(Part 2) Best meat & game books according to redditors
We found 600 Reddit comments discussing the best meat & game books. We ranked the 151 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
![Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto [A Cookbook]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61-QJsvUMeL.jpg)
OP's book/media suggestions, formatted with links:
Because while they may not be able to pick up the spectrum, especially in the red which is why a lot of hunting colors are that bright orange, they would still "see" a mass of solid color which wouldn't look natural against the natural background.
You wear the camo to blend into the environment but the orange/yellow/red for other hunters, but not in mass concentration, just enough to be seen.
Also, don't wear blue jeans, Deer, while being lousy with the red spectrum see blue quite well, so wearing blue jeans and a camo jacket is laughable. Bottom line, look like the environment because any solid color, regardless of spectrum is going to stand out.
The Beginner's Guide to Hunting Deer for Food - Jackson Landers
A good intro guide to deer hunting at a reasonable price.
Wow, I'm sorry. I completely linked the wrong book. Women everywhere will want this.
Much better.
it's cause they eat grass and graze and have not conducted genetic selection based primarily on marbling. that's what this book taught me anyways. i think it was in fastfood nation too actually.
https://www.amazon.ca/Steak-Search-Worlds-Tastiest-Piece/dp/0143119389
https://www.amazon.ca/Fast-Food-Nation-Dark-All-American/dp/0547750331
My first pick always is the Marinski Books....
Charcutier. Salumiere. Wurstmeister - Francois Paul-Armand Vecchio
http://www.amazon.com/Charcut.../dp/0615720846/ref=sr_1_1...
The Marinski Books : http://www.amazon.com/.../e/B001JRXURI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
In the Charcuterie from The Fatted Calf: http://www.amazon.com/.../dp/B00C0AO18U/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1
Pig Perfect - Peter Kaminski: http://www.amazon.com/Pig.../dp/1401300367/ref=sr_1_1...
Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery - Jane Grigson : http://www.amazon.com/Charcut.../dp/B004SHJJ44/ref=sr_1_6...
The Art of Charcuterie - John Kowalski: http://www.amazon.com/Art.../dp/0470197412/ref=sr_1_sc_1...
Professional Charcuterie: Sausage Making, Curing, Terrines, and Pates - John Kinsella & David T. Harvey: http://www.amazon.com/Profess.../dp/B0032UXZ4S/ref=sr_1_1...
Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing - Rytek Kutas : http://www.amazon.com/Great.../dp/0025668609/ref=sr_1_1...
Bruce Aidells's Complete Sausage Book: http://www.amazon.com/Bruce.../dp/B007WKE2J6/ref=sr_1_1...
Patés & Terrines: http://www.amazon.com/Pat%C3.../dp/0688038964/ref=sr_1_2...
Hank Shaws Page: http://www.amazon.com/Hank.../e/B004OBEILI/ref=sr_tc_2_0...
Glorious One Pot Meals uses a 2 qt and the oven at 450f
Here's a few of mine that I really like. I have way more than these, but I'm not sure I'd recommend all of them, per se. Anyhow, should give you some ideas.
Security - Talks about small unit tactics with small arms and so forth.
Butchering and cooking wild game - If you hope to hunt for food, you gotta know what to do with it after shooting it.
SAS Survival Guide - Really tiny dimensions that make this easy to toss in my BOB.
Composting - If you plan to garden, you're gonna need to compost. I also have various gardening books such as container gardening, organic gardening, gardening according to the Mormons, etc. The Mormons have a lot of great homesteading-oriented books. Here's one called The Forgotten Skills of Self-Sufficiency Used by the Mormon Pioneers
Bushcraft - Never hurts to learn some knots and be able to make simple things out of natural materials.
Organization and Planning - I'm reading this one now. Touches on a lot of areas of things to think about that you gotta plan for. A good amount of stuff I hadn't really thought about before.
Want to make it perfect? Get a roasting pan with rack like this and a Thermopen.
