>> "Modern Pioneering" is funded by... Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food, offering degrees in culinary arts, artisanal food, baking, beverages, and more... ♪ ...Sullivan Catskills, a destination for long walks, casting a line, paddling a stream, and farm-to-table cuisine, located 90 minutes from Manhattan -- SullivanCatskills.com... also in part by contributions from the following... and by the support of generous individuals.

A complete list is available at APTonline.org.

♪ >> I have a lot of clothes.

I am getting ready to go on a little adventure in the Texas wild country with Miss Georgia Pellegrini.

>> This night is my last hike in California, Northern California, as I'm headed off to Texas in the morning to meet up with a bunch of really cool women.

>> When I pack, I pack stuff not only for myself, but I bring gifts for my fellow hunters.

>> I'm super excited, and I can't wait to learn new stuff.

>> Every once in a while, it's good to step away from your everyday life to learn new skills and gain a deeper understanding of the natural world around us.

Today I am headed to West Texas, where I have a group of women coming from all over the country to step outside their comfort zone with me and experience life more viscerally and take on new challenges.

I'm Georgia Pellegrini, a food explorer and author.

Oh, yeah.

I'm on a quest to discover today's masters -- the unsung heroes who are making the best that their own two hands can produce.

>> It is a family secret.

>> So many skills of our past are not being practiced today.

>> There you go!

>> And modern conveniences are driving a wedge between ourselves and the most rewarding things we can do as humans.

Getting your hands dirty.

Come along with me as I discover and celebrate the people who are showing us how to slow down and get back to our roots, because, to me, self-sufficiency is the greatest adventure on Earth.

♪ ♪ West Texas has a way of making you feel like a runaway.

It's a place with a rugged and remote landscape, where the animals run wild along the edges of America, and the deserts, mountains, and canyons turn pink and orange at sunset.

It's a place that can feel like the set of a Western, with that perpetual iron streak of railroad leading off to the horizon, and those small towns where people go to escape the light and find the stars.

It's as unique as it is expansive, and there's no better place to step off the grid for a while and pursue adventure.

>> Hey!

>> So good to see you!

>> So good to see you!

Been too long.

>> Hi!

>> Hi.

Welcome.

>> Thank you.

>> Welcome.

>> It's so good to see you again.

>> Welcome to Texas.

>> Thank you.

>> The ladies have arrived, and we're gonna spend a weekend bonding over an adventure in the wild.

Then we'll head back to the lodge where I'll teach them some simple butchering techniques as well as how to grind meat at home and make some delicious homemade meatballs.

Plus, I want to empower you with some outdoor skills so you feel confident embracing the wild, including a pocket-sized survival kit, how to purify water, and showing you how to make the most of what you have to cook around a campfire.

Let's go.

♪ You're ready.

The pleasures of eating are trumpeted loudly in today's society, and that is a wonderful thing.

But the pleasures of knowing what occurred on the journey from the field to the table are just as important because the food tastes so much better that way.

>> I wanted to tap into a wild side of my life.

Last year we went dove hunting, and this time we're going big-game hunting.

We're hunting for deer.

We're sighting in our rifles right now.

After that's happened, we're gonna go to the stand, hunt, and I'm hoping to learn more about dressing a deer, really going from field to table with it.

>> We are what we are -- omnivores.

We were meant to participate in nature rather than keep it at arm's length.

I see evidence everywhere that we have become so self-conscious in nature that we now designate areas where those wild traits are allowed to be expressed to the point that wilderness has become the last great zoo, and it turns our natural human instincts into an abstract condition rather than a natural human state.

All the women are out hunting in different parts of this beautiful property.

Elizabeth and I, we're gonna go into this blind right here and hopefully get a deer because we have a lot to cook later.

Let's go.

>> We're here sitting on this beautiful expanse of Texas hill country.

It is the most gorgeous place I've ever been to.

There's cacti and trees, and it really does make you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere.

♪ >> I haven't seen any white tail.

That's what I'm here to hunt.

And I haven't seen any yet.

And I am enjoying getting to know the group, and I'm having a good time with my sister.

>> [ Whispering ] I'm out in this blind with Anthe and Marceleno.

Still real quiet.

No deer yet.

We're gonna hang out for about another 15, 20 minutes.

♪ >> This is my 48-hour survival tool kit that I fit into a tin.

I'm gonna show you what I've got in here.

For starters, we've got salt packets.

