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Why does some venison taste gamey, and what can hunters do to prevent it?

Ascend host Adrian Jessen sits down with wild-game chef Cate Meade, a former Top 4 MasterChef finalist and Chopped: Castaways competitor, to talk about cooking, hunting, foraging, and building a deeper connection with the food on your plate.

Cate explains why overcooking and under-seasoning are two of the biggest mistakes people make with venison. She also explains when a salted milk soak helps, why she prefers dry brining, how ingredients like mustard, garlic, and herbs complement wild game, and why the right finishing temperature matters.

The conversation goes beyond venison. Cate discusses growing up in Chicago, discovering hunting with her father, competing on reality television, foraging for morels and wild plants, safely identifying mushrooms, and turning her connection with the outdoors into a culinary career.

In this episode:

• Why venison can develop a strong or “gamey” flavor
• How milk, salt, and dry brining affect wild game
• The danger of overcooking venison
• Cate’s favorite venison dish
• A simple wild-game recipe for reluctant cooks
• Safe and responsible foraging
• What reality cooking competitions are really like
• Learning to judge doneness by touch
• Respecting and using what you harvest

Learn more about Cate and find her recipes:
https://www.wildwoodschef.com/

Follow @wildwoodchef on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

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Send feedback: DUPodcast@ducks.org

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Adrian Jessen:

Welcome to the ASCEND Podcast by Ducks Unlimited. I'm Adrian, and today's topic is gonna be really fun. Today, we're gonna talk about forest to fork and build to table cooking, which is something I know very, very little about. So this is gonna be really fun. Today, I'm joined by chef Kate Mead.

Adrian Jessen:

Kate is a Chicago based wild game chef, which I'm interested to chat about because it does not sound like that goes together at all. No. She is, also an avid outdoorsman, a former finalist on MasterChef, and is currently a competitor on Chopped Castaways. So, again, gonna talk about all that. It's gonna be super fun.

Adrian Jessen:

She is known as I said for her forced to fork cooking. Basically, is able to find most of the ingredients out in the wild and then transform them into a dish that you will never forget. And while on MasterChef, she and chef Gordon Ramsey prepared one of the best venison dishes he's ever had. So we know she knows what she's doing. So, Kate, thank you so much for being here.

Cate Mead:

Adrian, it's a it's a pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for having me. What an honor.

Adrian Jessen:

This is gonna be fun. I stumbled upon Kate's, Instagram profile, I think, just not long ago. And so as soon as I saw the the amazing food that you were cooking, and then also saw the the hunting. I was like, oh, we gotta we gotta have a conversation. We gotta...

Adrian Jessen:

Yes. Yes. We gotta get in there and figure out how this all happened. So super pumped about chatting with you today.

Cate Mead:

Likewise Yeah. To

Adrian Jessen:

This is gonna be fun. Before we dig into our main topic, just share a little bit about yourself. Tell everybody about you. Let them get them let them get to know who you are.

Cate Mead:

Yeah. So like you said, I am a Chicago based chef, which for wild game, like you said, it does sound like you're contradicting something here. But I like to say I I live a double life between the city and the country. I was born and raised in Chicago in Rogers Park area, but my dad lives in Pecatonica, Illinois now, which is just outside of Rockford, if if people are familiar with that. But lives on a farm and I get to have the best of both worlds now.

Cate Mead:

But grew up a wild child, always loved cooking in the outdoors. First got into turkey hunting and upland birds, and then I actually didn't eat venison for quite some time. My dad, he kinda wasn't like just... He was like backstraps and then dog food, really. You know what I mean?

Cate Mead:

He never looked at it like, you know, with the the appreciation and love, you know, that I have for it now. So it was always like when he was cooking it or something, you know, was always just like, meh, like this, you know? And and then I had my first taste of venison properly cooked, and I was like, boys, I wanna start hunting deer. Like, let's go. I'm ready.

Cate Mead:

Let's go. Yeah. And and then, yeah, fast forward, I I was on Master Chef, which is a home cooking show for home cooks. So I couldn't have any culinary school training or anything like that. So it was really fun to just go on there and and be myself and show the world what this little blonde girl from Chicago was made out of, and and yeah, getting to cook for for Gordon Ramsey was awesome, and yeah, it's been a whirlwind.

Cate Mead:

And now, yeah, I'm competing on Chopped Castaways, is a a spin off of Chopped, which is a mystery back box or basket show, and... But instead of having a kitchen, we are transported on an island with no kitchen, no equipment, and and live fire only. So it's right up my corridor of the woods.

Adrian Jessen:

That's gonna be awesome. It's so cool.

Cate Mead:

It's a lot of fun. It just aired last night.

Adrian Jessen:

Oh, sweet. I saw I saw on on your Instagram the the clip, like the intro clip where they're showing you building your kitchens and that sort of stuff. So Yeah. I'll definitely have to have to watch that. That's gonna be a lot of fun.

Cate Mead:

It's it's on HBO Max if you have that or Food Network.

Adrian Jessen:

Okay. Let's see if I can find it. I don't have that. We'll find it. We will find it.

Cate Mead:

You let me know if you have any trouble.

Adrian Jessen:

Okay. I would like to... So how do you get from, you know, cooking at home to Mhmm. Deciding to be... To to try to be on MasterChef?

Adrian Jessen:

How does that happen?

Cate Mead:

Yeah. That was a funny story. I... This was like, oh gosh, 20, maybe 15 when I auditioned for MasterChef. And I was, you know, I was a holistic nutritionist at the time, and I was also like a kettlebell instructor, if you're familiar really with kettlebells.

Cate Mead:

And and I loved cooking, like cooking. I would spend all my time cooking. I loved trying to get my clients cooking in the kitchen, and I had a few friends and my mom and family see this Master Chef advertisement on like, Fox, and like, send it to me like, because they were coming to Chicago for auditions or whatever, and you had to bring a dish and whatnot, and they were like, you should do this, you'd be perfect for it. And so I was like, okay, like, you know, I I think of first couple, you know, I was like, alright, like fun, you know, and then after like three or four people sent it to me, I was like, I think I gotta start listening to this. Yeah.

