Mmmmm ... dove!

This morning marks the start of gun dove season in Texas ... which means the distant sound of popping shotguns started filling the air about 15 minutes ago.

Why the hell hunt doves? What do they taste like? Are doves just the unwitting victims of a bunch of gun nuts who are out of patience and have a woody for busting some birdshot?

Or do they, you know, taste good?

Just wondering.

 

from what i hear, they taste like oil.

 

I think they're very tasty.

In fact, if you'll go shoot some, I'll cook them and we can eat.

 

Why can't we have more women like this, who enjoy a good ol' dove roasting?

 

They are, indeed, very tasty birds. Thing is, they're so small you need a bunch to make a good mess. I pop the breast on them, then filet the meat away from the bone. These go into a bowl of salt water in the fridge for a couple days, after which they can be cooked or frozen.
Best recipe I've run across is to dice bacon, green pepper and onions and fry those until they are about done. Dredge the dove breasts in flour, toss them in the skillet and cook them until they're done (about four minutes per side).
It just doesn't get any better than that. With, of course, the exception of roast duck.

 

They had dove one night on a cruise I went on and it was easily the best meal they served, better than the lobster and steak and all that shit. It was amazing.

That said, I hunt doves often and rarely get around to cooking them. I think done poorly, they suck. Done well, they are awesome. They're a lot of fun to hunt, though. We also hunt a lot of pheasant. We eat those guys. They're also delicious.

 

Ask this guy:

 

Pilot-

Virtually all wild game, if not properly cared for, will taste like crap. If you take care of it prior to cooking, it will turn out well. For instance, don't go dove hunting in the morning and decide to clean your birds at sunset that night. Doesn't work. You wouldn't leave a steak out in 95° temperatures for 12 hours, would you? Of course not. Same thing with wild game. You take care of it, and it will be tasty.
That said, try the dove recipe listed above your post. You won't be sorry.

 

Dove're mighty tasty. My mom used to slather 'em in cream of mushroom soup and bake 'em til they were falling off the bone. Mmmm, dove.

 

My parents' cat love to hunt them too. 20 doves and counting ...

 

Make sure you have your migratory bird hunting stamp. And lead 'em, cause they're fast as shit through Jones' colon.

 

That's a recipe that works for pheasant, too.

Good eats.