This will help you when you feel dehydrated to retain water.

This is a dual purpose.

It's got a little compass, but it's also a magnesium-steel striker when you want to start a fire.

Then I've got a little plastic bag here.

This is multipurpose.

You could use it to collect mushrooms, wild edibles, or to even collect water.

Then I've got a little pencil and a little piece of paper, and this is just to keep notes when you're out in nature.

Then I've got some Band-Aids because you never know when you're gonna get a blister or a cut and need to cover them up.

But if a cut gets infected, I've got some antibiotic ointment in here.

Then I've got a small packet of cayenne pepper in here, and this helps you when you're bleeding to clot the blood.

Here, I've got some waterproof matches to help you start a fire.

And then a little bit of wire that you can use for multipurpose, from hanging things to tying things.

I've got some safety pins for when you have a tear or you lose a button.

Now, these little white tablets are to help you purify water.

Next I've got some tin foil, which was folded over many times to fit.

You could use this to cook fish, to signal with, or to turn into a cup for water.

Then I've got a small blade because you always need to be able to cut things.

And last but not least I've got some magnetized sewing needles.

This will serve as a makeshift compass if you float it on a leaf in the water.

Try making one of these at home.

As the Boy Scouts say, always be prepared.

One of my favorite things about camping is how being in the woods inspires me to use my imagination.

When all you've got to work with is what you're willing to carry, you end up making tools out of the most unlikely objects.

Today I'm going to show you how to make bread out of a beer can oven.

Using a sharp knife or a cutting tool, cut the tops and bottoms off of four empty beer cans.

Next, cut a straight line vertically down the cans and flatten them into rectangular sheets.

Use three of the sheets of the aluminum to create oven sides.

The final sheet will form the top.

Place your proof loaf into a skillet and into the oven.

Now, you can also take some bricks or some rocks and set them on the fire to create an even surface for your oven.

Lastly, place your oven sides so that they enclose the side facing away from the fire to reflect the heat.

So, as you can see, I've got the sides up, and now I'm adding the lid with a few rocks to weigh it down.

And now, this side is open and it's going to reflect the heat.

Watch as your bread bakes, turning it if necessary to bake evenly.

So, this isn't your home oven.

You're gonna want to keep an eye on it to make sure things go according to plan.

Believe me, a little fresh baked bread with your rabbit stew or morning coffee is totally worth it.

♪ You never know where life's adventures will lead you, whether you're lost in the woods or stuck in a power outage in your apartment.

You should know how to clean your own water.

♪ One of the benefits of being self-sufficient is that you're empowered to handle difficult situations -- for example, not having clean water.

I'm going to show you some of the ways to tackle this problem.

Here are some high-tech ways.

For example, we have water-purification tablets here that you can keep in an emergency kit.

One of these bottles will handle up to six gallons of water.

This is a U.V.

filter pen.

One zap of this in dirty water and you have something that's drinkable.

Maybe it doesn't taste so good.

But, really, all you need is a pot of boiling water.

One of the most conventional ways of cleaning water is to boil it.

Heat the water to a rolling boil.

Three minutes should be long enough to kill the microorganisms that could be contaminating the water.

It won't improve the taste or filter out debris, but it will make it safe to drink.

You just want to make sure you give it 20 to 30 minutes to cool before you drink it.

Another way to clean water is to distill it.

This process works especially well when you're trying to obtain fresh water from salty water.

Just place a cloth over a pot of boiling water and let it collect the condensation.

When the cloth is soaked, remove it carefully.

Let it cool and then squeeze out the purified water.

Just because you're camping doesn't mean you can't enjoy a Let me show you how to make the perfect cowboy coffee.

♪ Cowboy coffee often gets a bad rap for being too strong or bitter, but if you follow these steps, you'll be able to rival what you brew at home.

All you need is a small pot, some water, and some coffee.

The first and most important step is to boil your water.

I like to use 2 tablespoons of coffee for every 8 ounces of water, so keep in mind the volume of water you use.

Once your water comes to a boil, remove the pot from the fire and allow it to sit for 30 seconds.

This will lower the water temperature to about 200 degrees, the perfect temperature for brewing.

Now add your coffee, stirring the grounds into the water.

Let the brew sit for 2 minutes and stir again.

Then let the coffee sit for 2 minutes more, and your java is ready.

Before serving, sprinkle on a little cold water to help the floating grinds settle to the bottom.