Cate Mead:

And so then I took my my dish, it was a lamb sausage jambalaya to Downtown Chicago, and then it was like a whirlwind. I think my number was like, I think it was 697 just in Chicago. And I was like, there is... I'm sitting there with like my thermos of jambalaya and a cast iron pan of like honey jalapeno cornbread, like, there's no way I'm gonna see the light of day at it. What am I doing?

Cate Mead:

You know, mom, let's just go home. And somehow, by the grace of God, I I was like, next room. Next room. Next room. And then

Adrian Jessen:

Oh, man.

Cate Mead:

Next flight, I'm LA, like, abound, and it was just... Yeah. A whirlwind, so to speak.

Adrian Jessen:

Man, that's awesome. And so you you made it to the finals?

Cate Mead:

Yes. Top four. Top four. Finalist.

Adrian Jessen:

Man, that's awesome. Now have you... Did you... Have you been on there more than once? Did I read that correct?

Cate Mead:

Yeah. And then I was on on the All Stars

Adrian Jessen:

Wow. Yeah. That's

Cate Mead:

Which I won my apron again, but I didn't compete so well on the show. Was not my competition.

Adrian Jessen:

So which which season did you make the Venison?

Cate Mead:

So I made Venison even every season I was on Master Shop. It's like what I did. And I think on season eight is when I made it to top four, and I think I made Venison for Gordon at least four times that

Adrian Jessen:

Oh, okay.

Cate Mead:

That season. Yeah. Was there for three months, I'm not exactly sure how many episodes, but quite a bit of episodes where we, you know, multiple challenges in each episode, you know. So sometimes medicine was like in the mystery box, and then sometimes it was like, what would you wanna cook, you know, or something like that.

Adrian Jessen:

That's really cool. How did they respond to that? The... Like, all the the judges or the other contestants, how did they handle that?

Cate Mead:

You know, it was... I feel like in the culinary world, it's unique because I feel like in day... Regular normal life, people look at hunters like, oh, like, you know, more of like, not frowned upon, but almost like this kind of elusive like, oh, you guys hunt kind

Adrian Jessen:

of thing.

Cate Mead:

I guess maybe for me too, more common being in the city with a lot of people that don't hunt, you know? But, yeah, when... They were... They're excited about it. They're like, wow, this is so cool.

Cate Mead:

You can connect to that ingredient, you know? And Gordon being from England, it's like, you know, they have Jack, or I think it's called out there. You know, it's very similar venison, but, you know, they appreciate it. They're like, wow, you are sourcing this, you know, what a what a gift, what a blessing it is to to be able to get your own food, you know? But yeah, other people are like, oh, why couldn't you just go to the grocery store, you know?

Cate Mead:

It's like, honey, this is my grocery store.

Adrian Jessen:

That's right. It's all out there.

Cate Mead:

Yeah. Like, look at these aisles. Like, that's... What do you need? I'll tell I'll tell you...

Cate Mead:

I'll direct you.

Adrian Jessen:

And we... I definitely wanna get more into that. But first, I wanna ask, which do you... And I know you can't talk much about the new chop show because it's still going. But which one did you feel more at home with?

Adrian Jessen:

Like, did... Which one was the kinda more like, yes, this is my wheelhouse?

Cate Mead:

You know, it's TV world is is crazy. I will say that. But this chopped Castaways, it's like everything I live for and I'm excited about. You know, it's like Yeah. Come on, you give us an island, these these ingredients, these tropical ingredients, we could forage our wild, like it was just like, come on, this is it.

Cate Mead:

I wish it was more foraging and hunting to be able to really just like elevate, you know, and and the be... And show the beginning of the story more.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. You know?

Cate Mead:

Because I think that's so important. But it was a lot of fun just getting to build your own kitchen like on on a show where... Or on a comp... In a competition in general. Yeah.

Cate Mead:

You know? Like most of the time you're like, hey, I'll start a fire, you know? And I'm gonna use matches and whatnot. And this is like, you need to set your prep table up, you need to build a fire, start some flint and steel, like, wet wood. It was crazy.

Adrian Jessen:

That's really cool. Mhmm. And then how... So, again, we'll have to watch it. We'll watch that.

Adrian Jessen:

Maybe we'll get you back on when that's finished airing and and chat a little bit more about that. But Well, that's it. Tell me a little bit... Rewind. Let's get back to...

Adrian Jessen:

You told you told us how you got got into deer hunting as kind of a transition to like, oh my gosh. I really like eating this. I'm gonna kill it So how did how did you get into the upland and the turkey hunting? Was that a family thing or...

Cate Mead:

Yeah. So my my grandpa was really big into fishing. My my... All the boys in my family would go on this like yearly fishing trip to Canada, and I would try to convince my father every year like, dad, like, you could take me, you know? And like, I could always see him like contemplating like, you know, she wouldn't really enjoy it, you know?

Cate Mead:

And then he'd get to some part in his head like, no, no, you can't go. It's just... It's a guy's thing, you know. I was just like, but I was that girl where it was just like, I wanted to be like in the mud, in the dirt, outdoors, you know, all the things. So when my...

Cate Mead:

When I first started turkey hunting with my dad, and I I loved it, but we were so bad at it that it was like, you needed so much patience. I would like... We would leave and I'd be like, dad, let's hit this turkey with the car, you know? Like, I'm just... I got it.

Cate Mead:

Yeah. It was just like, it was so so hard, you know? But then getting to hunt with like, the pheasants and the dogs and stuff, it was just such a different change of pace, you know, where it's like, oh, this everybody's coming together and it's so exciting, you know, and it's just it was just awesome. But yeah, I just grew up slowly just every year taking more and more on. But I was kinda adamant that from a young age, like, I don't want to hunt or kill anything that I'm not gonna utilize and and eat, you know.

