Podcast Episode 254: The Best Wild Game Recipes for the Holidays
Every holiday season, hunters and anglers experience the same moment. Freezers are full, camps are quiet, and the rush of November and December has begun. Episode 254 of the Wild Fish & Game Podcast dives into how the meat you brought home, deer, ducks, geese, turkeys, fish, can become the centerpiece of holiday gatherings. From classic venison roasts to jaw-dropping Wellingtons and crown roasts, this episode breaks down the cuts, techniques, traditions, and global influences that make wild game shine during the season of big family meals.
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The Art of Venison Sausage Making
Links:
Adam’s Guide to Making a Venison Sirloin Tip Roast
Brad Trumbo’s Guide to Making a Sous Vide Venison Roast
Dustyn Carroll’s Recipe for a Slow Cooked Venison Shoulder Roast with Veggies
Justin’s Guide for Making a Neck Roast in the Slow Cooker
Chase Waller’s Wine-Braised Antelope Shoulder Roast Recipe
Justin’s Indigenous-Inspired Recipe for Juniper Braised Arm Roast with Wild Mushrooms and Hominy
Justin’s Guide to Making the Best Mississippi Pot Roast from Scratch – No Store-Bought Fillers!
Justin’s Citrus Smoked and Braised Venison Shanks
Natalie Auer’s Marry-Me Venison Shank Osso Buco
Don’t Forget New Years! Justin’s Hoppin John with Venison Shank
Amanda Altman’s Venison Wellington Recipe
Jeff Benda’s Jackalope Wellington Recipe, Made with Pronghorn and Jackrabbit
Brandon Dale’s Beer Can Smoked Venison Crown Roast Recipe
Adam’s Guide to Making a Turducken
Brandon Dale’s Teriyaki Glazed Duck
Quincy Milton’s Smoked Duck with Apple Maple Mop Sauce
Amanda Altman’s Spicy Pomegranate Glazed Duck
Adam’s Guide to Spatchcocking, Dry-Brining, and Roasting a Turkey to Perfection
Matt Dollenbacker’s Recipe for Smoked Carp Dip
Dustyn Carroll’s Recipe for Mushroom Stuffed Venison Tenderloin
Adam’s Recipe for Seared Mallard Breasts with Stewed Plums
Danielle Prewet’s Dijon Roasted Hungarian Partridges
Justin’s Wild Turkey Breast Kiev
Adam’s German Christmas Goose Breast for Two Recipe
Justin’s Roasted Quail with Corn Bread Stuffing
Adam’s Beer-Braised Goose Legs on Egg Noodles with Red Cabbage
Ben Burgholzer’s Pan Roasted Halibut Over Wild Mushroom Risotto
Lindsey Bartosh’s Venison Steaks with Whiskey Cream Sauce
Justin’s Seared Duck Breast with Pumpkin Cream Rigatoni
Lindsey Bartosh’s Pheasant Pumpkin Cornbread Stuffing
Gunnar Emberg’s Wild Game Sausage Stuffing
Adam’s Hen of the Woods and Wild Rice Autumn Salad
Adam’s Baked Wild Mushroom Rice
Adam’s Baked Black Walnut Brie in Puff Pastry
Adam’s Guide to Making Your Own Spruce Tip Syrup
Brandon Dale’s Recipe for Wild Sumac Negronis
Honoring Tradition: From the Field to the Feast
The episode opens with a powerful reminder that holiday meals begin long before the oven preheats. As Justin puts it, “You look at the meat you brought home, hindquarters, shoulders, a freezer full of fresh birds and fish, and think, this is going to feed people I love.”
This grounding perspective sets the tone: wild game isn’t just food. It’s effort, memory, continuity, and gratitude. This episode explores how holiday dishes can honor that work.
You and Adam both discuss personal traditions that weave wild harvest into holiday memory. Justin shares: “We started going out to catch a big fish on Christmas, either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, and then we’d come back and prepare it whole. It became a big event.”
Adam adds his own more intimate ritual: “It’s usually just my partner Kathy and me, so I’ll make something simple, a goose roast, or a small venison sirloin tip. You can still make something spectacular, even for two people.”
These stories show the spectrum of holiday tables: large family gatherings, small households, and traditions built around seasons and landscapes rather than supermarket calendars.
Choosing the Right Cuts for Holiday Roasts
One of the most valuable sections of the episode focuses on choosing the right cuts for the holiday table. You walk through the essential big-game options, practical advice that home cooks need but rarely hear.
