this week's cut:

elk!



and here's a link to a elk-butchering diagram- well, technically this is goes for any large game meat, which i think i'm on a kick with... maybe it is leading me to taking up a new hobby? we'll see about that.

i think that hunting has been completely misrepresented, perhaps because of hunting purely for sport or perhaps just for meat. the Native American outlook is something to be admired (in my opinion, at least), which is almost reverent. the animals are respected and every part of them used - protein for food, bone for implements, sinew for cordage, fur, feathers, rawhide and leather for clothing... this might be politically incorrect, but i don't understand holding an objection to wearing fur or leather or to hunting (for food, not for sport) but eating meat or being vegetarian/vegan but still wearing fur or leather. to be a good steward of our "resources," shouldn't we be willing to use all parts of an animal? (e.g. last week's buffalo diagram!) i would also like to think that if i am willing to eat meat and wear leather/fur, i would be willing, even just once in my life, to see the process all the way through, from hunting the animal to seeing it on the table. this may not be for everyone and i know i have to accept that, but i think it would be a very rewarding experience. i guess i am still working through my thoughts on this.

just from a health standpoint, i'm pretty fascinated by what i'm learning about the nutrition of eating meat from animals who live in their more "natural" states. i wonder if meats like buffalo and elk would still be lean if they were factory farmed? and are they leaner than beef and chicken in general, or only than meat from factory farmed cows and chickens? i was quite surprised to look at a package of elk from broad leaf game and find that it only had 120 calories and 0 grams of fat! don't get me wrong, i'm defiantely for having some fat in my foods- gosh, i could eat piles of bacon- but it seems so bizarre that there would be that much of a discrepency between tasty game meat and, say, ground beef.



and if you are so inclined, check out these websites:
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (click on the carnivore's kitchen link!)
Wild Eats

NOT murder.

much excitement ensued when i opened my email this morning to find a message entitled "meat is NOT murder" from good friends and fellow food lovers matt and bj barber (matt coined the "happy meat" phrase, must give credit where it is due!). last night, they were invited to a fabulous and exclusive dinner party featuring fresh roasted elk from montana that was hunted, prepared, hand-carried on an airplane, and perfectly cooked by their friend and documentary filmmaker shonda. shonda began hunting in montana handful of years ago under the influence of a boyfriend and she hasn't looked back!



they filled me in on all of the details of the wonderful and simple meal. i don't know much about cooking elk (yet!), but they said that the meat is so lean that it must be cooked very delicately... as you can see, it is very pink on the inside.




it received rave reviews-- very flavorful and filling and prepared with bacon on top.

see, sarah palin didn't totally ruin female hunter stereotypes... ehhh...


sorry, couldn't resist.

thanks, barbers!

ode.

oh, huntington meats, you met my expectations--

you provided us with possibly the loveliest custom-sliced filet mignon we've had for our valentine's day meal, and you answered this lady's nagging questions with ease- even to the point of digging through the freezer so i could inspect packages of elk and venison.

--we'll find out tomorrow if you will exceed them.