Uncle Nicky

If I had the cash & room for trophies, I wouldn't mind a dangerous game hunt in Africa. I couldn't shoot an ape or monkey (unless they were coming at me), I don't even know if eating that kind of meat is safe, I know cannibals can get brain damage, and I'd imagine the meat is pretty close. And no way in the world would I want to try killing anything bigger (or dangerous) than a deer with an arrow, I know my limitations.

Mine comes out so tender, I just have to take a pair of tongs, give it a stir, and it's shredded. My kids bought me these meat shredder tools a few years ago, don't have the heart to tell them, but I've never used them, they are just taking up room in the drawer. They look like weapons, LOL.

For a smoked pork roast, I rub it with mustard, and spice it rather heavily, after 4 hours of smoke (hickory) I cover it with tin foil, add some water to the pan, and let it go another 10-12 hours, depending on the size of the roast. It rivals anything I've ever had in Dixie. But no reason why you couldn't finish it in a crock pot, it would save on fuel or electric, is easier to watch, and sure does make the house smell good. For Italian pork, strictly in the crock pot. 1 can of beer, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. I used to cook it in the oven because that's what I learned in a restaurant, but have since seen the error of my ways. More often than not, I use wild hog, I kill a couple most years.

I'd be scowling too if I was sitting in the woods freezing my a** off...I got cold just looking at that picture!

You sir have just described my entire deer hunting career.

I used to make pork sausage in a grocery store, and ran a processing business for a number of years. Here is what I have always done or learned: 1). The ratio of fat to meat (regardless of whatever kind of meat you are using) is 1:3, or 75% lean to fat. I use what they call Leidy's Pork trim, I mix this 4lbs to 6# deer for venison sausage. For just pork sausage, use fatty pork butts. If you use pork picnic shoulders, add 1 lb of fatback or 2 lb pork trim for every 5 lb of pork. I know this sounds like a lot of fat, but diet sausage just doesn't come out right, 2). Cold water is preferred to ice chips, but you can't add that much without the product suffering (1 cup cold water: 10 lb meat at most). I never had much luck adding vegetable oil. 3). Overgrinding is not good. Grind once through a coarse plate. Use a fine plate if you want, but it won't be the same. Always make sure the grinder and plates are cold when you grind. 4). I always ground the meat first, then added spices. I always soaked the casings at least 4-5 days, they are MUCH easier to work with when they are soft. Good luck!

I must be living under a rock. About all I know of Rochester cuisine is a Garbage Plate. These are the best local hot dogs in this area, they taste like beef, not like mystery meat.

Made fresh tilefish for dinner...very tasty, reminds me of grouper.

Almost live (12 hours ago)...Went on an 18-hour tilefishing trip (first time), they live at the edge of the canyons, 90 miles offshore. Interesting day, took me 5 hours to figure out how to fish with the rental rod, once I got the hang of it, it was game on. I have never had tilefish, but I hear it is delicious, will post the pictures of my dinner tonight. Next major trip planned is fishing for flathead catfish in the Susquehanna river (PA) in July, a relatively short ride.

Did it once, never again. I honestly think they gave me the wrong "pre-test" directions, I spent a good 5 hours on the toilet the night before (and woke about 6 more times to sh*t yet more water). I figure I have another 20 years or so to go, hopefully the test I took last year carries me through (negative results). Because I'm damn sure not doing it again. Good luck, I hope you fare better than I did.

Tough time understanding why someone who seemingly has it all does this. He was lucky enough to get out of the restaurant scene, and become a celebrity. Maybe the fame and attention drove him to it? I learned to cook at the same school he did, and worked as a chef for a number of years, fortunately I got out while I still was somewhat young and still had some of my marbles. Very high paced, high pressure, borderline abusive environment. You have to love the business or you will wash out.

Not exactly "Live from the Water", and not technically NY (though I could see the Manhattan skyline)... Jumped on a party boat last Saturday in NJ, had my limit of sea bass by 10:30, played catch & release the rest of the day. Marine forecast looks OK for this weekend, going to head back for more sea bass Saturday, and try my hand at tilefishing Sunday.

The trick I learned when I cut meat in a store was use a belt sander to get an edge on the blade first, then use an oil stone & steel to get a fine edge. Granted, you eventually grind the blade down to a pig sticker, but it takes a couple years. Hated working with a knife that wasn't razor sharp.

Yes, Kent & Sussex county are beautiful. 50 miles to the Chesapeake one way, 50 miles to the ocean the other. Still relatively rural, and a few degrees warmer than Philly. Some of the best waterfowl hunting on the East Coast, and the deer hunting isn't too shabby either. No shortage of tidal rivers and marshes for fishing & crabbing either.

