Not only can wild game add variety to any diet, it also offers added health and wellness benefits, too. Did you know eating wild game is much healthier for you than eating domesticated meats?

Here are a few explanations behind the added benefits of wild game:

Leaner Meat

Wild game meat is leaner because the animals are very active in their own environment. Many people have heard the benefits of “free range” meats, but wild game meats take the practice a step further. Wild animals have the benefit of larger areas to roam, play and forage, which allows them to burn more fat and produce a leaner cut of meat.

Grass Fed

Wild animals enjoy eating their natural food source, which consists mostly of the grasses found in their habitat. A grass-fed diet is healthier than a corn fed diet because corn can lead to a fattier meat. Wild game meat is also high in “good” polyunsaturated fat, which offsets the negative impacts of “bad” saturated fats. The meat also includes high levels of omega-3 fatty acids which support a healthy heart, skin and mind in the human body.

More Protein and Vitamins

Wild game meats are a good source of protein. Because they are lower in fat, there is more protein per ounce in wild game meat than in domesticated meat. Wild game meats also contain a rich amount of vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc, vitamin E, beta-carotene and vitamin C.

Hormone Free and All Natural

One of the most essential added benefits of eating wild game is that the meats do not contain traces of added hormones, antibiotics or other drugs. Without high levels of additives, wild game takes on a much more rich and pure flavor.

While the many health benefits of eating wild game are bonus, one of the greatest benefits of all is the unique taste offered by each type of wild game meat. When planning your next event in one of the Dallas meeting rooms at Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse, consider centering your menu around one of the many mouth watering, wild game entrees prepared by Chef Tony Street. The five-star cuisine coupled with the tranquil feel of the steakhouse is the perfect combination for any event.

Ingredients

• 1 gallon Chicken Stock
• 2 cups Black eyed Peas, soaked and rinsed
• 1 cup diced onions
• 3 tbsp Garlic, chopped
• 3 tbsp Cumin, ground
• 1 each Bay Leaf
• ½  bunch Cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tomatoes, Chopped with juice
• 12 oz. Tomato Juice
• 1 ½ tbsp Black Pepper
• 3tbsp Jalapenos, pickled and chopped
• 2/3  pounds Top Sirloin, grilled and diced

Procedure

1. In large stock pot add all ingredients except for the Top Sirloin, Chopped Tomatoes and Cilantro.
2. Bring Black eyed Peas to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
3. Add tomatoes and continue to cook until peas are tender.  Add Top Sirloin and cilantro and stir together well.  Cook for 5 minutes and then remove from heat.
4. Transfer to steam table pan and serve.
5. To cool soup, pour soup into shallow hotel pans and place into walk-in.  Stir often until temperature drops to 45 degrees.  Combine chilled soup into proper container, cover label and date.  Soup will keep refrigerated for 1 week or package soup into vacuum bags and seal then freeze for up to 6 months.
6. To cool soup from hot line, remove soup from steam table, transfer to a clean hotel pan and add 1 large scoop of ice.  Stir into soup and check to see if temperature is below 45 degrees. Cover, label and date and place into refrigerator for use first the next day.

This is the perfect time of year to enjoy Venison or any other wild game such as Elk, Venison, Caribou, Buffalo, or Antelope. This recipe would also be great on your favorite cut of beef.

Espresso/Coffee Dry Rub

Ingredients

Coffee Rub:

• ¼   cup Chili Powder
• ¼  cup ground espresso or finely ground coffee,
• 2 tablespoons Paprika
• 2  tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dry Mustard
• 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 1 tablespoon Black Pepper, ground
• ½ teaspoon Cumin
• ½  teaspoon Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Ginger, ground

Procedure

1. Add all ingredients to mixing bowl and stir until well mixed together
2. Store in an air tight container, covered, label and date. Spice will keep for 4 weeks.
3. Cover all sides of the Venison Steaks with the rub and cook in a pan with a little oil to medium rare

Port Wine Chocolate Reduction

• 3 cups Port Wine
• 1 cup  Balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup molasses or honey
• 3 oz. bitter sweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• Pinch of salt

Procedure

1. Add all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for about 30 minutes until it is the consistency of chocolate syrup
2. Drizzle over the Venison and serve