Cate Mead:

So I was adamant. I'm like, I'm not... I don't wanna go just kill a deer if I'm not gonna eat it, you know. It's a lot of meat. It's not like a bird, you know, where you could just be like, oh, I can give it to this person.

Cate Mead:

And Right.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah, you prob...

Cate Mead:

I wasn't also very understanding where you could donate meat and stuff now for, yeah, land management and stuff.

Adrian Jessen:

Right. So how did that transition for you into cooking? Was that also something you just kinda always did or did you cook so that you could have something to do with the game that you killed?

Cate Mead:

Well, I was always... I loved cooking. It definitely started before I was hunting and foraging and and finding and growing my own food, but I think that just elevated it. It was like, wow. I really know this ingredient now.

Cate Mead:

I know I have this deeper connection with the turkey. And and... Yeah. I forget your your question. I'm sorry.

Adrian Jessen:

Now, did you transition to to to cooking the game?

Cate Mead:

Oh, like seriously? Yeah. I guess just growing up, I would... I've just got better and better every year. Guess my family and everybody were just like, wow, you're really good at this, or I love this, you know, like not...

Cate Mead:

They were saying this is really good, like this is, you know... And it gave me such like a a spark or a passion inside like, it really fueled my fire to know people enjoyed what I did. And so I just did more of it. Like I just I just cooked my tail end off. And, yeah, I loved it through college.

Cate Mead:

Like, I was in college as a justice major, and I was just in my apartment cooking. I didn't go away to college, I just had a like apartment in Chicago, and I literally just cooked like, my whole kitchen was just always crazy. Like, there was stuff on the ceiling that was really nuts. It was just always chaos, but I was, like, experimenting. Like, I felt like a scientist, like, just a crazy mad blonde scientist.

Adrian Jessen:

It is though, like, a a set experiment.

Cate Mead:

Like Yeah. Chemistry. Yeah.

Adrian Jessen:

There's things and... Yeah. Mix it together, and how's it gonna turn out?

Cate Mead:

So Exactly. That's amazing. Nobody leading me. I just was like a a blind crazy horse.

Adrian Jessen:

It seems to have worked out. So

Cate Mead:

It did. Yeah. It did, I guess.

Adrian Jessen:

And so we we touched on a little bit. Obviously, it's it's hunting is one way to source your food. You also do a good bit of fishing. It seems from from that. So talk about some of the other things that it's not just not just hunting and fishing.

Adrian Jessen:

How are other ways that you use the the world to provide food?

Cate Mead:

Yeah. So I talked like a little bit... My my dad's best friend has a farm where he lives now in Fecatonica. That's where we'd grow... Go when we were growing up, his his friend's farm.

Cate Mead:

And he had fruit trees and everything there, and it was just a place where I could look at like, hey, this is a... Yeah. I would find food and we would hunt, we'd go fishing, I'd pick cherries and make cherry pie and stuff like that. So it was like, everything was kinda like coming together slowly, you know? And I remember after we were turkey hunting, and I had no success, and I was down in the dumps, my dad's friend was like, look, when you're at a a low low in spring, you go and you you search for morels, and it boosts your morale.

Cate Mead:

And he took me morale hunting, and it was literally like went from, yeah, like a low low to a high high, like with people in the woods, you know, and it was like Yep. Just this thrilling experience. And to this day, that high does not fade when you're like around other people finding food in the woods, like whether it's hunting or foraging mushrooms or foraging wild edibles or ramps or anything, it's so fun. Like, just this last week, I can't make this up, I had two little six year old twins call me and show me the morels that like FaceTime me. Like, look at what we found because we were hunting morels a couple weeks ago and we like only found a couple, you know.

Cate Mead:

And I was like, yeah. Like, you know, just like so excited because like, I know they were so excited, and I wish I was there, I wouldn't be even more excited, but it was just so much fun that they called me. And that's the kind of stuff that I love and live for. Like, I would go out in the woods and just like, hey, what is this plant? You know, what is it used for?

Cate Mead:

Study it. Just get to know it, and see if I could potentially use it, or if it's invasive, or, you know, what part does it play in our ecosystem?

Adrian Jessen:

And

Cate Mead:

and then, yeah, how can I better connect with that?

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. That's really that's one of those things that we don't really think about much because, I mean, how many weeds have we been taught through the years? Like, oh, you gotta kill that weed. You gotta kill that weed. And then you find out all these medicinal properties or all these wonderful things you can do with that weed we've been told to kill.

Cate Mead:

Yeah. I eat dandelions. Like, we wouldn't have lettuce if it wasn't for dandelions, you know, and you could eat everything. It's like a real... Probably a huge plant that supported us to actually get to where we are today, the dandelions.

Cate Mead:

But, yeah, there's so many things like that where it's just like, you know, yeah, we step on them and it could be our medicine or

Adrian Jessen:

Mhmm.

Cate Mead:

You know, you have pain in your foot and there's probably something right underneath your foot that could help you. But people just don't know. And back in the day, like, you know, as a human race, we used to eat over 2,000 species of plants and and vegetables, and now we eat less than like 200. Oh, wow. Which is just crazy.

Cate Mead:

And and then our lack of knowledge too, it's like people can't identify an oak tree or a maple tree, And these are things that we see every day, you know, but they know what like an iPhone is or a McDonald's, you know. Yeah. It's just... It is crazy.

Adrian Jessen:

Cannot identify any number of celebrity photos.

Cate Mead:

Exactly. We

Adrian Jessen:

can't. And I I definitely cannot identify most of the plants out there. I think that's probably the fear of, you know, like, how many how many times are we like, don't eat... You can't eat stuff in the woods because you'll eat poisonous. Everything's poisonous.

