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Does anyone have some tasty ways to prepare dove?

I prepared 8 breasts for the first time today and they were "ok". I wrapped each breast in bacon, skewered them, and grilled them. 4 of the breasts I added dried apricot between dove and bacon and they seemed to taste better. I definately over did them however. Next time I'm gonna watch the time better. I am curious how the rest of you prep doves for eating.

Doves From Hell
Coated in a Habanero mustard sauce, these are definitely not the birds of peace.


http://www.fieldandstream.com/node/1000312294



Ingredients

Haba�ero mustard sauce (at right)

1 lb. dove breasts (about 15 or so mourning doves)

1 lime, halved

2 Tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro

[1] Start a medium-hot fire in your grill. [2] Pour the sauce over the dove breasts in a bowl, making sure to evenly coat them. [3] Grill the breasts over the flame, turning occasionally, until well browned, about 4 minutes per side. To check for doneness, cut into one piece to see that the meat is medium-rare. Or use a meat thermometer'125 degrees is ideal. Let them cool for a few minutes after cooking. [4] Place the grilled breasts in a bowl, squeeze the lime halves over them, and toss them with the cilantro. Serve immediately.

HOT SAUCE

Haba�ero Mustard Sauce

HOW TO MAKE THE FIERY GLAZE

Ingredients

⅓ cup prepared yellow mustard

2 to 8 haba�ero peppers, seeded and chopped

2 Tbsp. minced ginger

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 scallions (both green and white sections), finely chopped

Pinch of allspice

1 Tbsp. curry powder

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. ground coriander

2 Tbsp. dried oregano

3 Tbsp. freshly cracked black pepper

2 Tbsp. kosher salt

What makes these doves so spicy are the haba�ero peppers. On the Scoville scale (the standard measure for how hot peppers are), haba�ero chiles score between 100,000 and 350,000. A jalape�o ranges between 2,500 and 8,000. You can adjust the heat of this sauce by adding more haba�eros to it. Two peppers will make it spicy. Eight will make it flat-out scalding. Simply combine all the sauce ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

I usually filet the breast meat off, marinate in a mix of italian dressing and worchestire overnight, then make a roll of dove, pepper jack, jalapeno sliver, and wrap in bacon, skewer or toothpick and thin grill until the bacon is done.

Clip the wing bones tight to the breast so you can remove the breast meat w/ both sides held together by the thin piece of cartilage. Take some peperoncini's, split them in half and remove the seeds. Fill the cavity w/ creamed cheese, place in between the breast halves, fold together, and wrap w/ 1/2 slice of bacon, and then marinate in Wishbone for about 3 hours. We have been using kabob skewers, instead of toothpicks, as it easier to move around on the grill. Put them on the smoker or grill over indirect heat, and they should be done once the bacon is cooked. Sometimes we add a slice of mushroom w/ the peperoncinis, and they were also really good. The peperoncini seems to give it a little better flavor than a jalapeno, IMO.

Doves are 1 of my favorite wild game meats! I had never shot doves before I was stationed at Fort Riley, KS, during the early 1980s, but the XO of my BN was a serious bird hunter and this is his favorite dove and quail recipe:

1. Skin and clean the birds, rinsing the breasts thoroughly with cold water.
2. Soak the cleaned breasts for at least 6 hours, better if overnight, in cold water that has had 1 TBS of white/distilled vinegar per QT of water added. It goes without saying that the container needs to be refrigerated, but I'll state the obvious just so that nobody spoils their game.
3. Remove the dove breasts from the water and dry them.
4. Marinate for 3 to 4 hours in the marinade listed below, with the breasts placed into a large zip-lock bag and than the bag of breasts and marinade is placed into the refrigerator.
5. After being marinated, wrap each breast with a piece of fatty bacon, the more fat, the better, and secure with a tooth pick.
6. Cook slowly over moderate/medium heat, basting occasionally with the marinade that you set aside, don't over-cook!

Wild Bird Marinade:

0.5 cups brown sugar
1.0 cups soy sauce
1.0 cups orange juice
2.0 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
2.0 cloves of garlic, crushed
1.0 bunch of green onion, chopped fine

Heat the soy sauce and orange juice over medium heat. When the liquid is warm, add the brown sugar and stir until it has dissolved. Add the crushed garlic and chopped green onion. Simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes. Allow to fully cool before pouring the marinade into a large zip-lock bag with the dove breasts. Place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, turning the bagged breasts over and over every hour or so to insure that all of the meat gets infused with the marinade.

Set aside 0.5 cups of the marinade for basting.

Since the marinade has to cook and cool, I make it after I have cleaned the birds and put them in to soak. Doing it this way allows for plenty of time to cool before it is time to use the marinade.

Jeff

Fry 'em.....

Pack the dove breasts in a narrow container like a big ice tea glass. Pour dark tequila over them and let them sit for at least four hours. Take them out, shake them off and quick grill over misquite coals.

BCR

This is getting interesting, mostly because this could transfer to other fowl...

I like them wrapped in bacon and slathered with french dressing. Not over cooking is key.

Salt and pepper then brown in skillet. Then throw em in the crockpot with cream mushroom soup potato chunks and an cut up yellow onion, Leave em in there till meat falls off the bone.

Thanks for the great replies, this is why I love this site. Going dove hunting again this weekend and will try some of these ways if I can knock a few down.

Filleting the two breast halves off the bone and wrapping them in a half strip of bacon with a toothpick and grilling them over wood charcoal has worked SO WELL for me that I haven't even tried anything else for about 30 years.

they also make excellent fajita/taco filling. so does wood duck, teal, and mallard.

marinate in traditional fajita stuff and do not over cook.