'MeatEater' Season 8 Episode 1 Review: Steven Rinella hits the waters and woods for some catfish and squirrel hunting leading to a delicious dinner
There are hunting shows and culinary shows and then there is a show like 'MeatEater', which perfectly blends the two. Though it is about hunting expeditions at the core, Steven Rinella brings an interesting gastronomic angle to the concept, by cooking the harvest that he hunts. Rinella, the Meat Eater, lives to hunt, and hunts to live. The brand new season of ‘MeatEater’ opens in Missouri, in the muddy waters and dense forests, where Rinella sets out on his first hunting expedition.
This fall, as the season just sets in the Midwest, wildlife biologist Parker Hall and Steven head to the Missouri River to catch flathead catfish. As a local hunter, Hall states that this is the best time for fishes to swarm to the muddy tributaries and eddies, before the cold weather. Every fishing community has a particular technique of hunting and laying baits. As a regular catfish hunter, Parker shows us how to do ‘bank poling’, which uses a long fishing rod with a hook and a bait. It is then stuck to the mud at the bed of the river, waiting for the fishes to come for the bait. After cruising for a few hours along the marshy channels, they manage to catch a 15-pound blue catfish. Although it wasn’t what they had aimed for that day, a catch is a catch, as an angler would say.
The next morning, they set out again to check on the poles they had laid the afternoon before. After quite an ordeal and Rinella missing a catch, the duo finally finds their prize — a 45-pound flathead catfish, just what they were looking for. A catch so huge, it could feed a village, as Rinella pointed out.
Later in the day, they take Hall’s cur, Ruby, for squirrel hunting at the Mark Twain National Forest. While you might squint at the idea of squirrel hunting, let us remind you that it is quite a rage in the countryside. Ruby is quite a hunter and manages to slay a couple of grey squirrels, which will eventually land in a very fascinating recipe at the end of the show.
Back to Hall’s barn, our host and his friend gear up to turn their freshly caught harvest into flavorful dishes. Hall comes up with his own creation of a squirrel-meat croissant, stuffed with fresh mozzarella, bell peppers, and herbs rolled and baked to golden, flaky puffs. He then slices up the fish belly, coats them with spices and cornmeal and dunks them in the deep fryer, yielding, crispy, fish strips.
If you have been following ‘MeatEater’, you would know of the joy of sourcing and eating fresh off the river or the forest. And if you haven’t. then this show is a refreshing take on culinary adventures, where you not only learn about the best hunting locations and techniques but also get to discover personalized, country-style recipes.
As Rinella says, “Hunting is not just the pursuit of an animal.” And we couldn’t agree more, as it is also about bringing the catch to the table and sharing with your tribe, thus making the most of what mother nature has to offer.
‘MeatEater’ is now streaming on Netflix, October 18 onward.