Twelve Point Jambalaya (Deer & Andouille, Crockpot)

So…apparently it’s deer season. I miss out on this information these days, because my hubs doesn’t hunt, and I sure enough don’t hunt (I make it a point to not wake up before the sun does), and I don’t work in an office full of hunters anymore.  Down in Louisiana (The Sportsman’s Paradise), you saw deer season coming.  Your usually clean-shaven coworkers started coming to work with a face full of scruff that over the course of a few weeks developed into a rather bushy beard.  You would find them congregating around the proverbial water cooler talking about their rifles, their ammo, their hunting leases, what they’ve been spotting on their remote cameras near their deer stands.

O, noble deer…we wish to eat you.

And then, one day, you show up to work at the normal time… and only the females are there.  Until about 9-10 am, and then all the guys start straggling in.  Sometimes with camo & safety orange gear still in tow.
Nowadays I only know it’s deer season when random photos of dead deer start showing up on Facebook.

This recipe is dedicated to my friend Clayton, who will likely be needing it soon.

Now, even though I don’t hunt, we have friends who do, and these friends are kind enough to share some wild game with us.  Which gets me excited, because it means I can bust out the John Folse wild game cookbook.  And in honor of deer season, we have delicious Deer & Andouille Jambalaya.  I altered this from a “Dove & Andouille” recipe & was really happy with it.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb ground or cubed deer meat
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 lb sliced andouille sausage
1/8 cup olive oil
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1/8 cup minced garlic
3.5 cups chicken stock/broth*
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt & pepper to taste
hot sauce, to taste
2 cups uncooked rice/barley**
*Due to the necessity for some Kitchen Improv, we replaced the chicken stock with 1 can condensed Cream of Chicken soup + 2 cups water, and were actually really impressed with the result.  It gave the jambalaya a really nice creamy texture, almost like risotto.
** More Kitchen Improv- we were running short on rice so I did 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup pearled barley.  Still delicious.

DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet or saucepan, brown your deer meat in the olive oil.  Then stir in the andouille, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Add your uncooked rice/barley to the Crockpot.  On top of that, add the meat, onions, celery, bell pepper & garlic.  Then add the chicken stock/broth/whatever, mushrooms, green onions, parsley, and stir well.

Cover, and let cook on High for 3-4 hours or Low for 5-6 hours until the rice is cooked and the stocked is absorbed.

Makes about 8 servings.  And to all you hunters out there: Stay safe, and feel free to drop off a couple pounds of ground meat at our house.
NUTRIFACTS:
Calories 384.6
  Total Fat 16.9 g
  Saturated Fat 5.3 g
  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g
  Monounsaturated Fat 3.1 g
  Cholesterol 88.5 mg
  Sodium 695.7 mg
  Potassium 566.4 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 31.0 g
  Dietary Fiber 5.2 g
  Sugars 0.9 g
  Protein 26.7 g