Oak smoked venison Jerky

Going Paleo...

Traditionally used technique used to dry meat to extend its shelf life.   The exact origin of this technique isn’t known but it would have been obvious to early humans that the smoked meat lasted a lot longer than raw and that may have been discovered due to the meat being kept in a smoky environment  to keep the flys away.  Europeans came across the technique on their first trips to the Americas.  It is also very good for travelling, long hikes, mountain climbing due to the high protein content and also the fact that the equivalent weight of fresh meat would be 6 times heavier.

A friend recently donated a large bag of venison to me, aware of how sick I’m getting of fish.  The best method I could think of to preserve such a large amount of meat was to smoke it.  It was also a good opportunity to practice a recently acquired skill.

Before I got started though, I had to build the smoker...

Fillets De Perche A La Puree D' Orties ....

 ...Or fillets of Perch in a Nettle Puree, sometimes it just sounds better in French.

Below is the recipe I made from the lovely fish Rick caught me.  It was sods law that the  camera ran out of battery just as I plated it up, so you'll have to use your imagination.  I can assure you it looked and tasted great though!  I plan to make it again soon and will put up a picture but will definitely use more Perch fillets next time as it wasn't big enough to share.  

Fishing for Perch in the Ouse

01.09.12

Fishy Business

I’ve never been much of a fisherman; in fact, I’ve never caught a single fish.  In theory, I’m all for sitting quietly by a river or lake with a rod and line with only my thoughts for company, but in practice, I find my limited patience is not well suited for the sport.

Fortunately for me, my good friend Rick is very patient and a seasoned fisherman to boot.  Rick graciously agreed to help me catch some fish from a stretch of Ouse not far from my house.  I was the one tasked with dispatching the fish as Rick is more of traditionalist when it comes to fishing and usually puts them back.

Below, is a timelpase of Rick expertly catching 3 Perch for my dinner, whilst I tried to entertain myself as best I could.