Cate Mead:

Everything. Yeah. Like, that's what you always heard. And I remember, like, when I was little finding a big orange mushroom growing on a tree, and like, you know, kicking the crap out of it and just, you know, having fun with it. What I was...

Cate Mead:

And, you know, my parents sign me, oh, every... You know, it's poisonous or whatever, I'm sure. So I was thinking, oh, this is definitely poisonous. But come to find out that mushroom is called chicken of the woods, and it looks like chicken, it tastes like chicken. I mean, the orange part doesn't really look like chicken.

Cate Mead:

But when you peel it kinda or shred it apart, like the inside kinda looks like a pulled chicken. But it's just something where it's like, oh, yeah. You were grown or told to think this or be in fear of this thing, you know. When really it's just more of an understanding. A lot of people will text me, hey, what's this mushroom?

Cate Mead:

Can I eat it? Yeah. And I always tell people like, just relax. That's not the question you should be asking. It's just, what is this mushroom?

Cate Mead:

How can I identify and how can I understand it? Like, just first and foremost, you know. Because if you are left to eat like, oh, can I eat this? You know, you're gonna get... You're probably gonna get yourself killed, you know, if you're just worried about eating it.

Cate Mead:

Because you you do wanna have an understanding of it. And, yeah, you wanna look at the... Where is it growing? What is it growing from? You know, all of its features from the underside to the topside to the stem or, you know, there's just so many different things that are helping you identify this plant and you just have to listen to it, you know.

Cate Mead:

Yeah. Not just jump to conclusions and shove things in your mouth. Foragers go by the rule of, you know, don't consume anything, you can't ID. And that's just... And so your number one rule.

Cate Mead:

So it's like, hey, you thought that was, you know, wild carrot and it was poisonous hemlock, you only thought, you didn't know, you know? Right. So it's like be a 100% sure what you're consuming.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. That's that's smart. I like that. I like that a lot.

Cate Mead:

And you can text me anytime, girl. Could text me your...... Be like... Plants. Yeah.

Cate Mead:

What is this?

Adrian Jessen:

What is this? Can I? I just I won't say, can I eat this?

Cate Mead:

Yeah. Yeah. What can I do with this?

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. So before we move on to a little bit more about kind of the the full circle picture of all this, we need to kind of take a little break. We're gonna pause, hear from our sponsors. So sit down.

VO:

Stay tuned to the Ducks Unlimited Podcast sponsored by Bird Dog Whiskey after these messages.

Adrian Jessen:

Welcome back to the ASCEND podcast. We are talking with chef Kate Mead, and so far, we've learned a lot. The main thing is you can eat a lot of stuff in the woods, just don't eat it all, unless you know what it is.

Cate Mead:

Amen. So

Adrian Jessen:

keep that in mind. That's right. I do wanna talk more about, it's very clear from our conversation from your social media that preparing food isn't just preparing food to you. That it's a really a whole a whole full circle thing. Talk a little bit more about how that...

Adrian Jessen:

How how you view that.

Cate Mead:

Yeah. I do. I do really feel like it's full circle. And I don't know if that's just something I'm excited or I love the feeling of everything. But I think getting to know something in its first stages of life or its environment that it's grown in is so important.

Cate Mead:

One, to help you identify and and get to know it, but two, like the connection with that plant, you know. And then, you know, from there you could understand what that plant is connected to, maybe what's growing around it in season. A lot of people say what grows together goes together. And like, in in spring, you'll see dishes like in Michelin star restaurants right now with turkey, ramps, morels, maybe some other wild alliums or some fiddleheads, ferns, you know. And it's like these ingredients are all growing right now, and they're in peak season, you know, and there's such a prize, and people would pay so much money for them, but they're all growing right next to each other, you know.

Cate Mead:

You could find them in the same block of the woods or, you know, 200 yards or something like that. And I just think that's really cool, and that's something like, you know, not a lot of people think about. They're just like, oh, can I get strawberries every day of the year, you know, and and they're mad when they don't taste good? It's like, well, strawberries are gonna be growing in spring, you know? So unless you're doing something crazy, which we love to do, yeah, it's just it's not gonna be a seasonal thing.

Cate Mead:

So I think connecting to the land and your ingredients is just so so important, and then so gratifying. It does... It it gives... It it's it's so rewarding, it gives me, you know, my medium, so to speak, for what I do, and then it helps feed people in the end too, and they have this memory that is then tied to the food. I I do a lot of hunt gloves and cooking for for men and women across the country, and getting them to see like and taste wild game on a different level that they're used to, they're like, wow.

Cate Mead:

Like, you know, this is the best venison I've ever had or, you know. Yeah. I've had a couple of people say I've hunted deer my whole entire life and I've never had venison like this, you know. And it's just like, yes. Like, that is what I love, you know.

Cate Mead:

But it's like Yeah. It's also like I wanna, yeah, I wanna just share that with people to teach people how to to do that themselves.

Adrian Jessen:

What's your favorite game to cook?

Cate Mead:

I would say venison, for sure. I haven't done an... I wanna get out hunting elk and and like pronghorn out west, but I just... I haven't... Yeah.

Cate Mead:

And also moose is on my hit list. Yeah. You just went and I will also definitely wanna go to Red Deer.

Adrian Jessen:

Oh my gosh.

Cate Mead:

New Zealand that looks insane.

Adrian Jessen:

You've got it.

Cate Mead:

What a harvest. Yeah. Your story was so fun.

Adrian Jessen:

It's... Yeah. It's... You gotta do it a thousand percent. Like, that must be on your on your to do list.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. The fallow deer

Cate Mead:

I was

Adrian Jessen:

gonna say, over yeah. There. Yeah. They, they love it. Like, the the farmers out there will eat fallow deer before they eat red deer any day of the week.

