How an avid hunter makes meat taste greatIllustration by Kat Frick Miller
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Michael Caufin had his first experience hunting as a 13-year-old adolescent when he and his 12-year-old cousin joined their fathers’ hunting group at the Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area, about two hours west from where he grew up in Vaughan, Ont.
“The most important lesson I got from my father was the element of safety. You have to respect the gun and the fact that it’s a weapon,” he says.
Hunting has been a long-standing tradition in Caufin’s family. Geese, wild turkey and deer have become some of his favourite game to hunt. Over the years, hunting has become not only a sport he enjoys – it’s also a means to feed his family of five, including himself and his wife, Melissa, both 37 years old, and their three young children.
In October, he went hunting in Ontario with his son in tow. It was an opportunity for Caufin to pass this tradition on to his children. He also wants them to respect the animals and appreciate where their food comes from.
“It’s a sobering moment to catch something,” he says.
At any given moment, the family has a variety of game meat in the freezer. Melissa often turns moose, venison and wild turkey into meatballs, sausages and ground meat ready to be prepared.
“It’s such an organic form of meat and it really does change your perspective on where meat and food comes from,” she says.
“It’s also changed the way we grocery shop, since we’re always looking for fruits, vegetables and pickled ingredients that complement the gamey flavour of those meats.”
Here is how the Caufins shops for groceries.
How I save money: We buy items in bulk at Costco. It helps that we have a large stand-up freezer where we can store everything.
How I splurge: We splurge on ingredients like coarse sea salt, which we grind in our salt mill, and good maple syrup to drizzle on sides like acorn squash and carrots. We use both as finishing ingredients for our dishes, and find that the taste and quality is better than table salt or corn syrup.
The hardest shopping habit to keep up: Melissa works as a nurse in diabetes care, so we always try to follow the balanced plate method, which recommends a quarter-plate of protein, a quarter-plate of whole grains and half a plate of fruits and vegetables. It’s difficult to prepare fresh vegetables and make them taste good so that we get enough at every meal.
How I’ve changed my eating habits recently: The switch to organic meats is new for us, and something we began doing a few years back. Neither of us grew up on organic meats (besides the hunted meat). The change came from a couple of documentaries, specifically Netflix’s Poisoned, and we feel there’s a lower risk of being exposed to antibiotics.
Five items always in my cart:
- Smoked herring tin – Brunswick – $2.49: Our kids enjoy the taste of this as a snack. We usually eat it on bread or with crackers or as part of a charcuterie board. It’s a good source of protein, vitamin D and omega 3.
- Manchego cheese – Don Alonso – $21.99: We really enjoy this cheese. It has an intense, zesty taste, so it complements the taste of game meat such as venison, or even the smoked herring.
- Sourdough boule – Pane Fresco – $5.95: This is a bit of a splurge, but it’s our favourite bread, which we eat with most meals. We buy a bunch anytime we make it to Fortinos and freeze it.
- Giardiniera – Aurora – $4.99: Giardiniera, a pickled mix of hot peppers, carrots, celery, cauliflower and other vegetables, is something we both grew up eating. It’s popular in Italian homes, and something our grandmothers made at home. We buy it now, since it’s easier. It complements most dishes well, and the acidity complements the richness and taste of some of the meats we eat such as moose and venison.
- Chianti red wine – Ruffino – $16.95: Red wine is a staple in some of our cooking. We typically make large batches of stew with carrots, celery, onion, garden tomato, fresh thyme and moose. It’s a nice way to cook the meat and keep it tender. Our rule with cooking with wine is to always buy a wine that you’d choose to drink after.
This interview has been edited and condensed.