Backcountry Grouse Cooking?

[WapitiTalk1]

Granola bars, trail mix, oatmeal, mountain house, etc., serve their intended purpose but some fresh meat cooked in the backcountry would sure taste good on those 5 to XX day backcountry hunts. Besides baking these somewhat gamey birds in a few cans of cream of mushroom soup in a stove, do you cats arrow and cook any fat blue grouse while you're well away from civiliation? The closest thing I've came to liking a recipe is to sear some cubed pieces of breast on a fire and putting them in a boiling packet of chicken ramen.. Intersted to see if anyone has some good "away from the truck" bird recipes.. RJ

[FemoralArchery]

I don't have any away from the truck recipes. I wish I did though, as this year I will be gone for 2-3 days. We get at least 2 every day, while we are hunting from base camp. I guess I will have to let them walk while backpacking until I get a better idea of what to do with them with out a fry pan and potatoes and gravy fixin's.

I hope some one has a good "away from the truck" recipe, as I am in need of one as well.

[pointysticks]

i've plucked one and butterflied it opened to cook on two sticks. was it tough? yes!! did we still eat it? yes!

we were lucky we packed some cajon seasoning. it was less tough than a rabbit we did the same way.

very fun and caveman feeling.

[Lefty]

i've plucked one and butterflied it opened to cook on two sticks. was it tough? yes!! did we still eat it? yes!
we were lucky we packed some cajon seasoning. it was less tough than a rabbit we did the same way.very fun and caveman feeling.

we did that on a huntthis fall
Grouse are a dry bird and turn to tough jerky cooked over an open fire

Now the ramen noodles sounds good, just add more butter

As kids we learned not to burn or char the outside and maintaiining that freash meat look on the inside cooked about everything in water and lots of butter with a soaking of salt

[Buglemaster]

A few years ago, a buddy & I were in route to the huntin country & drove right thru a flock of grouse in the road hitting 2 that ricochet'd off the windshield.I screamed to stop the truck & ran back to pick the birds up. Buddy said whatcha gonna do with them...I said that's lunch! He proceded to tell me they wer'nt fit to eat,that he had tried them before & he would rather eat pine needles...I said ,OK.Long story short.We hiked in 5 miles that morning with the birds in my pack along with a pint of cooking oil & a baggie of flour & a little salt & pepper.He had quite a sneer on his face as I prepped the birds & threw them in an old skillet they had stashed on an earlier hunt.He sat back & watched em simmer & by the time they were done, he had that hungry bear look so I offered to share.This guy is a BIG MAN & he flat woofed em up!I asked him how they had cooked them when he did'nt like them & he said over a fire without any seasoning.To this day, he will whack every grouse he gets close enough to.Says "cook that one up pilgrim, I'll fetch ya another". Fried grouse is a favorite in elk camp!

[Indian Summer]

"cook that one up pilgrim, I'll fetch ya another" Love it!

The main thing about a skinned grouse is they dry out on the outside and have nearly zero fat. I keep a little bit of aluminum foil in my camp stuff. Steaming helps the dryness and tenderness. I'll put the grouse in a foil pouch with a sprinkle of Montreal steak seasoning and some water. If I was in a base camp I'd be adding butter. I'll either put it right along the edge of the coals or... I can kinda form the foil around a stick and use the "modified stick method" lol Wrapping the stick and having some water inside keeps the stick from burning too. Foil is handy for cooking fish too.

How's that sound?

[>>>---WW---->]

Shoot the young ones. They are great. The older ones still taste good but they are on the tough side.

[WapitiTalk1]

I keep a little bit of aluminum foil in my camp stuff. Steaming helps the dryness and tenderness. I'll put the grouse in a foil pouch with a sprinkle of Montreal steak seasoning and some water. If I was in a base camp I'd be adding butter. I'll either put it right along the edge of the coals or... I can kinda form the foil around a stick and use the "modified stick method" lol Wrapping the stick and having some water inside keeps the stick from burning too. Foil is handy for cooking fish too. How's that sound?

Tin foil huh.. so simple but sounds like a great method. Pretty damn lighweight (no oil/pan). May give this one a shot this fall. Perhaps pack some poultry seasoning and lemon butter seasoning in also.

[ferris bugler]

I have a small olive oil bottle and the flour salt and pepper bag in my pack just for that reason. Sometimes I just use the olive oil and sauté it then through it in with anything else I am cooking.

[G Posik]

I do not mind a small weight addition of a little oil/flour/seasonings and to go packs of butter. I love me some grouse (AKA Mountain Chicken). If we do not have any during our trips, it is like something is missing on the hunt. the steaming method works well. A little butter, seasonings and water foil wrap.

Glenn

[BowKill]

They are awesome, nothing better in the elk woods except for tenderloins. Breast them out clean the two halfs, salt them well, put them on a stick and prop them up next to the fire. The salt holds in the moisture. I always got a grouse arrow ready and a ziplock bag ready in my pack!

