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Texas Wild Game Chef Jon Bonnell Dishes Up His Expertise On How to Prepare Sandhill Crane

Hunting Season Is Almost Over For This Majestic Bird, But These Tips Can Go a Long Way

BY // 01.16.24

My stepson is a student at Texas Tech University. Over the past few years, he’s been treated to some interesting hunting expeditions, thanks to many of his outdoorsy fraternity buddies. One of them took a group back home to Louisiana to hunt alligators. I hear it tastes like chicken. This week, he went on his first sandhill crane hunt, where everyone came back with their limit of three.

Throughout his college career, my stepson has become quite a cook. The time he spent on the tailgate team has really paid off. By now, his grilling expertise has far surpassed my own. But, he still calls me often for cooking tips. So, in anticipation of fielding the next phone call ― asking for advice on cooking sandhill crane (which I have never even contemplated), I knew it was time to call on a true expert for his advice.

Since I happen to know one of the premier wild game experts in the country, I thought it best to reach out to Fort Worth chef Jon Bonnell for his tips on how he would prepare sandhill crane ― which is red meat, and nicknamed “ribeye of the sky” or “flying filet mignon” for good reason.

“I just got my first ones last weekend,” Jon Bonnell tells PaperCity Fort Worth. “I have several tips. The good news is, they are delicious!”

Bonnell’s Restaurant Group owns several Fort Worth eateries including Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine (serving wild game from quail to elk, and venison), Waters Restaurant, and Buffalo Bros. Jon’s Grille opened near TCU in 2022 ― crafting its burgers from his own herd of cattle at Bonnell’s ranch in Tolar. How’s that for quality control?

Sandhill Crane – Grilled filets like this make Sandhill Crane the other red meat. (Photo by ASF Smokers)
Grilled filets like this make sandhill crane “the other red meat.” (Photo by ASF Smokers)

How Chef Jon Bonnell Cooks His Sandhill Crane

Bonnell says cooking the sandhill crane breasts is pretty straightforward: “The easiest way is to make them just like a good steak.”

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“I cut them down so they aren’t too thick, making them about three-quarters of an inch thick. Then season well, coat in olive oil, and either sear or grill at a very high temperature to brown the outside, but leave the inside medium rare.”

Once you get past the beautiful breast meat, here are a couple of other options to utilize the rest of the bird. As with a lot of wild game, marinating is an important step to take any gamey flavor out of the meat.

“Marinate overnight. I used beer, Tajin seasoning, and garlic salt,” Bonnell explains about his latest batch. “The next day I removed the meat from the brine and cut it into small cubes. Then I dried them with paper towels and seared them in a nonstick pan quickly with oil. They are perfect just for snacks or making tacos, or quesadillas. There are so many ways to go from there.”

“Don’t overcook it,” he says. “That’s the key.”

Sandhill Crane – Nothing goes to waste. Bonnell used the leg meat in a hearty soup. (Photo by Jon Bonnell)
Nothing goes to waste with sandhill crane. Bonnell even used the leg meat in a hearty soup. (Photo by Jon Bonnell)

Soup Can Be Made With The Leftovers

A hunter is not just a good marksman, they are committed to respecting nature and wildlife, and that’s why nothing goes to waste. Sandhill cranes are large birds with a lot of meat to utilize. So just like you find many ways to prepare your leftover turkey meat after Thanksgiving or Christmas ― by the time you’ve used up the pretty bits of the crane ― it’s probably time to make stew.

Bonnell says that he recently made a hearty soup with the chopped meat of the crane’s legs.

“They are very tough and very spindly, so they require a lot more cooking. I browned them in hot oil on all sides, then braised them for four hours, removed them from the pot, and allowed them to cool, before I pulled the meat from the bones. That part was quite tedious.”

West Texas provides prime sandhill crane hunting. According to Texas Parks & Wildlife, the state is divided into three zones (west in Zone A, central in Zone B, and far south in Zone C) with different seasons and bag limits for each. The longest season is in west Texas, where this year it runs from October 28 through January 28. Crane hunting is not allowed in east Texas ― anywhere east of Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston.

While this year’s sandhill crane hunting season is almost over, you might want to save this expert advice for years to come.

Thanks to chef Jon Bonnell for sharing his cooking tips for these majestic birds.

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