Adrian Jessen:

Really? Like, they love it. So it'd be really cool to see you, like, get a fallow deer and then just prep the prep the... I would love I would love that. That'd so cool.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. That's... We need to, you don't have to put this in there, Ruby. But we need to... I wonder how that could work.

Adrian Jessen:

We need to do some kinda like crossover something with like ASCEND and like your socials or something where

Cate Mead:

And cooking.

Adrian Jessen:

You can go out there, cook, kill some... Or I mean, we could do it in The US too but like go out, kill a pronghorn, kill an elk or something and then have you prepare it. Cook it.

Cate Mead:

That'd be super cool. Yeah. Some people too, like, that are hunters. Like, I really love, like Yeah. People that are just, like, those are, like, Gordon Gordon too, like, I think knows venison, but, like, having a hunter, you know, it's

Adrian Jessen:

like Yeah.

Cate Mead:

This is what they're eating. Like you said, they're gonna eat that the prong, or no, it was a fallow deer.

Adrian Jessen:

Fallow.

Cate Mead:

Over, you know, that's what they're choosing, you know? Yeah. So it's like, to have somebody that's choosing fallow say, you know, this is really good or that, you know, it's a different level. It's very it's very rewarding.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. That'd be super cool. Would love that. Yeah. I'd be very interested in you, like cooking elk because of the of the American game that I've eaten, elk is definitely the best.

Adrian Jessen:

Uh-huh. I'm trying to think. I've not had moose. I haven't actually had pronghorn either. Some people really like that.

Adrian Jessen:

A lot of people... It's funny that you talk about like what grows together. Cause I've heard some people have had pronghorn, but they say that it's kind of sage y. Oh, Yeah. So I guess they they eat that and then there's kind of a sage flavor that that comes from that.

Adrian Jessen:

So that would be... I'd be very interested.

Cate Mead:

You hear that a lot like with wood ducks eating acorns and stuff like that, of like how their diet affects, you know, how they taste. I do think that Yeah. That does play a huge huge role, especially just even noticing the different tastes of white tail across North America, you know, from the South to the Midwest and whatnot.

Adrian Jessen:

Because deer here in North Carolina definitely have a different taste than the deer that eat corn and soybeans constantly.

Cate Mead:

Yeah. Yeah. It's just a... It is. Yeah.

Cate Mead:

It's interest... It always is very cool. But I do think there's like little certain techniques that you can do to, like, if your if your deer is on the more of a strong tasting deer, you know, like certain things you can do to, like, help that flavor. So it's not necessarily tasting exactly like a Midwest deer, you know Mhmm. But it's not giving off those those off putting flavors, you know?

Cate Mead:

Anti oxidase. Okay.

Adrian Jessen:

I I know a lot of people, you know, a lot of people that don't like venison say or other game that they didn't buy at the grocery store, they don't like it because it's gamey. Mhmm. So what what are those techniques? What can somebody try to to have deer that they're gonna love?

Cate Mead:

Yeah. So one thing is, milk. A lot of people will be like, oh, you don't need to soak your milk and your venison in milk. And you don't, like, you know, but if you find that your deer is tasting strong flavored, whether, you know, it had a slower death or it wasn't, you know, it had a harder life or whatever the case may be, or it's an older animal. Soaking that meat in milk, milk has casein, which is a protein that will actually bind to those foul tasting and smelling odors, and release some of that myoglobin, or, you know, so to...

Cate Mead:

Blood in the meat, and that will, like, it's going to give your meat an off color, but once you cook that, that color will not be there, you know? And so that alone will just... You're gonna have a better better experience with your with your nose and palate eating a piece of venison that was soaked in milk. And and salt your milk too. So instead of just putting it in milk, make it like a brine.

Cate Mead:

So it's actually like you're adding flavor, not just soaking it in milk, letting that stuff draw. Just for like thirty minutes to an hour, you know? Okay. That will help a lot. Seasoning your venison or your wild game, just a brine, you could do a dry brine or wet brine, but I find that 90% of the time, I'm doing a dry brine, and the longer the better.

Cate Mead:

If you can do it twenty four hours in the fridge, but even if you say like, oh, you're prepping and, you know, you're not gonna be cooking it for an hour or two, just grabbing that roast or or steak out first, salting it, and then throwing it back in the fridge, and just letting that salt penetrate that meat. You're gonna have flavor throughout that meat and tender, like, yeah, it's gonna be able to release some moisture and concentrate the flavor, giving you a much better eating experience. And then last I would say would be... Well, two things. One is use antioxidants because as meat oxidizes, those antioxidants will help counteract counteract that and give flavor.

Cate Mead:

So some good things that are high in antioxidants that go with venison would be mustard, garlic, thyme, rosemary, all of the oregano, all of your herbs like that. Garlic, all very high in antioxidants. Sorry. My dog's snoring in the background. And so that...

Cate Mead:

Those are really good. And then last would be knowing what temperature your your end result should be. So if it's, you know, medium rare, or you're braising it, you know, like, how long that actually needs. Because if you, you know, cook your tenderloin or your backstrip to one forty five, in my opinion, you're gonna have a a worse eating experience than if you did it at, like, 01:25 or 01:30.

Adrian Jessen:

So basically, most people probably overcook their

Cate Mead:

Oh, yeah.

Adrian Jessen:

Their I

Cate Mead:

would say that's probably number one. Over overcooking and and under seasoning.

Adrian Jessen:

So when you... I'm rewinding because I'm excited about this mustard situation. So do you... Is like that how you would do the rub? Like, you put the mustard on it and then rub the the seasoning on it?

Cate Mead:

It's a great great two things. So yes to both of those. There's... For grind... For ground meat, I'm gonna do a mustard powder, like a Coleman's, like an English So mustard good.

Cate Mead:

Like, I will put that almost in like all of my grind applications, just a little bit of mustard powder.

Adrian Jessen:

Mhmm.