I credit growing up in the geographical heart of Texas in Brownwood for  my passion in Texas cooking. When I was a young boy my favorite part of the day was when my mom cooked dinner and I sat on the kitchen cabinet and watched.  If I was lucky I would get to help my mom peel the potatoes or pound out the round steak if she was making my favorite meal and the granddaddy of all Texas cooking, chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes. By the time I was 10 years old I already knew how to make several full home cooked meals. One night my mom was feeling under the weather so I asked her if I could cook dinner and she agreed. I will never forget how excited I was and how hard I tried to make it just like moms.  As soon as my mom, dad, and brother started telling me how delicious it was I was ruined forever as this was the day that my love for Texas cooking really began.

Although my mom is really who inspired me by our nightly hour together in the kitchen, Texas cooking was breed in to me by my dad’s side of the family. My grandfather Snookie who now has a small chain of restaurants named after him, was the real culinary talent in the family. Oh my god did that man like to cook. He would wake up before the sun came up and throw a few briskets on the pit. Then he would head to the kitchen and start on the breakfast biscuits and prepare a breakfast that makes the grand slam look wimpy. So by the time breakfast was over he already knew what was for lunch and dinner and which neighbor he was going to feed that day. As much as Snookie loved cooking and eating he loved sharing. I remember driving around Brownwood and handing out big pans of food to some of the not so fortunate citizens of Brownwood. Snookie had a full time job but still managed to maintain an amazing garden about an acre or so. My brother Michael and I started working our tails off in that garden as soon as we could walk. I remember our least favorite chore was picking the green beans, but the rewards of fresh veggies and Snookie’s Texas cooking was well worth it.  Snookie also raised his own meats and I used to spend my weekends helping him slop the hogs. In today’s world  we are all so accustomed to Whole Foods that very few people realize how much hard work is involved in raising hogs and farming your own produce. It was probably for these reasons that Snookie was the king of Texas Cooking.

At age twelve we moved to Ft Worth where I would turn my love of Texas cooking into a career.  Times were different back then and I am not even sure they enforced labor laws.  I started working on the weekends as a line cook at my Uncle’s Texas cooking restaurant that eventually would be a house hold name in most of the south. My uncle is Gene Street and is the founder of the Black Eyed Pea restaurants. At age twelve Gene became my employer for over 20 years and remains my mentor today.  Cooking at the Black Eyed Pea is probably to this day the defining period of my career. I loved being in that restaurant more than any place on earth  and I had found my calling. I was so little that I would step on my apron and was so short I would have to pull the tickets down with a pair of tongs. I was in hog heaven. When I was fourteen I was working close to forty hours a week cranking out Chicken Fried Steaks at an alarming rate.

When I was fifteen I decided to go out on my own and started working at French restaurants. I am real glad I did because even though Texas cooking was what I really loved, I learned a life time of techniques and styles of cooking by working for two master chefs both named Jean Claude. Today at the Y.O Ranch Steakhouse you will find evidence of this in several dishes.

At age eighteen I went back to my roots going back to my Uncle Gene Street. He sent me to Acapulco to open a huge restaurant that he ended up selling to the Hard Rock which remains there today. A few years later he sent me to London to open another concept that is still operating today by the name of Texas Embassy Cantina. Gene sold the Black Eyed Pea’s and waited until the non-compete clause expired and opened a new chain of Texas cooking restaurants called Good Eats. I was the kitchen corporate trainer for 5 years before I discovered the Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse and was hired as head chef. I fell in love with the Texas Hill country cooking and today I am the managing partner and Chef of the Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse.  If anyone has any Texas Cooking stories they want to share please send them under the contact us page.  Come to the Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse and let me cook you some venison chops or buffalo chicken fried steak.   I hope to see you soon.

