Super Simple Game Bird Poppers

By Joe Sands, wildlife biologist, Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Recipe genius Joe Sands with his hands full of mallards. Copyright photo by Joe Sands; used with permission.

Are you ready for some…pheasant?

With the Super Bowl coming up on Sunday, I’m bringing out my own playbook to make one of my favorite recipes: game bird poppers.

This is a chance to use up some of the birds in your freezer while watching a great game (maybe), a blowout (likely), or just the halftime show (definitely). You can use about any game bird here. I’ve made this dish with mourning doves, green-winged teal, California quail, ring-necked pheasant, and ruffed grouse.

Poppers are standard fair for both Super Bowl parties and bird hunters. They are best made with smaller species like doves and quail. I use prosciutto instead of the more traditional bacon, and goat cheese instead of cream cheese. This recipe is a great way to introduce someone to game birds as cuisine.

Time to get poppin’. Copyright photo by Joe Sands; used with permission.

Equipment

Grill. You can use propane or hardwood fuel source; this is play-action grilling. I’ve done these over both grills and hot pellet smokers. Cook how you’re comfortable.

Toothpicks. Soak ’em to prevent burning.

Paring knife. Sharp, as always.

Filet/boning knife. Optional, but a small one works great for cutting meat off the bone.

Cutting board. Let’s protect those kitchen counters.

Bowls. For marinade/meat, goat cheese, and jalapeños.

Personnel Grouping

The amount of ingredients varies based on how many poppers you want to make. Use your noggin.

Prosciutto. That awesome thin-sliced Italian cured pork. Don’t eat it all while prepping the rest of your dish. You know who you are.

Jalapeños. Jalapeño heat always seems to be quite variable. Sometimes they are scorching, other times they have very little heat. I’m not sure what to tell you here if you don’t like hot foods. Play through the pain. It’s football food.

Goat cheese. No brand loyalty here. I bought a plain self-branded variety from a large store that sells stuff in bulk. I don’t own a goat.

Game bird meat. Use whatever bird meat you have on hand. Filet off the breast and slice to appropriate size. Since birds vary in size, the amount of knife work you need to do varies as well. Use the legs, too.

Italian dressing. To marinate the birds. You can audible on this if you have a preferred marinade.

Worcestershire sauce. No explanation needed. If it isn’t already in your fridge, go buy some.

Sea salt. Sea salt is better than table salt.

Black pepper. Go old-school and grind it fresh if you can.

The Play

1. Marinate your meat for at least 1–2 hours. You can use the marinade of your choice, but since this is supposed to be a super simple recipe, just use your favorite brand of Italian dressing and drop in about a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Add salt and pepper, if you’d like. Do not neglect the legs of the birds. Add them to the marinade and grill along with the poppers (see below). After a few hours, drain the marinade and leave the meat in its container.
2. Slice the jalapeños longitudinally and remove the seeds. A seeding tool for the jalapeños works great, but a sharp paring knife will be fine. One jalapeño generally equals two poppers. If the pepper is massive, you might get three. Assess the field. You can figure this out.
3. Mix a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce into the goat cheese and whip with a fork.
4. Lay out the prosciutto and place the jalapeños on top. Add a piece of marinated game bird meat on top of the jalapeños and then spoon on an appropriate amount of cheese. Roll the popper up and push a toothpick through. It works best to use an assembly line for these steps.
5. Put the poppers on your grill at 300–325 degrees. A hot hardwood smoke is excellent. I’d probably stick with fruit woods as opposed to mesquite, but hey, use what you have. If you only have a propane grill, go for it. You absolutely must grill the legs as well and place them on your popper platter. Do you want to win or not?
6. Grill until the prosciutto is crispy and the jalapeños appear cooked. The game bird meat will be done inside. Don’t burn them. Overcooking poppers will ruin your party.
7. Let this cool for a minute or so and then serve. See below regarding a couple of options that you may want to comb your playbook for.

Audibles and Check Downs

You don’t have to use Italian dressing as a marinade if you don’t want to. If you have your own recipe (such as white wine vinegar and olive oil), go for it.

If you want to slow smoke these at a lower temperature, the poppers would probably be pretty good. Don’t be afraid to go for the Hail Mary.

A variety of spicy jams/jellies will be excellent with these poppers. Just put around one-quarter teaspoon on a popper and then eat. I use a spicy homemade strawberry and chili pequin jam that rocks with it. But you can use what you have on hand or buy what you’d like.

Two-Minute Drill

Get to the store early before ingredients disappear, and make sure the poppers are out and ready before kickoff. If you want to nail the other phases of the game, I suggest barbecue wings (from game birds, naturally), chips and layered dip, and you can make a game-time decision to order a pizza if your friends and family really have the munchies. As for drink pairing, you can go fancy and pick up a local red wine, but keep it real and find one that’s on sale for under $10. As for me, I’ll stick with a beer from my ice cooler.

You’re ready. Go win the day.