Preheat your oven to 400F. Dry the meat with paper towels and then rub with salt and pepper. Place the meat standing up on the rack with the bones facing down and put it in the oven. Cook until the outsides are brown then reduce the temp to 300F. Use the thermopen to check the temperature at the thickest part (dead center) early and often. Let the thermopen sit for 5 seconds. Temps are: 120F for rare, 126F for medium-rare, 134F for medium, 150F for medium-well, 160 for well-done.
When it reaches the temperature you desire, pull it out of the oven and take it out of the pan/rack and place it on a platter. Cover it loosely with foil and let it sit for 15-20 minutes to rest.
Source: Very slightly adapted from How to Cook Meat by Christopher Schlesinger and John Willoughby. The thermopen recommendation is mine. You can get any roasting rack, the one I linked isn't a recommendation, just an example.
The Cook's Illustrated Meat Book has some amazing recipes.
It sounds like your meat was too warm. When I grind it, I put the cut up cubes in the freezer for 20-30 minutes until the edges are kind of crunchy. Don't let it freeze though. I do the same with the sausage mixture. It sounds like this is where your main problem was. Try separating into small bowls so you can keep it cold in the fridge or freezer until you're ready to stuff. I would suggest sticking to the basics of Italian & breakfast sausages until the stuffing becomes a little easier. Those are just as good without putting them in links.
I've found the Kitchenaide stuffer to be hard to use, particularly when you get into emulsified sausages. Try not to let the mixture feed all the way down the tube before you add more. Again, keeping it near frozen helps here, otherwise it just climbs out the sides of the pusher. If you get into making a lot of sausage, get a dedicated stuffer. I finally broke down & got one last year. They're kind of expensive, which is why I waited so long, but it was definitely worth it. I got this one.
There's a ton of websites out there. I won't bore you with one's you can easily find in google. But this one http://www.mrswheelbarrow.com/ has been really fun for the past year. They've done a different charcuterie technique each month, I've learned a lot from them.
As far as books are concerned, I have this one and this one. They're both decent, but I don't know if it's not anything you couldn't find on the internet. Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie is the bible for any home charcuterie enthusiast. You should buy that one immediately. (No, I don't get any royalties, it's just that good.)
Also try /r/Charcuterie. It doesn't get much traffic, but there are some good posts on there.
Have fun! I hope this helps. I look forward to seeing some of your results!
I present the Cookbook of the Future.
Offsets provide the best flavor due to science. Burning wood gives off a sweet smoke while smoldering wood is bitter smoke. Reference: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N6PFBDW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect/189-3796810-6372614?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
Experience: my backyard.http://imgur.com/g7cMTZs
The one thing he is right on, if you want a decent offset, you can make a cinder block one like mine for under $300 that will cook 150 lbs of meat or find one made of at least 3/8" steel. Anything less is junk and a waste of money.
I've not tried dry-cured meats, but here's a stuffer for $40US. I just use my grinder to stuff the sausages I make (bratwurst, andouille, boudin) and it works just fine. The piston press stuffer really shines for emulsified sausages like bologna and franks.
As for recipes, I have this book and this one and they are fairly comprehensive. Read the Ruhlman first for the broad strokes, then the Marianski for some more in-depth theory and practice, along with what seems like a thousand recipes.
I'm sure I'll be talked down for this, but I recommend you buy a copy of Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage.
I am not affiliated with either the author or the book, but I have found that a very good resource full of sensible information for technique more than recipes.
Once you learn technique, the rest is up to you and your own invention.
You can't really go wrong with the Franklin Barbecue Manifesto mentioned by /u/OmegaDriver.
It's written by a guy that runs a restaurant where people start lining up outside his restaurant at 6 AM on Saturdays. He doesn't open until 11.
He does a lot of helpful online videos that you can find on YouTube, but the book really is something every smoker should have. It goes into the details and even science of smoking, and can get geeky in parts, but I love that. The more understanding you have of what is going on with your food, the better you'll be at being able to get steady, reliable results when you can make changes on the fly to deal with changes in outdoor temperature, humidity, wood flare-ups, etc.
