From Field To Table With Outdoor Solutions

Turning “Hunting Curious” into Epicurious.

The vast majority of the American public didn’t grow up in a hunting family. While the events of the past year may have temporarily reversed the trend, we continue to see a decline in hunter numbers as we become a more urban nation, albeit one where a greater proportion of us care where our food comes from. When we founded CARNIVORE, we set out with a vision of who our target audience was, and it wasn’t existing hard-core hunters, but rather the person who takes their family to the farmers’ market on weekends. We figured that if we could speak to them, we’d pretty much hit everyone in between.

So, who is that guy? In supporting local businesses, they take greater control over what ends up on the table, ensure the continuation of seed and animal strains, and promote resilience in the food chain. While that might seem like a bunch of artsy-fartsy Portlandia bullsh*t, who would you rather trust with your tomatoes? A Chinese-owned international conglomerate, or that bearded dude who sets up a stall in the church parking lot every Saturday? After getting comfortable with the produce section, the next obvious supermarket aisle to tackle is meat, and it doesn’t take too long to realize that the most free-range and organic protein is wild. And here’s where the roadblock pops up.

Whiskey, Pigs, and a Revelation

About a decade ago, Ben O’Brien, Greg Ray, and I were guests on a media junket for an ammo company, where we were supposed to shoot a bunch of hogs and then write about it. Greg was the organizer and at the time ran a clearing house for outfitters — an outdoor Expedia if you will — and Ben was working for Petersen’s Hunting. While we attempted to slaughter as many brain cells as possible, all of us expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of outdoor media, centered as it was on corporate sponsorship and the inevitable grip-and-grin death pose, occasionally sprinkled with cringeworthy “thank you, Jesus” moments. We all agreed there had to be something better and resolved to do something about it. Years later, Ben went on to steer the MeatEater empire, CARNIVORE was born, and Greg, well, Greg did what he did best.

Deer and Chefs and Hogs, Oh My

The format of an Outdoor Solutions field to table event goes something like this: A dozen or so random strangers show up at a hunting lodge, spend an afternoon zeroing and flexing their shooting skills on a range equipped with steel targets out to 1,000 yards, and are then treated to a gourmet dinner. Sometimes a representative of a local winery or distillery makes an appearance and a tasting ensues. The next couple of days are spent in the field, securing ingredients for what’s to follow, and for the most part, cull or antlerless whitetails and feral hogs are the target — though on the event we gatecrashed, waterfowl were on the menu. Once a suitable selection has been accumulated, the audience are treated to a hands-on master class on field care and butchering from either ranch staff or the chef who’ll be coaching them through the meal prep to follow.

When carcasses have been broken down into primal cuts, further discussion follows, and the participants get to refine their raw materials into the ingredients necessary for a presentation dinner. After being split into teams, each group is responsible to produce items on a five-course banquet menu, under direction of a chef, and using a commercial kitchen. At the meal, as each dish is presented the creators are encouraged to describe the ingredients and process to eager diners, with more florid prose than an overcompensating sous chef.

A regular instructor at events is Chef Albert Wutsch, who exudes an easy charm and affability, backed up with years of experience gained from leading the culinary program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a taking few dozen elk in Montana winter conditions.

I’ve attended a couple of Outdoor Solutions field to table events, and they’ve had no problem filling them, which may indicate they’ve tapped an underserved market. The audience has ranged from 30-something NYC financial guys to Florida electricians, though it has to be said, no one seemed exactly strapped for cash. “That’s one area we continue to struggle with,” said Ray. “These events are expensive to put on, when you consider the locations and the talent we bring in, but we’re working with the NSSF to subsidize one or two, we cut our margins, the ranches take a haircut, and we’re trying to bring in some younger, more urban-based groups.”

At the end of the event, knowledge has been gained, strangers become friends, and novices have shed their fear of the unknown. While no one will walk away as experts, at least they’ve learned from them and can start their own journey of discovery that’ll hopefully last a lifetime. 

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in Carnivore Magazine Issue 6.