We are in the throws of Dove Season here in Texas. As I have not been very successful in my dove hunting so far, my sister has. So with extra Dove’s on hand, my dad and I decided to have a little dove breast grill off this past Sunday night. For as long as I can remember I have only eaten dove one way, so coming up with a challenging recipe was my task for the weekend and I have to say my friends, this Dove is delicious.

Say hi to my little sister Katherine, and let’s all thank her for her Dove shooting skills.

What you’ll need for Dad’s birds: A few Dove breasts, cheddar cheese block, onion, jalapeno, peppered bacon.

What you’ll need for Liz’s birds: A few Dove breasts, dates, feta cheese, thyme, and bacon. 

First you want to clean your birds up: this job had dad written all over it. Right after you shoot them you want to pluck the feathers, clip the wings, and split the breast bones to reveal the breasts. Before you cook with them, remove the remaining bones inside the meat. Once you do that, you will be left with 2 small breasts.

First up were my birds. I used two breasts for each wrap. To prep, you’ll need a few dates sliced in half, one date for each wrap, feta cheese, thyme picked and chopped and bacon.

Mix together your thyme and feta cheese (you could also use Gorgonzola or Goat cheese but my mom had a pig tub of feta so I went with that.)

Now let’s assemble the breasts; start by taking one breast in your hand. Place 1/2 of a date on top, fill with the cheese thyme mixture.

Then take another breast on top

And wrap it up with bacon and stick with a toothpick to hold it all in place.

Once I had wrapped all of my breasts it was time to let my dad step in and fix up his doves.

Dad used one breast for each wrap, topped with about 1/3 of a jalapeno de-seeded and sliced, a slice of onion and a chunk of cheddar cheese, wrapped with peppered bacon. This is how I have always eaten dove and still love them prepared this way as well.

Hi Dad!!

My sister supervising dad… remember her contribution was the birds, that and consuming wine while everyone else cooked.

Mom was cooking up twice baked potatoes, some fresh made dinner rolls and a big salad.

Hi Mom!

Even the dog’s were in on all the action!

Hi Lilly and Katie!

Once dad was done fixin’ up his birds we were ready to put them on the grill.

These birds just need to sit on a charcoal grill for about 10-12 minutes. You could also bake them at 400 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. If you have the charcoal option, go with that to get the added smoke flavor.

Once the birdies were done we all sat down to dinner and I immediately was curious to know what everyone thought of the two birds, or mainly whose recipe won.

Drumroll please…

I won! Mainly because dad didn’t even vote for his own birds. Really it was all in good fun, the four of us always have a good time and it was a blast getting together this past Sunday. If you are a dove hunter or know someone who is, these are definitely some good recipes to try out. Let me know what you think!

*A family that plays together, stays together!