[WapitiTalk1]

For backcountry, I'm very interested in trying the the foil method (with a bit of water and seasoning inside).. Over a fire, on a stick, it's tough as nails, dry and a bit gamey. If in any type of basecamp, or not too far from the road (relatively short pack in) a can or two of cream of mushroom soup and a bit of milk in a large skillet works like a charm ...

[Indian Summer]

I saw on the back country cooking thread where MooseMan mentioned he uses meat tenderising powder on steaks. Wonder if that would be worth a try with grouse.

[treestanding]

I always pack in a small folding grill for cooking over the fire.in the past 2 seasons, we only shot 2 grouse. I pack in some Lowry's and just use that. yes, they are dry and gamey, but hey, it's grouse over a fire in the mountains. We usually have trout and red squirrels over the fire at night. Don't overlook the red squirrels, they are better that grouse, and more of them.

[Moose-head]

They can be dry and tough, I like cajun seasoning and corn meal and frying them. The aluminum foil is on my list to try as well

[Gamblin Guy]

25 years ago we shot several on a back country hunt, the guys I was with weren't much for cooks. I filleted the breasts out and then started digging through everyones packs, one of the guys had packed in a pint of Yukon Jack that I figured was better than nothing. I put the breasts in a small frying pan with a little butter and salt/pepper and let them cook for a little bit, then added the Yukon Jack, temp was low enough it didn't flare off at that point so I simmered them for a little bit. The guys dont remember much about that trip, no one killed anything big enough to make it memorable, but they still talk about the grouse meal.

I'm not much of a Yukon Jack fan but I keep a bottle in the house just in case we bring home a couple of grouse.

[WapitiTalk1]

25 years ago we shot several on a back country hunt, the guys I was with weren't much for cooks. I filleted the breasts out and then started digging through everyones packs, one of the guys had packed in a pint of Yukon Jack that I figured was better than nothing. I put the breasts in a small frying pan with a little butter and salt/pepper and let them cook for a little bit, then added the Yukon Jack, temp was low enough it didn't flare off at that point so I simmered them for a little bit. The guys dont remember much about that trip, no one killed anything big enough to make it memorable, but they still talk about the grouse meal.

I'm not much of a Yukon Jack fan but I keep a bottle in the house just in case we bring home a couple of grouse.

"Yukon Jack is a taste born of hoary nights, when lonely men struggled to keep their fires lit and cabins warm, boldly flavorful yet surprisingly smooth, there is no spirit like Yukon Jack... the Black sheep of Canadian Liquors"

Nice Gamblin Guy..Hoary nights ..

[Huntrgathr]

I have a small olive oil bottle and the flour salt and pepper bag in my pack just for that reason. Sometimes I just use the olive oil and sauté it then through it in with anything else I am cooking.

Chicken fingers, grouse fingers, finger steaks, trout ..keep the flour mix and oil in the pack. Works great for frying up some wild mushrooms too ! Although, peanut oil is the best IMO. Here's a few pics from a WA mule deer trip with my son when we fried up a couple of grouse and served it with white chanterelles.

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[ironhead22]

Honestly this is one of my favorite threads here, MT grouse was high on my list of meals on my hunt. Great tips so far will be putting them to use.

[pointysticks]

awesome!!

any close up shots of the mushrooms? and kudos to anyone packing along BUTTER in the back country. living high on the hog, right there!!

[Gamblin Guy]

25 years ago we shot several on a back country hunt, the guys I was with weren't much for cooks. I filleted the breasts out and then started digging through everyones packs, one of the guys had packed in a pint of Yukon Jack that I figured was better than nothing. I put the breasts in a small frying pan with a little butter and salt/pepper and let them cook for a little bit, then added the Yukon Jack, temp was low enough it didn't flare off at that point so I simmered them for a little bit. The guys dont remember much about that trip, no one killed anything big enough to make it memorable, but they still talk about the grouse meal.

I'm not much of a Yukon Jack fan but I keep a bottle in the house just in case we bring home a couple of grouse.

"Yukon Jack is a taste born of hoary nights, when lonely men struggled to keep their fires lit and cabins warm, boldly flavorful yet surprisingly smooth, there is no spirit like Yukon Jack... the Black sheep of Canadian Liquors"

Nice Gamblin Guy..Hoary nights ..

Must be the off season....you got time to read what's on the bottle.

[Huntrgathr]

awesome!!

any close up shots of the mushrooms? and kudos to anyone packing along BUTTER in the back country. living high on the hog, right there!!

No close ups from that trip. I've got a bunch of chanterelle pics though. I'll post them up in the Mushrooms thread.

[Harmy]

This last season I took 3 birds. We made Grouse Noodle Soup. Was excellant. Meat was quite tender and only simmered for about an hour. Of course, this was not backcountry as we were in the trailer and had a stove and a bunch of fresh vegies to go in.