In chapter 6 he gets into the details of Brisket, Ribs, and Turkey breast, but that's about it as far as "recipes" goes, but it's SUPER detailed and describes EXACTLY how to get the results you're looking for. Once you've got those 3 things mastered, you're not going to really need a cook book anyway, other than to find some new flavor profiles for your rubs and marinades.
Can't recommend it enough.
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Meat-Cookbook-Bruce-Aidells/dp/061813512X
The description is a little far-fetched (or at least inaccurate). Being that it's almost 20 years old, it doesn't go into organic and grass-fed much, if at all. So don't buy it for that.
EDIT: You can see the table of Contents at the Amazon link. That may be a little deceptive, too. It's probably 3/4's recipes and 1/4th advice/information. But the recipes are matched with the subject/cuts being discussed and give you a a good idea of how to cook (and how not to) most cuts. Wich is most of what you need to know. You don't have to follow recipes (I never do), but pay attention to the techniques rather than the ingredients in the recipes.
Welp, before I finished reading your post I was going to suggest The Food Lab--it really is a great book for understanding why something should be cooked in a certain way, and not just how. I have a copy, so if you had questions I supposed I'd be happy to answer to the best of my ability.
Aside from that, Cook's Illustrated's The Meat Book would be my other recommendation. Cooks Illustrated also does a fantastic job of explaining why recipes work, so you can adapt them or apply the techniques you've learned to different dishes.
Lastly:
>please be gentle
That's Rule #1.
I have a book for you to read though i feel like you may have already seen it.
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Schmaltz-Love-Song-Forgotten/dp/0316254088
Butchering I don't know much about, but is crucial for the final product. I'd hire someone to walk you through it the first time, regardless of how much you have read by then. To produce charcuterie, you'll need a curing chamber that can handle volume, and have it tuned in to handle the fluctuationsin humidity that will occur when adding so much product. You could freeze some and do it in batches, as processing a whole hog into charcuterie is a massive endeavor all at once.
I'd start looking for a butcher or abattoir that will give you a hand with the butchering and teach you, and start reading. And start building a curing chamber of appropriate size for your needs.
You could get the chamber built and start with making a smaller run out of a portion of one hog, sell the rest and scale up next slaughtering time.
Marianski is a reference for production of cured meats, I'd read it a few times before starting.
Charcuteria is also excellent, about Spanish style cured meats, but has a lot of valuable info.
​
edit - spelling
I tried once, but I didnt do a very good job of it. I'm willing to give it another shot at some point. I followed the directions in this book but I think I was too impatient.
Buy these books: The Art of Beef Cutting and The Meat Buyer's Guide They're worth every cent and literally follow or set the industry standard for protein cuts.
And visit these sites: Bovine Myology and Austin Texas Butcher. The latter is run by /u/Reece1 and it's top notch.
>I don't think it's too passive to say, "Hey, I've told you that I'm not interested in this. You didn't mean to give this to me, right?"
Passive as in passive voice -- minus any "active" actor making choices: "oh look, somehow packages got mixed up" (as if the packages did it by themselves, sneaky little things) -- rather than some PERSON making a specific choice in terms of gifts.
Because OF COURSE they meant to give it to you. Why create the fallacy everyone knows is false -- no "face saving" will have been achieved -- a "mixup" is still an accusation/offense.
>The other person, if they have any social grace, will quickly realize that giving a baby book to a CF friend was a fast track to almost losing that friendship.
Well, I would think if they had any "social grace" they wouldn't have given such a "gift" in the first place.
>Unless this friend has a habit of being tactless and pushy, I don't see why this is grounds for immediate and final termination of the friendship, if this is the first time anything like this happens.
I didn't say they need to "terminate" the friendship.
I just don't see any point in beating around the bush with euphemistic "excuses" and shit -- avoiding the specific subject matter as if it were some "taboo" that cannot be spoken of openly.
