Wild Game Gumbo
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
God bless the Creole and Cajun cooks who gave the rest of us the notion of gumbo: A spicy, rich Mulligan stew of… whatever is handy. This gumbo is my own version, and while I may break some Louisiana laws by doing so, my gumbo has both tomato paste and okra. Sue me.
This is the dish I make when I have some old game meats lurking in the freezer. So long as they have been vacuum-sealed, there is no reason you cannot use meats that are more than a year old — they will not be as nice as younger meats, but hey, that’s what this gumbo is for.
Game gumbo
The critical factor in making this gumbo is time. You need to take your time searing the meats, take your time making the roux, and take your time cooking the gumbo. It might take 4 hours for some tough cuts to submit. Just drink a few beers and relax; it’ll all come out well in the end.
If you are not a hunter, your cooking time will be less. I would suggest the following combination: turkey legs and thighs, some pork shoulder, slab bacon or a ham hock, smoked sausage of some sort (andouille is perfect), and maybe some brisket.
The other key thing here is file powder, which is powdered sassafrass. It is an important flavor component here, and the file (FEE-lay) needs to be added at the end of the process. If you cannot find it, do without. But be sure to look at least before you omit.
I have no idea how many people this will serve, because I tend to eat off it all week. Like many stews, this gumbo is better the next day. And the next.
Serves 8-12.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: At least 3 hours, maybe more
- 3-4 pounds of various game meats
- 1 cup vegetable oil, lard or bacon fat
- 1 heaping cup flour
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 2 minced green peppers
- 2 minced medium onions
- 5-6 minced celery stalks
- 6 minced cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1-2 quarts game stock, chicken stock or water
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 lb okra, sliced into rings
- 2 tablespoons file powder
- 2 green onions and 1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley per person
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- In a Dutch oven or large pot, cook the bacon slowly, remove and chop. Sear the game meats in the bacon fat. Take your time and do not crowd them. Do it in batches, and add some vegetable oil if needed. Remove the meat as it browns.
- Add the cup of oil to the pot, and turn the heat to medium-high. Whisk in the flour, and stir this frequently until it turns the color of coffee with cream. You can go as dark as chocolate brown, but under no circumstances can you let this roux burn. Keep in mind that this takes time, maybe 15-25 minutes of frequent stirring.
- When the roux is ready, add the peppers, onions, celery and garlic and stir to combine. Cook this, stirring often for 3-6 minutes, until the veggies are soft.
- Meanwhile, combine the tomato paste with the stock. Mix all the dry spices together except the file powder.
- When the veggies are soft, add the stock and turn the heat to high. Stir to combine, and add the meats and the bacon. Add half the dried spice, and a little salt, stir and taste. Add more if you want. Add some hot sauce, stirring and tasting all the while, until it is as spicy as you like. Bring to a boil, drop the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for at least 90 minutes, but probably more like 3-4 hours. Check the status of the meats every half-hour after 90 minutes have elapsed. When the meats are about falling off the bone, fish them out and when they cool enough to handle them, pick the meat off the bones. Return the meats to the gumbo and add the okra. Cook for another 15 minutes or so.
- Add the file powder, the green onions and parsley. Cook for 3-5 minutes more. Serve with rice or all by itself.