Delaware's a small state, the biggest city is Wilmington. While there is a small "hood" in Wilmington (I actually worked there for a short while), they don't have nearly the number or percentage of inner-city residents to support. Also, Delaware is VERY business friendly, Wilmington is the HQ for quite a few financial companies and many companies form "Delaware Corporations" because of less strict corporate tax rates. I'd consider living anywhere below New Castle county, anything above that is getting pretty crowded, and more like a suburb of Philly. There are a LOT of Philly area residents retiring to Delaware these days, especially near the shore towns; the guy that sits next to me at the job just bought a retirement condo in Bethany Beach.

I'm somewhat in the same boat Jerry. I bought hunting land 15 years ago in Allegany county, near Arkport. My plan at that time was to retire there, but as I get older, the reality is that I don't want to spend 6 months looking and driving in the snow, and neither does my wife. Plus the property taxes are choking me each spring when I write the check. I have a buyer who is taking over in February 2019. This corner of PA where I live is becoming WAY too crowded and expensive. And I have the feeling my days at the corporate job are coming to an end sooner than later, I don't like the direction the company is headed in, and I'm pretty sure they'd get rid of me if they could find a way. And I'm not interested in reinventing myself at this age and starting all over at another office job. I'm looking at a few places, I just have to get the spouse on board. I know she doesn't want to move too far, if it was entirely my choice, I'd head to southern Georgia (I have friends & connections there) or rural Florida. But Mrs. doesn't want to go that far. So, a compromise looks like the answer. I also have 2 twenty-somethings living at home, I'm not sure what they are going to do (neither do they), but some decisions are going to have to be made soon. A few places that I'm looking at, that would still be within 5-6 hours of my current home: 1). Southern Delaware 2). Eastern Shore of Maryland or Virginia 3). Stretch of Virginia on I-64 between Charlottesville & Richmond 4). NE corner of North Carolina

There aren't many hogs in the northern states, and whitetail tastes like goat, doesn't matter where you kill it.

North Carolina, Georgia, or Florida, but there would be a lot of fishing involved. Strictly for hunting, I would move to Texas.

Fans- give them to others to use with their decoys, occasionally I'll replace one. Wings- save the bones for a call maker, occasionally I'll find someone who wants one for hunting (fly down sound) or a turkey dogger who wants to train a new pup. Feet-send them to a guy who makes back scratchers, sometimes I'll give the upper legs to my dogs to chew on. Spurs- I started saving them a couple years ago, when I have enough I'll make a necklace or a band to put around my boonie hat. My cousin is an artist, occasionally she'll ask me for feathers. I know there is a taxidermist in Missouri who buys gobbler heads for freeze-drying, if I ever remember it I'll look him up & see what he's getting for them. I still save the beards, don't ask me why, eventually the mice will find them and chew them till they fall apart.

Sounds like you need to cook the legs longer in the crockpot, they meat should literally be falling off the bone when you take them out (12 hours on low?) Lots you can do with the breast meat. Cut it in cubes and deep fry them like nuggets. Cut in cubes, marinate in Italian dressing or Speidies overnight, wrap in bacon and cook on the grill. Or cut the meat into cutlets, and pound them thin with a meat hammer, after removing all the silverskin, for turkey parm, Marsala, country fried steak, etc. I made weinerschnitzel last night, with brown butter, lemon, & capers, over spaetzle...I died & went to heaven for a short time.

.308, or 7.62 if you get an AK.

Yes sir, that is why I scheduled this for August.

Informative thread, thanks. Mrs. & I are doing the Alaska cruise this summer (first week in August) for our 25th anniversary. I've never seen this part of the country before, closest I've gotten until now was Seattle. Looking forward to it, even if it's a little "touristy" for my taste. I DO have a day of fishing planned in Ketchikan, but I found my own guide, the trips being offered by the cruise line look weak.

What a week Turkeyfeathers!

1. “I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.” Rita Rudner 2. “If you want your wife to listen to you, then talk to another woman: she will be all ears.” Sigmund Freud 3. “Marriage is like a game of chess, except the board is flowing water, the pieces are made of smoke and no move you make will have any effect on the outcome.” Jerry Seinfeld 4. “Marriage is the bond between a person who never remembers anniversaries and another who never forgets them.” Ogden Nash 5. “Marriage is a wonderful institution... but who wants to live in an institution?” Groucho Marx 6. “No! Please don't eat me! I have a wife and kids – eat them!” Homer Simpson 7. “By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.” Socrates 8. “There is nothing in the world like the devotion of a married woman. It is a thing no married man knows anything about.” Oscar Wilde 9. “Marriage is a wonderful invention: then again, so is the bicycle repair kit.” Billy Connolly 10. “When a man opens a car door for his wife, it’s either a new car or a new wife.” Prince Philip 11. “The best way to get most husbands to do something is to suggest that perhaps they’re too old to do it.” Ann Bancroft 12. “Always get married in the morning. That way if it doesn’t work out, you haven’t wasted the whole day.” Mickey Rooney All kidding aside...Congratulations!