Cate Mead:

Whether it's Asian, Italian, Mexican, it doesn't matter. That mustard like finds its place in the venison.

Adrian Jessen:

Okay.

Cate Mead:

And then two, I use a paintbrush and I will paint that Dijon mustard very thinly, like on my venison tenderloin, and then I might rub that in a coffee rub or a cocoa rub or a chili rub or a mushroom rub. And all those Yeah. Too. Mushrooms, super antioxidant. Yeah.

Cate Mead:

Interesting. Mhmm.

Adrian Jessen:

I'm gonna have to... I mean, so do you have... We we can get to this in a minute as well, but do you have, like, a website or a place where you post a lot of your recipes? How does that work?

Cate Mead:

Yes. I do have a website, Wildwood Chef, and then on Instagram, Wildwood Chef. I'm always sharing videos, reels, and recipes that for you. Reel I have on Instagram and TikTok has a a full recipe there for you. I hate when people have to like make you click and go to those things.

Cate Mead:

It's like, I love this. I'm so passionate about it. I'm happy to share it, and I want... I love when people are like, oh, you helped me become a better wild game cook, or help me more comfortable, like, you know, oh my gosh. It makes my heart so happy.

Cate Mead:

So I am happy to share.

Adrian Jessen:

That's that's phenomenal. So what is your... I have I have two questions. Question one, what is your favorite deer white tail venison dish to prepare?

Cate Mead:

I guess if I had to have a favorite, it would be like a mushroom rub venison tenderloin or backstrap. Like I said, you'd be painting that with the Dijon and then rubbing it in there and also pre seasoning it in advance to get that salt flavor. With a palms puree, which is a fancy word of saying like a smooth mashed potato. Oh, good. Some wild mushrooms, like roasted or grilled wild mushrooms, and and then a chimichurri.

Cate Mead:

I love chimichurri or like an Italian like salsa verde with like the capers and the anchovies. It's kinda like an Italian chimichurri. Super good. And then, yeah, the the mushroom red venison. I would eat that, like, as my last meal.

Cate Mead:

Like, bite is so good.

Adrian Jessen:

It sounds amazing. I feel like have to go on there and find it because I love it.

Cate Mead:

Recipe on on on my reel. It's like the one... It's one of my pinned things.

Adrian Jessen:

Like Oh.

Cate Mead:

It's one of my pinned recipes. Yeah. So you could find that one.

Adrian Jessen:

Perfect. And we'll link to some of these, like, your profiles and your website and stuff. We'll link to that below. So if you guys are interested in learning more about recipes and stuff like that, then definitely check-in the description because we'll for sure have that there. So here's question number two.

Adrian Jessen:

For someone, not... Maybe not like me, but someone who does not like to cook, what would you say is the easiest, still really good dish to prepare? The lazy cooker. That's what I call myself.

Cate Mead:

Oh, my gosh. Yes. I actually just made these lazy venison dumplings. I'm not kidding you from prep time to like plate time, less than thirty minutes. Like the grating a carrot, chopping a scallion, and then like some garlic.

Cate Mead:

If you use garlic, like, you should be arrested in all 50 states. But just some garlic. Yeah. And then it's ground venison. You mix it.

Cate Mead:

Again, my recipe is like on my Instagram. But then you mix up your your mince and you form these meatballs, put them into the pan like a hot skillet, and you top it with dumpling wrappers, and then a little bit of water or stock and cover it with a lid, and these little dumplings like the the top of the wrapper adheres to the meatball, so to speak, that you just put in the pan, and then it's cooking it because you got the steam and the liquid in there, and it's so delicious. Like, I was eating it and I was like, usually when I make recipes, I'm like, I can put this down. I gotta clean up. I got all this stuff to do, and I was like, I'm taking this pan and eating this right now in the other room.

Cate Mead:

Like, it was so good. It was just it was just like addicting, like spicy and and sweet and crunchy and all the things, you know. It's very easy dish for a non Yes. A non cooker.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. Well, yeah. I'll definitely check that out. Yep. I gotta I've gotta I gotta have my list over here of all the things I gotta look at.

Adrian Jessen:

So would you say other than soaking the meat, now did you say regular milk or buttermilk? Or does it matter?

Cate Mead:

It it doesn't... I would say the buttermilk, you use when you wanna tenderize it more, because the acid will help tenderize the meat. But any milk will help... The casing in the milk will absorb that, you know, so to speak. Yeah.

Adrian Jessen:

So that'd be your best... If somebody's just getting started deer hunting, like, they're they've, you know, followed along and they're like, you know what? I wanna be a person that that prepares the the food for my family. I don't wanna have to rely on the grocery stores and big food. Like, I'm gonna start doing this.

Adrian Jessen:

What would you say is the best, like, first thing... First advice they need to know?

Cate Mead:

Just just like nothing has to be perfect and and you're just learning too, you know, like just it's okay to make a bad dish sometimes, you know, like you're you're gonna learn, you know. But try to enjoy it, you know, like if you're not putting love into your food, like if you're in a bad mood or like, I hate this, like I feel like you're gonna hate it, you know what I mean? But like, do your best to enjoy it. And it's like, you know, you know you're a lazy cook, so to speak, choose recipes that are Mhmm. You know, easy or else again, you're gonna hate it, you know?

Cate Mead:

So... But yeah. I I just try to find some passion in it, try to find something that, you know, like, hey, this is worth it because look at this awesome food that I just made or, you know, this beautiful animal I'm providing for my family. Yeah. Stuff like that.

Adrian Jessen:

That's cool. What about... So do you butcher your own animals?

Cate Mead:

I do. But with these guys, they don't let me. The the taxidermists won't accept any... So that's a little sad too because I I will harvest some does from time to time for management, you know, but I don't do as much butchery on Whitetails as I would like to. This but all other game, yes.

