What would you cook for 20 people?

[Gerald Martin]

With that many people I would smoke a whole shoulder on the Akron, shred it and serve it as tacos.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Hot Pockets

 

[WyoDoug]

Hey everyone,

I'm a new wild game cook and I have an upcoming dinner party for 16-18 folks. I have deer in the freezer and was wanting to give them some wild game. Wondering what you'd recommend I cook for them. None of them are hunters, and few will have had venison in the past.

Thanks,
CJ

I do chili and biscuits. My chili is a hit with my family especially when I do it with elk. But people not knowing I was serving them antelope or venison chili loved it and came back for more even after learning what they were eating.

 

[Big Slick]

Hot Pockets

Maybe with a Big Bomber green burritos .

 

[HighDesertSage]

Lol, I love deer meat. The masses get hot pockets.

 

[jtm307]

You can't go wrong with chili, but if the folks don't get to eat much game meat, I go with barbacoa burrito bar or a shank pot roast so they get to actually taste the flavor of the meat and feel the texture.

 

[ChrisAU]

I would go with a classic that many are familiar with, such as meateater's venison bolognese recipe:

I make this at least once a month. One of my favorite dishes, and easy.

 

[scubohuntr]

I get what you're saying "we're eating venison so make it taste that way" but I disagree if it's for non game eaters. If I had of tried that with my wife who was very apprehensive about it she would have clammed up and never tried it again. I eased her in with dishes like tacos, burgers and chilli and now she'll happily eat a steak.

The first hurdle is getting people past the idea of eating something wild. If you ease them in with something familiar you can sometimes quite literally see their guard go down and see them start enjoying it.

When you tell someone they're eating game for the first time you can damned well be sure they're scrutinising every mouthful. It's not about surprising them with what they're eating, by all means tell people, it's about surprising them with how normal game is. Serving up a plain gamey meat and saying like it or leave it and too bad is a great way to turn off some people.

There are ways of easing people in to venison because, really, it does not and should not taste like beef or pork. All I am saying is don't go all Sweeney Todd on people and try to "fool" them into eating something they don't choose to eat. I would stack up my venison chops or braised loin with mushroom gravy against any feedlot meat anytime. There are always a few people who genuinely don't like any kind of food you care to name, even cheesecake (I know, right?). You will never change their minds. There are some who have had one bad experience and have no interest in ever trying again. You will probably never change their minds. But there are some who have always heard bad things about venison from people who don't know how to prepare it, or have a squeamish reaction to eating "Bambi". Those people can often be reached. Make it accessible, make it unique, and start small. Sitting someone down to a whole roasted haunch of venison is not the way to convert them. Neither is a heavily spiced chili that completely masks the venison flavor (note- as a long-term way of easing someone with an open mind into eating venison regularly, chili and tacos are great, but this is likely a one-time thing). Start out with a little meatball on a toothpick, or a thin slice of bresaola, or a chunk of sausage. Something that is clearly venison, but nonthreatening. Venison has actual flavor, and people are generally not used to that. As long as the texture is okay, they may be willing to give it a shot. If that meatball or sausage has a bit of pork fat included (make that clear as well, as some folks don't eat pork) so it is not like gnawing on a hockey puck, most folks will react positively, or at least not negatively. The long-term takeaway you are looking for, a year or so down the road, is "Oh yeah, I tried venison once. It was pretty tasty!"

 

[JLS]

My wife works with college student's and for several years during the winter months, we would have 10 to 20 students over for Taco Tuesdays. Easy to make, never had a complaint, and seldom had leftovers.

This. Grill some steaks medium rare, slice thin and have a big taco bar.

 

[Bambistew]

I used to share with non-hunters at parties/pot luck all the time. Grilled steaks, kababs, roasts done well, etc. always went over very well. If you can cook, you will convert them. I used to make mini pasties at christmas time... people would eat until they were sick. Also Swedish meatballs where a hit, but make sure you experiment to find the right recipe, many are awful with wild game, because they are too dry.

