Digging for delicacy: This man smokes and saws his moose bones
‘Oh, I love smoking moose bones,’ says Robin Doctor
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It takes a lot of time and effort to get that yummy marrow out of moose bones, but it's worth it, according to Robin Doctor.
"Even better if you're the one that shoots it," he said from his home of Norman Wells, N.W.T.
Doctor is an avid hunter who doesn't let any part of a moose go to waste.
This winter he and his brother harvested a moose. They skinned, gutted and hauled the meat back to their freezers.
Then when the temperature outside was right, Doctor got out his smoker.
"Once the bones are thawed it takes a good afternoon smoking," Doctor said.
Doctor says the temperature needs to stay steady at 225 F.
"I have a lot of patience for this as my older brother doesn't," he laughed.
Once the bones are smoked, there's more work to do.
"After you break the bone with an axe or cut with a saw, all you'll need is a knife or something thin and long to pull the marrow out," he said.
Chopsticks are his favourite tool for that.
Doctor says it's best to dig out the marrow while it's still hot.
"If you let it cool down it becomes kinda pasty and not very pleasant to eat."
He says if you eat it by itself it's "pretty greasy" but when it's eaten with meat, it's awesome.
When Doctor shared a pic in CBC North's Arctic Kitchen Facebook group, he gave explicit directions:
"First shoot the moose. Harvest the moose. Prep the moose. Smoke the moose. Then eat the moose and marrow."
People in the group loved it.
"Thank you for the step by step directions, especially #1 to 4," said one member.
"That looks amazing!" said another.
"For myself, I love it," said Doctor.