“A big holiday meal isn’t the time to gamble on tricky cuts,” Justin warns. “You want consistency and volume.”
The top choices include:
- Venison sirloin tip , uniform, lean, perfect for medium-rare oven roasting
- Top round , flavorful and holds shape well
- Bottom round , slightly tougher but excellent when cooked low and slow
- Backstrap / loin roast , ideal for smaller gatherings or reverse-sear showstoppers
- Neck and shoulder cuts , overlooked but perfect for feeding a crowd
You highlight one of the biggest mistakes people make: “Don’t try to Frankenstein a roast for the holidays.”
Adam offers reinforcement from the processing side: hunters often ask for “a roast” without knowing that different cuts require different techniques.
Oven Roasts vs. Slow-Cooker Cuts
Adam’s breakdown of cooking methods is one of the episode’s most educational moments.
He draws a clear line between oven roasts (sirloin tip, top round, bottom round, loin) and braising cuts (neck, shoulder, shank).
His advice:
- Oven roasts need dry heat, moderate temperatures, and should never be cooked past medium.
- Braising cuts need long, gentle cooking to unlock collagen and flavor.
He adds: “Your oven is actually safer than a crockpot. People think crockpots are safer to leave running, but ovens are designed to contain fires.”
You both point listeners to helpful recipes on Harvesting Nature, sirloin tip roast, sous vide roasts, slow-cooked shoulders, wine-braised antelope shoulder, juniper-braised arm roast, and the fan-favorite Mississippi pot roast.
Showstoppers: Wellingtons, Crown Roasts, and Wild Turduckens
For cooks who want to go all-in, this section of the episode is pure joy.
Justin walks listeners through the iconic venison Wellington:
“You want to use the center cut of the loin, nice and uniform. Sear it hard, wrap it in mushroom duxelles and prosciutto, then pastry. Pull it at 120–125 and let carryover cook it to perfection.”
You also outline:
- Frenching venison racks using the string-pull method
- Venison crown roasts stuffed with wild rice, mushrooms, or cranberries
- Turduckens and how to adapt them for wild birds
Adam admits: “I’ve made a lot of turduckens in my day. If you’re the type who likes doing something ridiculous and amazing, it’s a showstopper people will talk about for years.”
This entire section encourages creativity, ambition, and culinary pride, key themes of holiday cooking.
Wild Game Beyond Venison: Geese, Ducks, Turkeys, and Fish
Adam brings in the often-forgotten tradition of holiday goose:
“In England and Germany, goose used to be the holiday bird. Turkey took over, but goose is still fantastic, roast at low heat, then crisp the fat.”
You add your own philosophy: wild turkey, if prepared whole, is absolutely worth the effort, but plucking is essential.
Later, Adam reminds listeners how powerful fish can be as a centerpiece:
“A big whole roast or steamed fish is incredibly dramatic. In Eastern Europe, families used to keep their Christmas carp alive in the bathtub before cooking it.”
Side Dishes and Sips: Foraging, Vegetables, and Holiday Drinks
No feast is complete without sides, and this episode dives deep into foraged flavors and seasonal staples.
Justin offers ideas like:
- Wild rice pilaf with morels and toasted nuts
- Chanterelle stuffing
- Duck-fat roasted potatoes
- Wild berry sauces (serviceberries, chokecherries, highbush cranberries)
And, joking about why holiday cocktails matter, you add:
“What else are you going to do when you’re surrounded by family for hours?”
Listeners get inspiration for:
- Spruce tip gin and tonics
- Maple bourbon old fashioneds
- Smoked apple cider whiskey
- Sumac Negronis
- And pairings from Paso Laca Winery
The drinks segment ties together the episode’s theme: celebrating the land’s flavors.
Celebrating What the Land Provides
The final theme is gratitude and connection, how wild game strengthens relationships with land, tradition, and community.
Justin closes the episode with:
“Holiday meals are about celebrating what the land provides and sharing it with the people who matter. Surprise people. Wow people. Give them something to gossip about at their knitting clubs.”
It’s a reminder that wild food culture isn’t just cuisine, it’s identity.
Listen to the Full Episode
Episode 254 is dense with practical advice, laughter, stories, and culinary inspiration. Whether you’re cooking for two or twenty, this conversation will change the way you approach your holiday table.