Tenderise an old bull

When you shoot an old bull, the meat will be tough for sure. Here's the solution. When you shoot a caribou, leave it as it is overnight. After butchering it the next day, you'll have caribou deluxe.

Blood Soup

Empty stomach contents from caribou, and turn the stomach inside out. Pour the blood into the stomach, tie it up, and set it aside to cool.

There are different ways to make blood soup. I was taught to simmer the blood with the lacy veil of fat covering the stomach, and some flour to thicken.

Roasted Caribou Head

Often the head is the first thing people will cook when they get back to camp, for it is a great delicacy. If a big celebration is coming up, people will collect heads for a long time to be shared at the feast.

The first task is to singe the hair off the head. Then hang it on a tripod by an open campfire, twisting the twine so the head will spin around slowly while cooking.

Cook the head until there is no more blood dripping. Take it down, skin it and butcher it, and you will have a hungry man's meal. It's easy to butcher when it's done - it will just fall apart.

My favourite part is the tongue. We also like to eat the eyes, ears, and brain. There's a chemical in the brain that can make people clumsy, so it's better to eat it in the evening, before bed.

Most of the meat is found on the back of the head, and on the jaws. We also break the jaws to get out the marrow.

Hoofs

Skin the hide off the lower leg. Cut the sinew off the bone, leaving it attached to the hoof. Separate the hoof from the bone. Put about 7-8 hoofs in a large pot and fill it up with water. Cook for about 6 hours. It becomes like gelatine. Once you get a taste of it, it seems as though you can't get enough!

Making Grease From Bones

Bone grease is prized because of its flavour and its purity - far superior to lard. The kneecap grease was used as a facial beauty cream. They say it gives you a clear complexion. The bone grease and marrow are eaten with dry meat.

Normally, people boil caribou bones to extract the grease. But I have a special trick that makes it easy to get the grease. First, use a chisel and hammer to split the bone in half - this way it won't splinter so much. Separate out and discard any splinters, because they're dangerous.

Next, chop the bone joints, and then put the broken bones in a roaster, covered. Cook on high for about 3 ? hours. Put the roaster on the table, tilted at an angle so the grease will settle. Then take out all the bones, and pour the grease into a container. Using tweezers, pick out any last bone fragments.

Diaphragm

The caribou diaphragm cooks fast, and it is very tender. Long ago in times of famine, the diaphragm was served to quench a starving person's hunger, because it was small and mild enough that it wouldn't make the person sick. The diaphragm is also very convenient to cook up when you are in a hurry. Roast it on an open fire. It will shrivel up to become very small, but very nutritious.

Dry Meat

Hang separated muscles to dry for about one whole day, turning it over so it will dry on both sides. This will tenderise the meat, and make it easier to cut.

Cutting dry meat is simple if you have a very sharp knife. I like to use a filet knife, and I keep a file close by to sharpen it often. You are unravelling the meat by cutting with the grain. Practice makes perfect. Hang the thinned pieces to dry, turn, and rethin where necessary.

Nowadays, people often dry meat in their houses, and freeze it afterward to preserve it. But when travelling on the land, it's important to smoke the meat. The smoke acts as a preservative, and it adds a delicious flavour!

Broth

We should have a motto: Broth for breakfast, dinner and supper will keep the doctor away. We should have a broth break instead of a coffee break.