And I don't REALLY see how telling someone "Hey idiot, you either spaced out or screwed up and gave me the wrong gift." (even if phrased in various passive "mistakes were made" platitudes) is any LESS offensive than simply discussing the issue at hand.
It can be done tactfully, yet still directly in a "confront the issue at hand".
---
>I was just trying to offer a different perspective. A lot of people here get defensive very quickly -- "I was at Babies R Us to pick up something for my sister's shower, how dare that biased breeder cashier ask if I'm excited for the baaaaybeh?! Can't she tell I'm allergic to anyone under 21?!" -- It's a quick way to make enemies fast, and perpetuate the notion that we're a bunch of unpleasant people.
Yeah, but that's an entirely different scenario.
That's a situation with an unknown stranger making possibly inappropriate casual offhand & only somewhat "personal" comments based on a mistaken (but somewhat understandable) misreading of circumstantial cues. I see no more reason to take offense at something like that (in THAT location) than I would of a cashier who asks what kind of dog you have as you are buying dog food at a pet store.
But a "What to expect when you are expecting!" book gift -- well that's an appropriate gift for a baby-shower, NOT for Christmas, not for someone's birthday, nor for any other "general occasion" -- and it is especially NOT an appropriate (and baseline offensive) "gift" for people who you KNOW have made it clear they are not having (and do not ever intend* to have) children.
You may as well give a copy of Dressing & Cooking Wild Game: From Field to Table to someone you KNOW is a "vegan"; and then claiming afterward that you "didn't mean any offense" is a bit hollow. You only give that kind of a book to someone you KNOW FOR A FACT is either already a "hunter" (and "meat lover") or who has explicitly expressed some wish to learn more about it.
---
*And again, you may NOT know the reasons why. One or the other one of them may have been infertile; they may have suffered several stillbirths (that have been kept quiet), or even some "SIDS" death of a child years before; they may themselves have suffered abuse or neglect as a child (and so be afraid of continuing some cycle); or half a dozen other VERY valid (but not publicly "broadcast") reasons for not having/wanting children ... in any and all of which that "gift" will end up not only being unacceptable and offensive, but may actually be considered CRUEL and causing a lot of needless grief.
It is potentially reopening very painful old "wounds" and/or rubbing salt in them. And no "rationalization" is really an acceptable excuse.
How about this? I have a copy and it's a great book.
http://www.amazon.com/Two-Dudes-One-Pan-Minimalist/dp/0307382605
I have a hard time finding full images online. I can find images of some of the posters I have: Pork Beef
Kari Underly's "The Art of Beef Cutting" is a great book, but runs a little on the text-book side for a homecook, but very clearly explains 99% of the cuts and where they come from, listing alternative names.
To be honest, I struggled when I was just starting work at a butcher shop, but memorization came with repetition and actually breaking down the primals and sub-primals.
The posters a great, ask your butcher questions all the time!
The Bacon Cookbook, Ratio, and because I'm obsessed with New Orleans food, The Court of Two Sisters Cookbook.
Also someone else mentioned the Cook's Illustrated cookbook which is absolutely amazing.
According to the schmaltz cookbook I have (which I totally recommend if you're interested in a making schmaltz from scratch), it will keep a week in the fridge, but may pick up flavors from other things in the fridge. If I want to keep it longer, I put it in a quart ziplock bag and freeze it. It will keep for quite a while frozen.
You can fry or sauté anything in it - it's especially good with mushrooms and onions. We've used it to make a roux before making a sauce as well. You can bake with it (instead of butter) and you could fry latkes in it if you had enough.
I believe there's a lot more to flavour than fat - and also, what gives the fat flavour!
This book has a lot to say about it - https://www.amazon.com/Steak-Search-Worlds-Tastiest-Piece/dp/0143119389
I don't come from a hunting family either. I started when I was 24. I learned some things myself. I learned some from old timers I ran into here and there. I know what's it's like. It seems very daunting.
So what sort of hunting do you want to do?
Deer, small game, waterfowl?
