I took my boys out for our first hunt together. It is also the first time I've ever hunted Dove so I have no idea what to do with them other than the recipe I got from a guy at work. I cut the breast into two fillets, soaked them in soy sauce & oil with a little garlic. My wife wouldn't eat more than the first bite, my boys ate a little, and even I thought they were to strong.

We eat everything we kill 'cept varmints but if I don't get some good advice we won't be continuing this one. Thanks, Nate

BigNate:

I'm not sure if it was your recipe and the garlic or if you and your family are not used to eating "dark" meated birds, like doves, ducks, grouse, and geese.

At any rate, doves are one of my favorites, naturally in Texas and most of the South, the first recipe is fried......just don't overcook them. If you like batter try rolling them in eggs, then flour seasoned to taste, then eggs, then crushed saltine crackers and fry.

Another recipe which is near universal for any stronger flavored meat is to soak it (including doves) in Kraft Italian Salad Dressing for at least 4 to 6 hours, up to 24 or so. I like less time because I don't like the dressing flavor to overpower the meat but YMMV. At any rate, then you place a jalapeno pepper, basically however you want, but you get more flavor if they're halved and seeded inside the dove, wrap it in bacon, and cook on the grill, naturally charcoal is better than gas, but you have to work with what you've got, or a baking pan until it is just barely pink in the middle, which isn't too long. This also works extremely well for duck and goose breasts as appetizers or you can do them, add various sauces and serve over rice.

Our dove season opened on 1 Sept, but due to some rather odd weather for this time of the year, they've been "scass" in our area, but they'll be here later for sure.

Thanks guys! That gives me some options.

Gatogordo, as I said this was our first Dove hunt, (mine too), and have not ever had them. We do eat duck, grouse, and geese but they are not mt favorite. It may be all in how they're cooked. I've eaten other stuff that many wouldn't even try, so doubt it's mental.

I wondered if the soy (already not a fav) combined with the dark meat was what put me off. The garlic may have added to the strong flavor as well. I'm no chef but I don't usually see plates of my food pushed away. Nate

I've given this method before but ai'll give it again. By the way please "scuse the typos-had too much Canadian rye whisky with the neighbor this evening.

Put he meat into an oven proof pot. toss in lotsa onions, salt, pepper, and a great big chunk of butter roast uncovered until the meat is medrare-ish. then cover with red wine and put the lid on. Cook it low and slow for 3-4 hours.
The best way is to cool it and reheat it the next day.

Especially good, if you put the meat into some home made biscuits and dip them into the cooking juices. Also nice on top of mashed potatoes with some of the cooking juices.


damn I'm hungry now

The chef

universal meat recipe

beat it out flat with one of those tendeizing mallets, bread it with flour, pepper, and garlic powder(not garlic salt) and fry. serve with mashed taters and country cream gravy. also....beer on the side is good

I hate the taste of goose and duck. But if the majority claim dove is also a 'dark' meat, then I'll have to agree to disagree. How does Tony Tiger say it, "They're Grreat!"

I make them using my pheasant paprikash recipe; no soy or garlic to make them sour. Creamy good. I would soak the breasts in vinegar water if they were really bloodshot, before cooking. But this season those quick flyers have been scarce as hen's teeth in my neck of the woods.

Best way I found to serve Dove is brest it out and feed it to the dog. Or find some one who likes them to hunt with. Fun to shoot but poor eating.

tasunkawitko I could not agree more with your photo!! Good job.

A couple of pointers and a recipe:

Most folks really don't treat dove correctly to maximize flavor when hunting them. Always take some type of cooler with you so you can get the birds on ice as quick as possible. I've got one of those 5 gallon bucket seats that doubles as a cooler. Shooting doves and sticking them in your game bag all afternoon, especially in the South where temps are usually above 90 degrees, is a great way to start meat spoilage and gamey flavor. I actually like to breast mine out while still in the field when there is a break in the shooting and get the breasts on ice.

Second, after you get home and finish any cleaning that needs to be done, put the breasts in a plastic bag or container and cover in milk (some like buttermilk). Seal the container, getting as much air out as possible, and leave in the fridge overnight. This process draws out a lot of the blood and enhances the flavor of the meat. The next day, rinse off the breasts and they are ready to cook or freeze once you have patted them dry.

