The opening weekend of the Missouri Dove Season was a success for Huntress View founder Andrea Haas and team members Courtney Ogden, Kinsey Edmunds and Cara Holland. We ended up with 17-20 doves total, which was really the perfect amount for us to have a nice little BBQ after our hunt.
From left: Andrea Haas, Courtney Ogden, Kinsey Edmunds and Cara Holland.
Here's a recipe for making dove poppers in the oven, an alternative to making them on the grill. We chose to make them in the oven so we didn't have to worry about turning them on the grill while we were preparing other food. They were delicious and cooked evenly without having to take the time to turn them over.
Ingredients: -15 whole plucked dove breasts
-Allegro Game Tame Marinade -garlic salt -black pepper -1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese -30 jalapeno slices, cut julienne (About 5 whole jalapenos) -1 to 2 packages of bacon, cut in half Brown Sugar Glaze:
-3 Tbsp brown sugar -1/2 tsp nutmeg -1/2 tsp cinnamon -1 1/2 Tbsp. water Instructions:
-With a paring knife, separate the breasts from the bone so you have about 30 halves.
Andrea and Kinsey preparing the doves.
-Marinate the doves in a marinade of your choice for about 1-2 hours. We used the Allegro Game Tame Marinade (The official marinade of Ducks Unlimited) and it was delicious! It made the doves moist and tender (a lot of times doves can get a little bit dry) and complemented the flavor well. It did a great job at getting some of that "gamey" taste out that a lot of people don't care for.
Separating the dove breasts from the bone before marinading. This ring by Groove Life was a great alternative to my actual wedding ring to wear while hunting and cleaning the doves
-Remove the doves from the marinade and sprinkle with garlic salt & pepper to taste. Take a breast half, some cream cheese, and a jalapeno slice and wrap in bacon. Secure with a toothpick.
-For the Brown Sugar Glaze, mix all ingredients in a bowl with a whisk. Set aside until ready to use. -Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the poppers on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for around 45 minutes or until the bacon is almost fully cooked. When they are just about done, baste both sides with the Brown Sugar Glaze and bake for about 5 more minutes. (Don't do this beforehand because the glaze will burn).
This is the point I like to take the poppers out of the oven and baste with the Brown Sugar Glaze, when the bacon is mostly cooked but still a little pink.
Remove them from the oven and let them cool a little before eating. (Waiting is the hardest part!)
Enjoy!