!
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