Summer Wild Game Recipes for the Grill

Making room in the meat freezer for the upcoming hunting season

The days are long and the freezer is full, well hopefully, so it is the perfect time of year to enjoy the harvests of the past Fall and Spring. If you or somebody you know was fortunate to harvest some wild game, you will be in for a treat. Some of the best cooking happens during the summer and if you want to be a responsible outdoorsman, you will want to make more room in the freezer for the upcoming fall. Well, I have a solution for both of those statements, a smoking hot grill. 

I love frying my venison and wild turkey. It’s hard to beat that preparation, but the summertime is for grilling and is a great time to feed a lot of people. And because of that fact, I want to bring you my three favorite grilled wild game recipes. 

Stuffed Backstrap

This is my dad’s favorite way to cook venison. It combines the rich, lean backstrap with fatty bacon to create a delicious meal. You get every flavor and every texture with this preparation and it’s so mouthwatering!

Ingredients

• Venison Tenderloin
• Bacon Slices
• Steak marinade of choice (Worcestershire, Soy Sauce, Dale’s, etc.)
• Pickled jalapeno’s
• Cream Cheese

Preparation

• Butterfly the tenderloin longways

• Place tenderloin in marinade of choice and let set for 4 hours at a minimum in the refrigerator.

• Remove tenderloin from marinade and stuff with cream cheese and jalapenos

• Wrap stuffed tenderloin with raw bacon and pin with toothpicks

• Heat grill to 400+ degrees and place stuffed tenderloin onto grill

• Cook until bacon looks done and is fairly crisp

• Remove and let rest for 20 minutes to keep juices contained, then slice and enjoy

Teriyaki Turkey Skewers 

Growing up in the south, I was told it was a sin to do anything with wild turkey besides fry it. I’ve since broadened my horizons on the topic. Don’t get me wrong, it is hard to pass up a fried turkey nugget, but this grilled rendition is a good rival. 

Ingredients 

• Cubed wild turkey breast or tenderloin
• Teriyaki marinade of choice (I use Lawry’s Teriyaki with Pineapple Juice)
• Teriyaki glaze of choice (I use Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste and Glaze)
• Crushed red pepper, sesame seeds, and/or chives as garnishment

Preparation 

• Cube meat into roughly 1” to 1.5” pieces and place into sealed container of marinade

• Soak skewers in water to prevent burning

• Heat the grill to 350 degrees after meat has marinated for a minimum of 4 hours in the refrigerator.

• Place meat on skewers and pack pieces fairly close to help retain juice

• Place on grill for 13-15 minutes, flipping halfway through (make sure meat has achieved 165+ degrees internally)

• Remove from grill, brush with teriyaki glaze, and add favorite garnishing

Smoked Deer Queso

Everybody loves cheese dip. It’s the ultimate party food, but don’t discount it as dinner for the family either. A true grill master would not consider this recipe a pure grilling preparation, but it’s a great way to eat your wild game and everyone should enjoy it! So, I included it here.

Ingredients 

• 32 oz. Velveeta
• 8 oz. pepper jack cheese
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1-2 lbs of ground venison (depends on how meaty you want dip)
• 2 cans rotel
• 1 can green chiles
• Choice of tortilla chips 

Preparation

• Brown ground venison in skillet and add taco seasoning per packet instructions

• Cube Velveeta and pepper jack cheese into <1” cubes

• If desired you can lightly blend your rotel and green chiles (don’t feel obligated if you like it whole)

• Add all ingredients to aluminum pan and lightly mix

• Heat grill to 275-300 degrees and place pan onto grill

• Cook until cheese has completely melted, stirring every 5 minutes

• Remove and serve over a bed of tortilla chips

If you are just sticking to jerky and fried deer steak this summer you are truly missing out. You worked hard for that meat, so you should make sure you are doing it justice! A summer day and a hot grill are a good answer to that! The few recipes I presented here are just a small sample of what you can do! Don’t be afraid to experiment and find your own delicious concoctions. Wild game is delicious and is more versatile than people think!

Published June 18th by Will Bowen, Okayest Hunter Contributor