Cate Mead:

But the... I I can't... Like, that's what I think is so exciting about Out West is that you're doing the butcher like right there, and I'm like, I would freaking kill for that. That sounds so fun. But yeah, it's like, I feel like it's...

Cate Mead:

Yeah. It's some... I feel like when they take away my deer at the Texas Jerusalem, it's like... Like, I feel like a little kid like crying like Yeah. Yeah.

Cate Mead:

They took my joy away, dad. So

Adrian Jessen:

the ones that you have you found yourself any anything like, you know, you hear people that are like, oh, you need to hang it for a few days. No, don't hang it. Put it in the cooler. Don't know soak cooler. It in Do this.

Adrian Jessen:

Like, have you found something that you... That works better in terms of that of of the animal?

Cate Mead:

I definitely would say never soak your meat. You're just adding water. Like, unless it's prior to cooking it, you know, like as in a brine, you know, you're doing something to enhance it. Yes. Soaking it in water is just gonna water log it and then almost promote freezer burn because the water will just then, you know, oxidize and freeze.

Cate Mead:

So, yeah. Avoid that. Hanging is cool. I think a lot of people are into like the dry aging of of stuff. And for me, I...

Cate Mead:

It's just not something I'm like, oh, you're seeing... I feel like there's a lot of waste to it. Like, for for for cows, they have enough fat to dry age it, you know? But for deer, it's like, I think it is important to allow your animal to go into rigor and on its body, like the guts removed, go into rigor, allow the muscles to tense up, and then relax. And that's gonna give you your best eating experience.

Cate Mead:

So So if you could just do that, I would say it's a win. And then cleanliness, I think a lot of people just overlook that. They're like, oh, you know, like a gut shot or, you know, it's like that stuff needs to be managed and yeah. And that's how you're gonna end up with a foul tasting

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. Result. Yeah. And like you were saying earlier too, if if you gut shot it and you got... You don't find it till thirty six hours later and it has...

Adrian Jessen:

It just died. Might not be your best choice. Yeah. You know, to... But might be some bad things happening in that deer.

Cate Mead:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Some things are brewing. That's...

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. That's very true. That's very true. So what else... What would you say, as we kinda wrap things up?

Adrian Jessen:

What is... If somebody was like, okay. And I've I've I've always liked to cook. I wanna learn more. What what is the thing that really drives you to teach other people how to do this?

Cate Mead:

You know, I don't know this is I don't know if that's this is the right answer, but something that I was thinking about that I think is so important is like touching your food and being like hands on. I think that's part of why I love the whole experience of foraging and hunting. I'm very tactile. I love like hands on. Mhmm.

Cate Mead:

But so many people just look at their meat like, oh, like is it done or I'm gonna stick a thermometer in there? And I can't tell you it is so so important to just touch your meat, season it, touch it, see what it feels like. Mhmm. When you put it on the grill, touch it, see what it feels like that, like, the bounce, like, when you put like a a fresh steak on the grill, it's gonna have a lot of give to it. And as it cooks, it's going to firm up, you know?

Cate Mead:

And every protein is different from, you know, pork to chicken, fish, all the... Venison, all the things. But if you touch every single one, you're going to slowly learn what what temperature your meat is, you know. So it's like, you could cook chicken five times and by the end of it, you're you're knowing what that chicken breast feels like, you know? Like when it's close to done, you know?

Cate Mead:

And I think those are... That's part of your instincts, you know, where it's like we just lost touch with that. Like we're just so reliable on a phone that's gonna be like, oh, your chicken is ready. You know what I mean? Or it's like, what do you mean?

Cate Mead:

Like, yeah. Go touch your chicken. Damn it.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah.

Cate Mead:

Yeah. Yeah. Just touch your food. Yeah. Somebody's like, oh, I don't cook steak enough to know what it feels like.

Cate Mead:

I was like, you literally only needed to cook steak like four times and you could you could be in, you know, they say this is like rare, medium rare, medium and well done, like of the firmness of... Mhmm. And it's it's like a rough guide, you know. But it's more so just like, I would say it's like an example of like, see how soft and, you know, you can make a really big imprint, but by the time you get to here, it's so, you know, that's like what well done feels like. So I think that's so important just to know where your meat's at, and like how much time you got on that, you know, the flipping and turning of it, getting an even cook.

Cate Mead:

Those things I think are just so overlooked. Like you said, like, an overcooked piece of venison is just gonna... It's gonna give you, like, feel like you're you're not gonna impress anybody.

Adrian Jessen:

Right. Right. That makes sense. And you're gonna impress yourself. So No.

Adrian Jessen:

Then like you said, you don't wanna keep cooking it because it's not gonna sound good.

Cate Mead:

Right. Yeah. Yeah. So if you just knew, like, one twenty feels like, you know, moderately squishy or something like that, you're now gonna know to pull that, let it rest five, ten minutes, and then slice slice your your backstrip, and you're gonna end up with, like, the best result. Mhmm.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. That's that's awesome. Oh, Did I

Cate Mead:

make your mouth water?

Adrian Jessen:

I know. My gosh. I know. I'm like, oh, I'm gonna make some steak now. I gotta...

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. Yeah. I'm like, I'm like, okay. I got it. Yeah.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. You're gonna be touching your meat.

Cate Mead:

Okay. Mhmm.

Adrian Jessen:

I got it.

Cate Mead:

Yeah. Look at me. I'm a fro.

Adrian Jessen:

Sure. I'll have to do... I'll I'll do a video. I did it. I did it.

Cate Mead:

Yeah. No. But really, if if when you're cooking venison, if you just did that, like, touched it every single time, even if you are using a thermometer, you know, a probe, and it told you when it's done, touch it when it's done so you Mhmm. Your muscle memory knows like that's what it feels like when it's done, you know? Yeah.

Cate Mead:

And then next time, if that thermometer is there or not, you know, your instincts at least have your your back.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. That's smart. I've seen people like on on the chef shows or whatever, you know, they're the... Well, what's Hell's Kitchen? You know, he'll...

