If you do hunt a caribou, or a moose, out in the bush, don’t let any of it go to waste. Last year, Nichole Richards of Norman Wells, NWT, went out on a fall hunt, and when they got their caribou, they cooked the heart—a handsome piece of meat—right at their camp. Here’s a recipe she used, with some photos to help.
1. Take the heart and the caul (or lace) fat from the stomach lining of the animal.
2. Cut a small hole through the bottom or tip of the heart.
3. Make a willow hook and push it through the hole so the heart can hang.
4. Sprinkle the heart with Back Eddy’s (a Northern staple seasoning that was created in Hay River, NWT) or any seasoning salt, and wrap the heart with the lace fat. Sprinkle more seasoning on after it’s wrapped.
5. Hang the heart from a tripod over the fire to cook.
6. Let it cook for three or four hours, turning it once in a while, making sure it’s not getting too much or not enough heat. You can also wrap tin foil around the top to act as an oven so the heart gets cooked evenly.
7. Slice it up and munch out!