Out of probably 50-60 non-hunters, there was only 2 that didn't care for it. Most went back for seconds... If you have something "exotic" like elk, they will get greedy. haha

 

[Bigjay73]

Regular food for the main courses with small samplings of braised or grilled assorted game presented with food picks or skewers....

Perfect answer

 

[seigeto]

Given everyone’s reply about easing folks in, I changed course and decided to make something more folks would be familiar with. I slow cooked the legs, thighs, wings and backs from a couple wild turkeys and made individual turkey pot pies for folks. Here’s a couple pictures. They were a big hit. I look forward to trying out some of the recommendations with smaller crowds.

 

[RG_Adult_Onset_Hunter]

I love how many people have responded to this one. Getting people to try new things can be a challenge. While I personally detest culinary xenophobia, I agree with most of the folks here in regards to making the food approachable.

Venison neck tacos would be high on my list of things to make. It's easy to make a ton of it, and if you make the tortillas yourself it's unlikely that you have have people go hungry, even if they opt out of the meat. Just remember to make a ton of different sides.

Charcuterie is also a good idea since you can make it ahead, and is very approachable for most folks. I would add sausage to the list of good menu items to try at a party. Merguez is a good one to try since it has a very different flavor than most people will be used to while still being widely appealing (you will get asked for the recipe if you make that sausage).

I'd do a small amount of backstrap carpaccio for the right crowd, for the other type I'd make chili. I have thrown a lot of dinner parties with a pretty mixed crowd and I think the best advice I can give is to make what you want and what you can make well, then throw in some alternate options to accommodate your crowd. Let people get as adventerous as they want and make sure you have room in your fridge for leftovers.

 

[NEWHunter]

Almost missed the follow up. Looks great. Glad to hear it went well. I usually get my turkeys smoked and make pot pie out of them as well.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

I'm in with street tacos and Pulled sliders! Coleslaw and beans...with BEER and I might"wine" a little.

 

[KipCarson]

Those pot pies look legit! I’m trying to place the yellow orange chunks in your pies? To yellow for carrots and I’m drawing a blank on what that is, butternut squash? As far as venison for the mass crowd ideas go I’m a big fan of hank Shaw’s Barbacoa recipe from the Buck Buck Moose Cookbook, I made several changes to it to suit my tastes like ditching the cloves and increasing the amount of chipotle peppers by a lot, served on fresh made corn tortillas with some cotija cheese and a cider vinegar slaw and you will hurt yourself eating so much! Chili is good but to me it’s boring, everyone’s had it and you could make it with about any ground meat and I doubt the taste would change much, just my opinion.

 

[HSi-ESi]

Looks like a hit - and good choice.

I was going to recommend to NOT make a pate out of a very strong mule deer liver. Good bourbon can help cut the after effects (just in case this is needed). Some folks have low appreciation for fine foods but high tolerances for good bourbon.

Turkey is a great intro for folks first foray into wild foods.

 

[Werty]

My dad and I had rear leg smoked from a deer I shot. Then slow roasted with French onion soup mix for Thanksgiving. It was devoured.

 

[hank4elk]

I have cooked for large gatherings and it depends on eatees.
I would hate to waste a backstrap or some such delight on ignorant masses,tho some meals were huge wild game bbqs.
Chile,Lasgana,Spaggetti,Enchiladas and such for large groups of newbes.
Backstraps grilled or whole sirloins & rounds roasted with all the trimmings to impress and convert.
Blown some winey/foodies with venison backstraps grilled and pork roasts on smoker at 2 wineries.Game taken on said winery grounds. Never got to hunt them again after owners started hunting for themselves...lol

 

[rjthehunter]

My wife works with college student's and for several years during the winter months, we would have 10 to 20 students over for Taco Tuesdays. Easy to make, never had a complaint, and seldom had leftovers.

Man, I need better professors.