Then slowly pour the coffee so the grounds remain on the bottom of the pot.

If you find your coffee is a little too strong to your liking, try adding egg shells.

Egg shells are alkaline, meaning they can reduce the acidity in the coffee.

Simply add the cracked and washed egg shells into your pot when you add the coffee.

Allow the egg shells to remain in the pot during brewing and pouring.

There's nothing like coffee by the campfire.

>> I love doing outdoors things.

I wanted to reach out of my comfort zone.

I've been hunting for my whole life but with family and family friends and never with a group of women like this, so... >> I just see these friendships blossom and flourish throughout the years, and I think that that's the best thing that women can do for each other.

I get to form friendships with such an incredible group of women, and we can support each other, show up for each other, nourish those friendships throughout our lives because I think that's what makes life worth living, and it's what makes women rise together.

>> Mmm.

>> ♪ No, sirree ♪ ♪ No, not me ♪ ♪ Still got a fifth or two of frisky left in me ♪ >> As a surprise treat for the women, my friend and country music artist Jim Chesnut came by to play for us.

>> I have to say... ♪ If you can't keep up ♪ ♪ Stay out of my way ♪ ♪ Been rode hard ♪ ♪ Put away, don't look so good ♪ ♪ But I ain't done yet ♪ ♪ No, sirree ♪ ♪ No, not me ♪ ♪ Still got a fifth or two of frisky left in me ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Thank you very much.

♪ >> In Roman mythology, the master of the hunt was the goddess Diana.

She was praised for her strength, athletic grace, beauty, and hunting skills.

In Freemasonry, she was a symbol of sensibility and imagination.

Shrines were erected in her honor.

Stags followed her wherever she went.

She ruled the forest and the moon.

I like to think that Diana's influence has never entirely waned, that hunting was never just about men getting together in the woods.

It's an extension of our being both humans and animals.

Our first work and craft, one of our original instincts.

>> I am a speech pathologist, but I had four kids.

My third is severely disabled, and I think I've spent probably the past 10 years just doing her -- medical stuff, hospitals, in and out, learning a whole new career, and I kind of, like, put myself aside.

>> Ooh.

>> You got her.

>> Stop.

Did I?

>> You hit her.

>> Yeah, you did.

>> I could feel my heart.

>> [ Laughs ] >> I can't stop shaking.

I've never gone hunting before.

This is my first trip ever hunting.

I hit every emotion you can possibly imagine, and I just went for it.

And I don't know.

Apparently I'm good at that.

[ Laughs ] >> So, after we harvested our deer, it was time to field-dress it, butcher it, and get it ready for some venison meatballs.

>> I have been hunting since I was a child, but I've actually never cleaned, skinned, or dismembered, I guess is the best way to explain it, my own deer, so doing that was very empowering.

I learned a lot today doing that.

>> I've loved teaching these women this weekend about how to butcher and all of the anatomy of a four-legged animal.

It's really allowed them to feel empowered in the kitchen when they go home and cook some of these recipes for themselves.

Learning to butcher your own meat is a great way to cook with economy and save money in the process.

The price per pound is also less when you can buy a whole animal and break it down yourself.

And you could learn to butcher quickly with a few simple techniques.

I want to show you the basic cuts of a white-tail deer.

So, here are some four components.

I've got right here on the left what I call the first category of cuts of meat.

Those are the very lean, muscle-free cuts, the ones that can be cooked really quickly, a nice quick sear.

We've got a backstrap, which is also known as the loin or, in some worlds, the filet mignon.

It's the piece of meat that's on either side of a spine.

It's on the outer part of a deer.

This part right here is called the tenderloin, and that's because it's on the inner part of the deer.

Inside the cavity on either side of the spine you'll find this beautiful, tender piece of meat.

It just needs to be cooked really quickly, hot sear in a pan, ideally rare, no more than medium rare.

It's delicious.

Now, here is what I call a third category cut of meat.

These have a lot of muscle, so they need to be cooked low and slow over a long period of time.

An example would be a stew or a braise.

This piece right here is the back leg.

It's the ham, so when these wild animals run free, they develop a lot of dense muscle tissue.

So here you could do a stew meat if you cut into cubes.

You could also do steaks or a roast.

And then here is similar.

This is the front shoulder.

You could do an ossobuco with the shank here or you could turn this into stew meat.

You could grind it and make meatballs like I did with the women today.

You could do a great meatloaf, or you could do a really juicy burger.