Tony Street

• Invitations – Invitations are an important consideration for those planning a holiday party. The first decision you make with your invitations should be whether to send them via email or traditional mail. Email can offer you a more efficient and faster distribution, but traditional mail can give your invitations a personal touch that helps them stand out.
• RSVPs – Setting up an easy way for invitees to RSVP can make your holiday planning much easier. If you’re working with a holiday party venue like ours, with accommodations for both large and small parties, your RSVP list can help you decide what size room and menu will best fit your group.
• Theme – Distinguish your company or office holiday party from the others with a holiday party venue and theme that is both unique and charming. In the case of many of the parties we host at Y.O. Steakhouse around the holidays as a Dallas event venue, a ranch theme fits perfectly. Turn your holiday party venue into a Cowboy Christmas and give your guests ranch-themed invitations and party favors!
• Amenities – Be sure to explore everything that the Dallas event venue you have chosen has to offer in the way of amenities. In the case our party rooms at Y.O. Steakhouse, we have audio/visual equipment that our guests can take advantage of. Putting together a video or slideshow to celebrate the year is a great way to add your company or organizations personal touch to the holiday party venue.

If you’re planning a party this holiday season at a Dallas event venue, the above list should put you well on your way to success. But don’t forget, party planning can be daunting. It can often be a big help to bring in a fully-staffed Dallas event venue like Y.O. Steakhouse, in order to take some of the pressure off.

Need help with decor? We also help you in that department as well including customized or logo imprinted menus, projector screen images and slide shows, LCD TVs, and much more all under one roof. The options are limitless when hosting your event at the Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse! Our rooms seat parties from 20-300 people and private dining menus are available to view complete with pricing on our website. With our truly Authentic Texan decor there’s no mocked up ambiance here, all of our pieces and decor came directly from the Y.O. Ranch itself right outside of Kerrville, Texas. So you and your guests will feel right at home in the heart of Texas with Texas sized meals that can’t be beat!

So whether you’re having a small get together or a large all out party, look no further than your own backyard. Call us, email us or just stop by and see what the Y.O. can do for you and your guests, for all of your holiday party needs.  We have everything you need all right here waiting, all that’s missing is You!

*Special Offer: Book your party by Oct. 1st, 2011 and get 15% off your total cost! Just mention this posting.

Hope to see Ya Soon!

If you would like to purchase a Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse Gift Card just visit our reservations page or click Here! If you enjoy the food, services and love that the Y.O. gives you personally, why not share the love as a gift to someone you care for as well. We’re always glad to have you here and look forward to having your friends and family join us for a Texas Sized meal as well!

Welcome to the Y.O.!

Prep Time: 1 to 2 hours brine and marinade 24 hours

Now everyone has their Gramma’a favorite and I will never tell you that it is not the best. However, when we look at them and see what they are doing we find that they all do the core things alike and we always seem to miss that part. Hint, it is the chicken rest in brine and marinade, the proper frying without trying to rush it and then letting it rest properly on a rack or elevated to crisp all around and redistribute the juices inside this crispy yummy treat.  A tip or two comes in the use of lard and even the added pork to flavor the fat, and also the cornstarch with really aids in a very crisp barrier rather than just using flour.  Pan fry is the way to go and cast iron is really the key to that.

Ingredients

1/2 cup kosher salt (do not use table salt for brining)
2 quarts cold water
1 three-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 quart buttermilk
1 pound lard
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup country ham pieces, or 1 thick slice country ham cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Procedures

1. To make the brine: Stir kosher salt into cold water until dissolved. Place chicken parts in a non-reactive bowl or pot; add enough brine to cover completely. Refrigerate 8 to 12 hours.

2. Drain the brined chicken and rinse out the bowl it was brined in. Return chicken to the bowl, and pour the buttermilk over. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Drain the chicken on a wire rack, discarding the buttermilk.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the fat for frying by putting the lard, butter and country ham into a heavy skillet or frying pan. Cook over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, skimming as needed, until the butter ceases to throw off foam and the country ham is browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ham carefully from the fat.

4. Just before frying, increase the temperature to medium-high and heat the fat to 335 degrees. Prepare the dredge by blending together the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or on wax paper. Dredge the drained chicken pieces thoroughly in the flour mixture, then pat well to remove all excess flour.

5. Using tongs, slip some of the chicken pieces, skin side down, into the heated fat. (Do not overcrowd the pan or the cooking fat will cool. Fry in batches, if necessary.) Regulate the fat so it just bubbles, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Drain thoroughly on a wire rack or on crumpled paper towels, and serve.

Fried chicken is delicious eaten hot, warm, at room temperature or cold.