If you're looking to start deer hunting, there's a book The Beginner's Guide to Hunting Deer for Food. This is the book that got me on the road to deer hunting. It's geared toward complete beginners who have no experience hunting or with firearms.
The biggest piece of advice I can give is to take a hunter's education class, whether your state requires it or not. Most states offer them for free. Chat up people in the class. Make some friends. There will be a lot more people in the same boat as you than you think.
Over the last few years, I've come to enjoy small game hunting the most. There's peace and solace walking through the woods, or sitting in a dove field. That's what I go hunting for. That's how I like to spend most of my weekends.
Schmaltz is a staple of several region cuisines. It is generally just rendered and clarified/strained. You can buy tubs of it, but if you can make your own, why not?!
Michael Ruhlman has a book dedicated to it, and ask anybody who was raised with Jewish/kosher food in the kitchen, and they'll know what's up.
OP, save it just like bacon fat or tallow or duck fat. Use it when roasting veg or pan frying. Once rendered and the water removed and other bits strained out, it freezes well to keep on-hand for the future.
"Mastering the Art of French Cooking" is her classic, in every library and its pretty easy to find at a used bookstore for next to nothing. Quite a few of the sauces will involve some creative keto work to get aroud the roux but at least it'll be an interesting experiment.
I just picked up How To Cook Meat second hand and have been working my way through the cuts of meat I would've been less likely to buy on my own. Combine it with a former favorite from my past life, Veganomicon and I've got a nearly limitless supply of new meat and veg dinners.
I'm lucky that vegan years helped me out in the "omg this food is so boring" phases so now I've got all kinds of methods to deal with it but getting a cookbook and plowing through every recipe in it is still one of my favorites. Modifying recipes to be animal product free before and carb and sugar free now makes it all the more interesting. Last month I got on a medieval cooking kicking and started making the amazingly named: Grave of Small Birds.
Lard made a comeback a few years ago.
http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Appreciation-Misunderstood-Ingredient-Recipes/dp/1580089356
The Meat Buyers Guide is a good resource.
I also enjoyed The Butcher's Guide as a general introduction to the business.
I recently attended a workshop by master butcher Kari Underly and her book looks pretty awesome although I don't own a copy.
Here is the proof, straight from Daniel Vaughn (BBQ Editor for Texas Monthly + author of soon-to be-released "The Prophets of Smoked Meat")
I think the thing to remember about Salt Lick is that it may make decent BBQ (not IMO), but it doesn't make real Texas BBQ. Especially like some of the places I or u/bartink posted
I've got this book pre-ordered.
The Prophets of Smoked Meat: A Journey Through Texas Barbecue
Also checkout
Cod
and
Steak
The Cod one is a brilliant history book.
see http://smile.amazon.com/Glorious-One-Pot-Meals-Revolutionary-Dutch-Oven/dp/076793010X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427436836&sr=8-1&keywords=glorious+one+pot+meals
Recommended
https://www.amazon.ca/Two-Dudes-One-Pan-Minimalist/dp/0307382605
How to Cook Meat by Schlesinger & Willoughby. Recipes by cut, includes pork, veal, etc.
Love that book.
Yes actually!
I just picked THIS up for my new apprentice. It's fucking awesome! Much better then the literature that I was given while being a apprentice. Very through, and to the point. It is not about whole/half cattle butchering, but just a great break down of all the primals. Colorful pictures, lots of information, stuff about technique, and (not that it matters for you) cooking ideas. Good luck! Maybe one day we can bring you to the dark side and get you out of that kitchen and onto the block!
https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Keto-Ketogenic-Beginners-Increase-ebook/dp/B01HYG8HVQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1484040301&sr=8-5&keywords=siim+land
My mother-in-law got me both of these books.
I can't remember the changes I made, but this is the book I've been using.
I have not made anything out of this book yet, but like the writing style. I am still trying to figure out why he adds powdered milk to his recipes. Any ideas?
