Sunday, October 26, 2014

Deer Pâté! Trigger warning for blood...











My recipe:
1 venison liver
1 pint buttermilk
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2-1 tbs rosemary (depends on taste)
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 tbs kosher salt
1/2 tsp five spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/3 cup brandy
1/4 cup cream
2 tbs butter for the pan, plus 6 tbs melted butter for the puree
Prepare the liver and soak it in the buttermilk for a while--I did it for 5 hours, you can do it overnight if you care to (you might have to change out the buttermilk if it gets too bloody). Cut into smaller pieces, rinse, and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbs butter in a cast iron skillet and sweat the shallots. Add the garlic and the liver. Cook for a few minutes on medium and then add the rest of the spices. Cook for a few minutes more and then add the brandy. Cook for about 16 minutes total (my internal temp read as 158, which is safe). Take off the heat and let sit for about 20 minutes. Process in a cuisinart, slowly pouring in the cream and the rest of the butter (melted). Process until fairly smooth. Work through a sieve to achieve an even smoother texture.

Smoked Pork Tenderloin!






RUB: 

2 pork tenderloins, trimmed.
8-10 strips bacon

1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp espresso powder
2 tbs kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp granulated onion/onion powser
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme

Rub it all on the pork, let sit for two hours in the fridge. Wrap the tenderloins in the bacon and place in a smoker at 220 degrees F. I used apple and hickory woods. Cook for 2 hours--30 minutes prior to finishing, glaze with a mixture of 1/3 cup honey, 2 tbs vinegar, and 1 tbs maple syrup. Brush this on the wrapped loins 30 minutes before they are timed to come out. When they are done, the internal temp should be around 150.