Now, you need a recipe that keeps the doves from drying out. Here is an easy one.

Take the doves and layer them in a baking dish. Dot the breasts with a little butter and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Get a box of cornbread stuffing mix. Mix according to the directions on the box and spoon over the dove breasts, completely covering the breasts. Bake in the oven according to the directions on the box. When the stuffing is cooked, so are the breasts. The cornbread helps lock in the moisture, so the meat isn't so tough and dry.

Jkeith:

That sounds like a good and EASY (always a big plus around me) recipe, I'll give it a try if we ever get any doves through. So far this year, they've been mighty "skase". We're the only part of Texas that doesn't have a split season, I complain to the idiots at Fish and Game every year, but to no avail. About the time the season closes here, end Oct., the doves start to arrive and by the time everyone else's second split opens, we've got plenty of them around.....

PS: Anyone who doesn't like eating doves obviously hasn't found anyone who could cook them worth a damn. Now sometimes snipe can be a bit challenging.....

OTOH, I think pheasant is just about worthless and am amazed when people go on about how good it is. Pheasant is why the French use sauces.

Gatogordo....yep, it is a very basic and easy recipe. The nice thing about it is that it is a good base recipe to "play" with. Sometimes, to spice it up, I'll layer some sauted onions and jalapeno peppers on top of the doves or mix in some jalapeno peppers with the cornbread stuffing. My son likes to add cooked bacon to the recipe. You can take the recipe and customize to whatever flavors you enjoy.

I like to shishkabob the breasts and cook them on the grill. Included on the "bob" are bell peppers, mushrooms and smoked sausage. I used to wrap the breasts in bacon but that was all you tasted. I marinate them in Italian dressing or terriaki sauce, and try to make the meal as important (a get together with friends and family) as the hunt for the kids.

quote:

Originally posted by Skidawg:
I like to shishkabob the breasts and cook them on the grill. Included on the "bob" are bell peppers, mushrooms and smoked sausage. I used to wrap the breasts in bacon but that was all you tasted. I marinate them in Italian dressing or terriaki sauce, and try to make the meal as important (a get together with friends and family) as the hunt for the kids.

Agreed. While in Argentina last week, the master asado chef, Alberto Foerster, prepared the dove, pigeon, and duck breasts by skewering them, with a little onion, tomatoe, green pepper, perhaps a bit of salt, and grilling them ever so slowly on the parilla. A bit of good lard to keep them from drying out. No need for fancy sauces, etc., the taste of the bird is sufficient.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Lottfan:
Best way I found to serve Dove is brest it out and feed it to the dog.

Come on, Lottfan, tell us what you really think, lol.

Dove need to be grilled medium rare or braised/stewed to tender like water fowl. A really good dove recipe very similar to calgary chef's effort that is in most cook books is "coq au vin". Just adjust the cooking time for the smaller pieces of meat. Second choice but only by train of thought is a good seafood and dove gumbo.

BTW, morning dove taste like what they eat and in my neck of the hunting woods they eat "goat weed", named after how goats smell. So it takes very robust dishes to make our local morning dove palatable. Places where dove feed on grain (like Argentina) produce an entirely diffent bird; good to the last morsel.

But even here, whitewing dove are an altogether different story, feeding on better fare. Second only to quail around here.

i breast them out, then cut the meat off each breast. cut into small pieces (1" by 1"). put in milk and let set overnight. next day, drain, salt/pepper, flour, fry in hot oil for just a very few minutes. they will be tender and ohhhh sooooo goooood.

another way is to skin out and leave meat on the breast, place in a square glass dish, cover liberally with cream of mushroom soup, salt/pepper, cover, and bake at 250 for a couple hours. they will be tender and you will some great gravy for the bisquits you will want to prepare. enjoy......

I like to hand rub them with spices. Then wrap them in beacon and BBQ them slow with lots of wood chips for smoke. Serve them up with wild rice and a nice green salad.
Maddness

a great way to eat them I learned after a hunt in Texas is to brine them in 1cup salt & 1cup brown sugar per 1\2 gallon water over night and smoke them about 4 hrs over mesquite I also like apple. They turn out great just don't over smoke them It will make them dry. I make doves and pigeon this way and they don't last long even finicky people love them