Barbecue and Grilling:
BBQ Recipes: Game Main Dishes

1 cup scallions, finely chopped
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 cup Chablis
sea salt and fresh ground black peppercorns
4 each 4-5 ounce semi-boneless quail

Combine all ingredients except the quail and heat in a saucepan for about 15 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Place the quail in a non-reactive baking dish and pour about 2/3 of the sauce over them. Reserve the rest for basting while grilling.

Marinate for about 30 minutes at room temperature and then grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove when flesh is firm and juices run clear from the leg when pierced.

Remember to baste a couple times while grilling. Serve at once.

2 pounds Moulard duck breast, 1 piece
Cranberry Tangerine Glaze with Bourbon (recipe follows)

Wash the breast thoroughly in cold running water and place it skin side down on a clean cutting board. Cut the breast in half between the two lobes and trim any fat that may extend past the exposed meat.

Grill the breast pieces, skin side down over a medium hot fire for 8-10 minutes until the fat has rendered off and the skin is golden brown. Turn the breast over and cook to a medium-rare like a fine steak. Baste the breasts with the sauce for the last 3-4 minutes. Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes. Slice the breasts thinly against the grain like you would a London broil, and fan the pieces out on 4 warm plates. Drizzle about 2 ounces of the sauce over the top of the meat.

Serve with oven browned potatoes and fresh steamed spinach. A nice merlot would complement this dish nicely.

1 cup cranberries, whole fresh or frozen
1/3 cup tangerine juice
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 ounces bourbon whiskey

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Cool to room temperature and chill, or serve immediately over your favorite grilled game bird breast.

This sauce can be made ahead of time and freezes well. Prepare some in the fall when cranberries are inexpensive and at their freshest. Thaw the sauce overnight in the refrigerator.

8 each quail, semi-boneless
2 1/2 tablespoons soybean oil
1/3 cup red onions, small dice
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 1/2 each jalapeno peppers, chopped (seeds and ribs removed)
1 1/2 pounds purple plums, pitted and diced small
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 each lemons, juiced
1 each orange, juiced

In a heavy pot, cook red onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper in soybean oil until tender. Add the plums and stir in the curry powder and allspice. Once the spices are dispersed, add the honey, soy sauce, and the fruit juices. Cook over medium low heat for 1 hour and 15 minutes uncovered, stirring often. The consistency should be like a chunky tomato sauce. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Bottle and chill the sauce. This sauce can be made ahead of time and it freezes well.

Brush both sides of the quail lightly with soybean oil and place them, breast side down, on a medium heated grill until the skin starts to bubble and brown a little. Turn them breast side up and baste liberally with Jalapeno Plum Sauce. Don't be afraid of the sauce being too spicy as most of the heat from the jalapeno comes from the discarded seeds and ribs. Continue to turn and baste the quail every couple minutes or so until the birds are firm and have a nice glaze on them, about 10 minutes depending on your grill.

Serve them hot off the grill with a ramekin of the sauce on the side, a nice portion of saffron or curried rice and three slices of fresh plums fanned out with a sprig of parsley for garnish.

8 pieces green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch squares
8 pieces red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch squares
1 pound rabbit loin, boneless
1/4 fresh pineapple, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
3 tablespoons peanut or olive oil
2 cups Sun-Dried Cranberry and Ancho Chile Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows)

Blanch the pepper squares in boiling water for 3 minutes and drain. Set aside to cool. Cut up your fresh pineapple and set aside. Canned pineapple tends to fall apart on the grill.

Your rabbit will require a little trimming. With a sharp boning knife, remove the skin and thin piece of flap meat and any fat you may find. You will be left with two 6-8 inch long round pieces of meat the color of chicken thigh. Cut the meat into 12 pieces approximately 1 inch long

Alternate the rabbit, pineapple and peppers on your skewers and fire up the grill.

Rub the kabobs with a little oil to keep them from sticking to your clean grill. Try to handle them as little as possible on the grill so as not to tear the pineapple. On a medium grill they should take about 15-17 minutes to finish. Baste kabobs the last 3 minutes with the bar-b-que sauce and serve a little on the side.

For a unique presentation, save the top of the pineapple and stick the finished skewers into it and serve in the middle of the table.

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cilantro
1/4 teaspoon red peppercorns, cracked
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons red onions, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2/3 cup cranberries, sun-dried
3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 cup water
2/3 cup ketchup

Combine the first four ingredients and bring to a boil until reduced by half and set aside. Combine olive oil, red onion, garlic, honey, and brown sugar in a non-stick skillet and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft. Once soft, add the cranberries, chile powder, water, ketchup and the reserved vinegar preparation. Whisk to blend and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Store in a glass container in the refrigerator.

NOTE: You can puree this sauce in a blender if you like. I prefer not to.

4 each venison rib chop, 7-9 ounces each
1 cup pecans, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
olive oil
1 cup Bourbon Cream Sauce (recipe follows)

To make the pecan crust, put the chopped pecans into a bowl and add the melted butter. Stir the mixture until the pecans are totally coated with the butter and will pack nicely on themselves against the side of the bowl with a fork.

Brown the chops in hot olive oil for two minutes on each side and place on a lightly oiled oven pan. Press a thin layer of the pecan crust mixture on top of each chop and place in an oven which has been preheated to 375 degrees for 12 minutes. This will produce a beautiful medium rare chop. Remove from the oven and let chops sit for 3 minutes before plating.

Pour a 2 ounce pool of Bourbon Cream Sauce on a warm plate and top it with the cooked chop. Serve with oven roasted potatoes and a medley of steamed vegetables.