Edit: I should say that when I make different kinds of brats, I just use my intuition on amount when adding chopped habenero, onions or chipotle powder. If it says add water, add beer. :)
I'm curious to hear the answer. I just enrolled in a Wisconsin DNR class on Learning to Hunt Deer for Food (haven't hunted before). This book made a believer out of a locavore urbanite like myself. Seems like redditors should be a good community to help each other out with local food exchange.
This book is one of the better kept secrets of pit design if you want to get a deep understanding of the subject: https://www.amazon.com/Smoking-Smokehouse-Design-Stanley-Marianski/dp/0982426704
The good thing is that no matter what style you go with, there are numerous ways to produce great BBQ. I have a custom build Lang 60" smoker, but if I had the room I'd eventually want to build a traditional cinder block/brick style pit for whole hogs.
Here is a cinder block design I really like with an excellent build guide and parts list: http://caughtsmokinbbq.blogspot.com/p/bbq-pit.html
i'm just gonna leave this here for you
I also just started cooking a few months ago as well (I didn't even have cooking oil or salt). I found this cooking book called Two Dudes, One Pan to be very helpful when I was starting out since most of the recipes are simple, don't require exotic ingredients and can be cooked with just one pan.
I also find www.gojee.com to be great at finding new recipes. It aggregates a bunch of recipes from various food blogs and allows you to sort by ingredients you have.
I nearly shat a brick when I saw this at my local library:
http://www.amazon.com/Two-Dudes-One-Pan-Minimalist/dp/0307382605/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311305692&sr=8-1
Just buy this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Meat-Smoking-And-Smokehouse-Design/dp/0982426704
The Meat Cookbook http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Meat-Cookbook-Bruce-Aidells/dp/061813512X
Also, The Silver Spoon
Cheers. Check out this awesome book sometime. I learned a ton. meat
From reading a bit in the book, it's not for stews. it's also not a braise.
from what i understand(i'm a noob), most of them are probably similar to the one-pot chiken/rice.
here's the book with table of contents etc:
https://www.amazon.com/Glorious-One-Pot-Meals-Revolutionary-Dutch-Oven/dp/076793010X
Does he work with onions and garlic a lot? Then he might love [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Amco-8402-Rub-Away-Bar/dp/B000F8JUJY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487691906&sr=8-1&keywords=rubaway+bar).
Also, [this] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1936493861/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=8PS5VCK53Z69&coliid=IUZXVAJCXCYOF).
I've never tried it before, usually stick to meat or cheese.
​
All joking aside, check out Aaron Franklin's book...
https://www.amazon.com/Smoking-Smokehouse-Design-Robert-Marianski/dp/0982426704/ref=mp_s_a_1_25?keywords=meat+smoking+book&qid=1559301632&s=gateway&sr=8-25
Cooks illustrated meat book is on sale at barnes and noble 12$- great pick up. amazon link to the book only-https://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Illustrated-Meat-Book-Game-Changing/dp/1936493861
I've read that smoke will stop absorbing well once the exterior of the meat reaches a certain temperature. Maybe that's part of it?
Skip the rubs/spices. Salt and pepper are the best. Check this book out: https://www.amazon.com/Prophets-Smoked-Meat-Journey-Barbecue/dp/0062202928.
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Well, it has the benefit of being true. When you say "I trust what my mom does over science-based stuff" then that's just one example I have to offer.
See, your mom and family might have done things for years and years, but that was back when you could eat raw eggs safely and didn't have to worry about chicken making you sick for three days. We didn't have the factory farms even 30 years ago that we do today. Pigs are raised in conditions so appalling that pig farms sterilize nearby rivers and prevent farms from growing crops. There's a great book called Pig Perfect that goes into all sorts of detail about that. So no, I wouldn't eat anything but farm-raise pork that's been at room temp. Even then I'd want to know how and where it was butchered.
I have been sick from undercooked chicken, and I don't wish to repeat my experiences with food-borne illness. So it's an easy choice for me: defrost at cold temperatures and there's no risk of being sick. Why roll the dice?