Now, remember, these are wild, so they have a lot of lean protein.

It's not like a cow that has a lot of marbling in its flesh, so sometimes you're gonna need to add back fat to give it back that juiciness and that moisture and that good mouth feel.

Once you make the commitment to grinding your own meat, you're never gonna go back.

♪ Make the juiciest burgers and tastiest meatballs all year long by learning how to grind your own meat at home.

Two of the biggest perks of grinding your own meat is that, one, you have full control of what goes into it, and, two, you can actually stretch your budget further by buying cheaper cuts of meat or discounted cuts in bulk and freezing them for use later.

It all comes down to one question.

What do you have?

Today I'm gonna make venison meatballs.

To make them, I'm gonna use chuck roast, venison, and some fatty pork belly.

Almost all recipes call for some fat.

More on that later.

Now, you want to make sure you have the supplies you need.

Obviously you'll need a meat grinder, and then you'll also need two dies, one larger and one finer.

Now, I'm just using a simple attachment to a stand mixer.

It'll do about 5 to 7 pounds.

It's not the most powerful option, but it'll work for my needs.

Other items to include on your supply list include two large stainless-steel receptacles, one for storing your meat and one for catching your ground product.

Then you'll need a kitchen scale and a calculator to determine your fat percentage.

Whatever your end state may be, whether it's meatballs or burgers, sausage or salami, that'll determine how much fat you put in there.

The fat is important because it creates a texture and a mouth feel, and it also helps you actually form the patties of the burgers.

Super-lean meat is much harder to form.

For burgers, 10% fat is a good minimum.

For sausages or meatballs, however, the 20% range is best.

To calculate the fat percentage, there's a simple mathematical formula.

Total weight of lean meat times your desired fat percentage equals the total weight of fat needed.

A final tip to grinding your own meat is to cut your meat into 1-inch-size cubes ahead of time and put them in the freezer.

That's gonna help them for becoming gooey as they're pushed through the grinding die.

Also throw in your grinding dies.

That'll help you as well and it'll help make sure nothing overheats.

So let's grind some meat.

I've got my semi-frozen cubes of meat here.

I've got 3 pounds of venison, 3 pounds of chuck roast, and about 1 pound of fatty pork belly.

Now, I've got two containers here.

I've got one that I'm setting under the grinder and one full of meat.

I'm gonna put this all in the hopper and I'm gonna set it to about a 4.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Okay, ladies, who's ready to get their hands in some meat?

We're gonna make some delicious venison meatballs.

I'm gonna have Lauren chop some garlic.

We've got some good fat to incorporate.

>> Thank you.

>> It's good to use your hands.

I think you can feel the ingredients better.

That's looking good, girls.

>> We are making venison meatballs from the deer that we just got.

>> Ooh!

Nice move.

>> Knowing where this came from and knowing the hands that prepared it, I feel a lot better about eating it.

>> Buttermilk.

>> Born to squeeze.

>> [ Laughs ] >> I love that one.

>> I am excited to bring the meat home to my family, and I have four children, and meatballs are really kid-friendly, and I think I can get them interested in it.

>> Let me show you how easy it is to make homemade venison meatballs in a cast-iron skillet.

Easy to make at home or on an open campfire.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> Even though we're at the end of this exciting trip, us ladies, we're already planning when we're gonna see each other again.

>> And I think it gives you a new respect for the food that you eat because you understand the work that goes into it.

>> I brought my sister Lauren on this trip, and there's something very, very powerful about us having this experience together, and I'm never gonna forget watching her get that deer.

>> I just like the idea of being able to be self-sufficient.

>> I think deep down inside we're all looking for ways to access things that are more natural, authentic, and tangible and use them to live more fearlessly in our everyday lives.

I'm Georgia Pellegrini, and this is "Modern Pioneering."

♪ ♪ >> To learn more about the topics featured on this episode, log on to GeorgiaPellegrini.com or follow along on Georgia's Facebook and Instagram pages for weekly "Modern Pioneering" adventures, tips, and recipes.

"Modern Pioneering" is funded by... Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food, offering degrees in culinary arts, artisanal food, baking, beverages, and more... ♪ ...Sullivan Catskills, a destination for long walks, casting a line, paddling a stream, and farm-to-table cuisine, located 90 minutes from Manhattan -- SullivanCatskills.com... also in part by contributions from the following... and by the support of generous individuals.

A complete list is available at APTonline.org.