Wild Chef

by Jonathan Miles

Field & Stream magazine’s Jonathan Miles brings us from field to table with the best recipes, techniques, and tools from his hugely popular column, along with new content for every wild game fan and budding hunter-chef. Learn how to butcher and braise, forage and flavor, and cook the best food your campsite or home kitchen has ever seen.

A wild game cookbook for every hunter—from the aspiring chef to the seasoned shot who does his own butchering—this collection of at-home and in-the-field recipes and kitchen tricks is everything that a modern wild game cookbook should be. Organized seasonally, The Wild Chef brings the reader over 130 recipes, tips, techniques, and tools of the trade from the magazine’s writers and editors, including new content from "Wild Chef” columnist and award-winning writer Jonathan Miles, the ever-popular Field & Stream “Wild Chef” blog, and recipes from first-rate chefs and top-tier restaurants across the world. This cookbook delivers a contemporary take on traditional wild-game fare, updating game and fish cookery to reflect the monumental changes in American dining and cooking that have occurred over the past few decades.

Table of Contents:
FALL
Venison Tenderloin | Thanksgiving Wild Turkey | Venison Sausage, Apple & Cranberry Dressing | Hungarian Fisherman’s Soup | Field Dressing & Aging Deer | Venison Shoulder Roast with Wild Mushrooms | Buttermilk-Poached Walleye | Dress Up Your Venison | Venison & Pumpkin Curry | Wild Boar Stew | Essential Kitchen Tools | Cider-Braised Rabbit | Salt-Crusted Fish | Butchering Deer | Venison-Stuffed Tamales | The Joy of Squirrels | Squirrel, Biscuits, & Gravy | Grill-Roasted Fish | Partridge Two Ways | Irish Angler’s Pie | Venison Pierogi | Adventures in Venison | Grilled Marinated Venison Heart | Seared Venison Liver | Venison Steak & Kidney Empanadas | Braised Venison Tongue | Buttermilk-Fried Quail | Blackened Venison Steaks | Root Beer–Glazed Duck | Seared Pheasant Breasts

WINTER
Venison Backstrap with Red Pears | Wild Game Ravioli | Braised Rabbit with Rosemary | Field Dressing Small Game | Wild Game Mincemeat Cobbler | Roasted Grouse with Mushrooms & Bacon | Essential Salts | Duck Prosciutto | Elk & Toasted Chile Stew | Roasted Goose with Cranberry, Oyster & Chestnut Stuffing | Citrus-Glazed Fish | Roasted Leg of Venison | Venison Osso Buco | Butchering Birds | Duck Salmi | Braised & Barbecued Venison Ribs | Venison Nachos | Goose Leg Sliders | Braised Squirrel | Moose Stew | Venison Cassoulet | History of Chili | Ultimate Camp Chili | Mary of Agreda’s Chili | Christmas (Beer-Can) Goose | Stewed Duck with Apples & Turnips | Rabbit Sott’olio | Elk Carbonnade | Backcountry Paella | The Ice Fisherman’s Breakfast

SPRING
Trout, Fiddlehead Ferns & Scrambled Eggs | Freezer-Raid Gumbo | Black Bear Empanadas | Little Fish, Big Flavor | Ultimate Fried Bream | Oat-Crusted Trout with Stovies | Prepping Your Catch | Pickled Pike | Wild-Game Banh Mi | Essential Knives | Wild Turkey Potpie | Deer Dogs with Pea Soup Sauce | Hawaiian Fish Jerky | Largemouth Bass Tacos | Wild Turkey Roulades | Morels: The Turkey Hunter’s Mushroom | Turkey Soup with Morels | Braised Bear Shanks | Green Chile Venison Stew | Trout on a Nail | Wild Turkey Scallops | Fix the Perfect Shore Lunch | Panfish Chowder

SUMMER
Venison Sliders | The Lake Erie Monster | Essential Camp Kitchen Gear | Salmon Kebabs with Horseradish Butter | Grilled Venison Backstrap with Deer Rub | The Montauk Burger | Deckside Ceviche | Open Fire Cooking | Grilled Dove Pizza | Perfectly Grilled Whole Fish | Doves from Hell | The Willow Skillet | Trucker’s Rice with Venison Jerky | Fried Crappie | Eat More Bass | Pan-Roasted Largemouth Bass | Wok-Steamed Whole Fish | The Ultimate Summer Gig | Cedar-Roasted Char | Whole Fried Catfish with Green Onions | Butter-Braised Fish | The Sweet Life

Genres: Cookbooks

224 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2013

About the author

JONATHAN MILES is the author of the novels Dear American Airlines and Want Not, both New York Times Notable books, and the novel Anatomy of a Miracle: The True* Story of a Paralyzed Veteran, a Mississippi Convenience Store, a Vatican Investigation, and the Spectacular Perils of Grace, which was a featured selection for the American Library Association’s Book Club Central and is currently in development as a feature film.

Dear American Airlines was named a Best Book of 2008 by the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Amazon.com, and others. It was also a finalist for the QPB New Voices Award, the Borders Original Voices Award, and the Great Lakes Book Award, and has been translated into six languages.

Want Not was named a best book of 2013 by Kirkus Reviews, the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, bookish.com, bookriot.com, and litReactor.com, and was a finalist for the 2014 Mississippi Institute of Arts & Letters Award in Fiction.

He is a former columnist for the New York Times and has been a contributing editor to a wide range of national magazines including Garden & Gun, where he has served as Books columnist since 2012. His journalism has been included numerous times in the annual Best American Crime Writing and Best American Sports writing anthologies, including his account of competing in the 2005 Dakar Rally, a 5,500-mile race through north Africa.

In 2024 he toured as a multi-instrumentalist in the band of the Grammy-winning artist Jon Batiste. He currently serves as Writer-in-Residence at the Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I haven't read this cover to cover or tried all the recipes, I'm rating it based on my time browsing through it, reading parts, the quality of the book itself (sturdy)...it will be something that ultimately earns its rating over years.

Full disclosure: I received a giveaway copy through Goodreads.

[Larisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The s' mores quesadillas are the only recipe I've tried so far; planning on various venison and elk dishes as long as this season's hunt is successful. This book makes the rare cut to "must own." Ranking it with "Hunter. Angler. Gardener. Cook."

[Kara Backlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

The recipes are interesting but not intimidating, and for the most part the ingredients aren't too hard to find. Some of the recipes are more labor intensive, so save those for the weekend.