Arkansas’ mourning-dove season got underway Sept. 6, and those skillful enough to hit these plentiful, fast-flying game birds are now faced with a pleasant dilemma: How shall I cook these delicious morsels of meat?
My favorite method of preparation was learned years ago while visiting Lake Chicot in southeast Arkansas. I was with a group of outdoor writers at Lake Chicot State Park for a weekend conference, and at the invitation of the local chamber of commerce, we spent the afternoon shooting at doves zipping around an enormous field of sunflowers. I say shooting “at” because when our hunt was over, most of us were minus several boxes of shotshells and had no more than a dozen or so doves to show for our efforts.
That evening we drove to a beautiful lakeside estate where our host prepared a wonderful repast consisting of a smorgasbord of game. Immediately noticeable was a huge smoker in the backyard sending up thick aromatic clouds of white smoke. One whiff of this extraordinary fragrance had us salivating like Pavlov’s dogs.
Inside the smoker were scores of dove breasts, each wrapped in bacon and sprinkled with herbs and spices. The smoker was constructed with a firebox on one side, which held the burning charcoal and wet, smoking hickory chips. This allowed the dove breasts to cook slowly in the smoke with no direct heat. The cook informed us the birds were marinated overnight in Italian dressing, and a small slice of jalapeno had been inserted in a slit made adjacent to each dove’s breastbone. The meat was then “cold smoked” for a couple of hours, producing the most tender, delicious morsels you can imagine. The cook’s simple treatment was a masterpiece of culinary genius.
Dove breasts are delicious, and the number of ways they can be prepared is limited only by your imagination. For the best taste, be sure to keep the birds cool in the field. Don’t stuff them in the hot game bag of a hunting vest. Instead, throw them in a small cooler carried for that purpose, or lay them on top of your vest in the shade.
A dove’s back and legs have very little meat, so most hunters “breast out” the birds for cooking. I also save the hearts, which make great little appetizers. And I often fillet each breast, using a sharp knife to remove the meat on each side of the keel bone. This produces boneless bite-sized bits of dark, richly flavored meat that can be used in a variety of scrumptious recipes.
When cooking dove meat, remember that it has little fat, and you must take this into account during preparation so the meat doesn’t become dry and tough. Bacon can be wrapped around each piece to add flavor and prevent dryness, or prepare the birds using moist-cooking methods such as Crock-Pot cookery or casserole cooking. The most important thing to remember is don’t overcook. It only takes a few minutes in the oven, on the grill, in a skillet or in a smoker for doves to get done. Serve them rare or medium for the best taste and tenderness.
All that being said, here are some superb recipes you can try. Each is sure to be loved by family and friends.
MARMALADE DOVES
Ingredients:
Dove breasts
Orange marmalade
Banana pepper slices
Bacon
Directions:
Using a sharp knife, remove two boneless fillets from each dove breast. Secure the two pieces together with toothpicks, and put a dab of orange marmalade and a pepper slice between the fillets. Wrap with a small piece of bacon, and secure with more toothpicks. After each dove breast has been prepared this way, place the pieces in a foil-lined baking dish, and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until done to taste.
DOVE HEART APPETIZERS
Ingredients:
25 to 30 dove hearts
1/2 cup plain flour
2 teaspoons onion salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
Combine flour and onion salt in a bag, add dove hearts, and shake thoroughly. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet. Drop the hearts in one at a time, making sure they are all separate. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the hearts, and add a dash of Worcestershire to each. Cook until almost crisp, and serve hot.
TERIYAKI GRILLED DOVES
Ingredients:
Any number of dove breasts
1 slice bacon per dove breast
Teriyaki sauce
Green onions, cut in 3-inch pieces
Garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Place a piece of green onion on each dove breast, and wrap with a slice of bacon. Secure the bacon with toothpicks.
Place the wrapped breasts in a plastic container, add enough teriyaki sauce to cover the breasts, cover, and refrigerate several hours.
Remove the breasts from the container, drain, and season with garlic powder and pepper. Place the breasts on skewers, and grill over medium-high heat until done to taste. Serve on a bed of rice.
DOVE GUMBO
Ingredients:
20 or more dove breasts
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
2 cups chopped green pepper
2 cups chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 quarts water
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons thyme
5 bay leaves
Filé powder
Directions:
In a large pot, brown dove breasts in hot oil. Remove meat, and set aside. Make a roux by adding flour to the oil in the pot. Stir constantly over medium heat until the roux is caramel brown. Add onion, pepper and garlic, and cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 cup water and all seasonings except filé powder. Mix thoroughly; then gradually add the rest of the water and the meat pieces, still stirring. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 2 hours. Stir in filé, enough to thicken to the desired level. Serve over cooked rice.
QUICK AND EASY BAKED DOVE BREASTS
Ingredients:
10 to 20 dove breasts
Salt and pepper
Flour
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed French onion soup
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sherry
Directions:
Season breasts with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour. Brown in butter or margarine heated in a skillet. Remove from skillet, and place in a casserole dish. Mix soups and sherry, and pour over dove breasts. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour or until tender.