Adrian Jessen:

See him and he's like touches the steak. He's like, this is da da da. It's well overdone. It's not even cooked. I'm like, Gordon.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. I'm like, okay. Yeah. I'll just yell things. I'll just touch buffered and yell things, so now it makes better sense.

Cate Mead:

Yep. He's touching... Yeah. When it's raw or, you know, it kind of... It doesn't...

Cate Mead:

This is kind of a little bit too firm, but I feel like it's more like your your arm or your stomach or something like that.

Adrian Jessen:

It's a must.

Cate Mead:

Unless you have a six pack or whatever.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. Exactly. That's really neat. What would you say... This is kinda off topic, but if someone else was like considering trying to be on like Master Chef or one of those shows, would you say, oh, for sure go for it.

Adrian Jessen:

It's amazing. Or you're like, yeah, there's some things you should know.

Cate Mead:

I would say you definitely have to be prepared for reality TV because, you know, it's cutthroat, and they're gonna try to get you to say things you don't wanna say, and do things you don't wanna do, and you gotta, like, you gotta stand strong and like, choose, you know, and know who you are, you know? Yeah. Because yeah, I feel like those... There's moments where they want to like, either pin you up against yourself or somebody else where it's like, this is not... I'm not...

Cate Mead:

You know, crazy. So you gotta really be strong in... And in your mind too, because sometimes it is like crazy. Like for Master Chef, we were there for three months and we weren't allowed to talk to... We had no phone for three Oh, months wow.

Cate Mead:

And we were allowed to talk to our family for five minutes a week.

Adrian Jessen:

Holy smokes.

Cate Mead:

Yeah. So it was like, you had to be like mentally prepared for that as well, you know. But at the end of the day, the coolest and best opportunity, like I wouldn't be where I am today Yeah. If it wasn't for that, you know. So it's like, I guess that was a kind of a long winded answer, but No.

Cate Mead:

No. I'm very grateful, and it's such a cool experience. I would highly recommend it, but you definitely had to be prepared and mentally strong to handle the chaos of reality TV.

Adrian Jessen:

And it sounds like they... You know, because everybody's like, oh, reality TV's not real. There's so much scripted or whatever. But like, they make it real by kinda putting you together for three months and you don't have outside, like, that is the reality.

Cate Mead:

Mhmm.

Adrian Jessen:

So that's makes some better sense now.

Cate Mead:

I would say it's real, but they have some real producing as well. Oh, yeah. You know? Yeah. Producing and editing and all of the things.

Cate Mead:

But, yeah. I think something I said in the very beginning, and I don't know if it was because I was naive or, know, going to LA like from just like a Midwest, like, what is this? It was just like, I'm gonna stay. I'm gonna be who I am. I'm not gonna change it for anybody.

Cate Mead:

Like, I would hate seeing people that were like played the villain and stuff like that. And it's like, I'm sorry, but anybody that is bringing you down in life does not, like, I don't have the time of day for them in the real world. I'm definitely not gonna give into it on some competition, you know. Right. Get out of here.

Cate Mead:

Like, no.

Adrian Jessen:

I'm Yeah.

Cate Mead:

Cheerleader, like positive, happy person and I'm gonna keep it that way.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. That... And I'm sure that helps everyone in the process too.

Cate Mead:

I think so.

Adrian Jessen:

Yeah. Well, thank you so much, Kay. Again, go ahead and tell everybody again where they can find you, follow you, keep up with you.

Cate Mead:

Thank you, first of all, for having me on here. Was awesome talking to you. And I can't wait to meet you in person one day. But you guys could follow me at Wildwood Chef on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and wildwoodchef.com.

Adrian Jessen:

Perfect. So you guys, again, we'll put links below, but definitely check it out. You you won't be disappointed. Like I say, I've I've been very impressed and now I have to actually cook some stuff. So let's see.

Adrian Jessen:

We'll see how that goes. You can't see me. Share some. That's right. You call me if I'll you reaching out.

Adrian Jessen:

That's right. I'll definitely do that.

Cate Mead:

So much for having me.

Adrian Jessen:

Oh, yeah. It's been a blast, you guys. Thank you so much for being here. Tons of great information. Hopefully, you guys learned a bunch as well.

Adrian Jessen:

I know that I did. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you hit the like button. Please comment. Let us know what you think about it. Tell us your tips and tricks.

Adrian Jessen:

Comment, share your favorite wild game recipe with us as well. Maybe someday in our newsletter or on on our website, we'll have a wild game recipe book from all of your contributions. Love that. Check us out. Make sure you follow along on Instagram as well under d u ASCEND.

Adrian Jessen:

I've said this every time, but we really just want the ASCEND animal to be this amazing place for women to come together, who wanna be outdoors, who wanna enjoy what the earth and and creation has to offer. So join in, be part of it. We definitely want you there. But as always, this is Adrian, encouraging you to follow your story wherever it takes you.

VO:

Thank you for listening to the ASCEND podcast. New every week, the conservation driven podcast one week, and our adventure video series the next. Watch the ASCEND adventure episodes on the Ducks Unlimited YouTube channel, and be sure to like, share, and subscribe. Opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect those of Ducks Unlimited. Until next time, follow your outdoor story wherever it leads you.

VO:

ASCEND. Don't forget to rate and review the ASCEND podcast. It's the best way to grow the podcast and help other women discover the next step on their outdoors journey.

VO:

That's a wrap for today's episode of the Ducks Unlimited Podcast brought to you by Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails. From post hunt unwinds to celebrations back at camp, Bird Dog delivers award winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe, and check out ducks.org/dupodcast for more stories, science, and all things waterfowl. Guest opinions are their own and don't necessarily reflect those of Ducks Unlimited.

VO:

Until next time, stay fired up, stay focused, and stay tuned to the Ducks.