Red Wine Reindeer

I thought I wouldn't be able to post a recipe like this until after the hunt in September!  Yesterday I took a Becoming an Outdoorswoman class on field dressing.  Basically I spent the day with a bunch of other women field dressing a bull and cow elk.  After the class, the instructor gave us some reindeer steaks and ground reindeer from the animals the class before us did!

The steaks spent 24 hours marinading in red wine and garlic.  While the steaks warmed to room temperature, I reduced the marinade with some more garlic, onion, and red pepper.  Then they went to the grill, about five minutes on each side, basted with the reduced marinade.  Fantastic!

Baby Got Back!

 Baby got a Traeger grill, too - finally!  My little Traeger Jr. was delivered yesterday evening, and I promptly set out on a cooking adventure today!  Traegers are pellet grills - they smoke, they grill, and they bake.  Jack of all trades!

For my first Traeger adventure, I went with the classic baby back ribs, with a Cajun twist.

Step 1: Soak the ribs in beer for an hour, turning half way through.

Step 2: Get the smoker going.  I used apple pellets.  Rub the ribs with Cajun seasoning and smoke for 1 hour 45 minutes.

Step 3: In a saucepan, blend your favorite BBQ sauce with some Cajun seasoning and garlic.  Set aside.

Step 4:  Brush the ribs with the BBQ sauce.  Wrap in tinfoil with a little beer.  Return to grill over medium (225-275) heat for another hour and 45 minutes.

Step 5:  Remove ribs from foil.  Grill an additional hour.