Tightly packed with meat, meat and more meat, the shooter’s sandwich is truly one of the ultimate meals and is ideal for camping trips, hunting or for satisfying the age-old craving for animal flesh.

Originating in England, the shooter’s sandwich became the lunch of choice for English fox and pheasant hunters after long and patient mornings in the countryside. Today, it is still loved by the common outdoorsman, but also creates a wide variety of variations that make it appealing to many diverse appetites. Roll up the sleeves and bring an empty stomach; it’s time to dive into the shooter’s sandwich.

Shooter’s Sandwich

1 2-pound sirloin steak

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 large round loaf of bread, any type and unsliced

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

2 to 3 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Begin by seasoning the sirloin on both sides of the steak with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Once seasoned, set aside on separate plate. Heat skillet on stove, add a drizzle of olive oil, and place steak in pan to cook until cooked to personal taste. Set aside steak on separate plate to cool.

Add the diced onion and garlic powder. Cook for about five minutes, or until onions appear lightly golden brown. Once caramelized, add in sliced mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms just begin to brown and become soft. Add in Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper for taste. Once cooked, set aside in a bowl or on a plate to cool.

Next, begin constructing the sandwich. Take the round loaf of bread and cut a lid off the top about a third of the loaf. With a large spoon, scoop out the innards of the loaf to create a bread bowl, making room for all the ingredients and the meat. Take the horseradish and create a base layer at the bottom of the bread, then add in half of the mushroom and onion mix. Next, take the sirloin steak, and cut into strips, roughly one half to one quarter inches thick. Once sliced, place all the strips in the loaf and pile on the rest of the mushroom and onion mix. For enhanced flavor, add the steak’s juices into the sandwich and coat the underside of the bread lid with a thin layer of Dijon mustard and place back on the loaf.

Take the completed sandwich and wrap in aluminum foil or other form of wrapping and place on a cutting board or a sturdy surface and place in the refrigerator. To compact the sandwich to absorb the maximum amount of flavor, place a heavy object on top of the sandwich like a skillet pan or even a brick. This binds the sandwich together, and soaks the bread with the juices and flavors of the steak and vegetable mix. Set sandwich in refrigerator for up to six hours. By doing this, the sandwich becomes more solid and releases more of the juices to create a symphony of meaty flavors.

Once compacted for at least six hours in the cool environment, remove the sandwich from the refrigerator and remove foil or wrapping. Serve cold, and cut into wedges like a pizza for everyone to dig into.

Thankfully, you don’t have to be a hunter to enjoy this decadent take on a meat sandwich. The clever use of a bread bowl loaf to bind the ingredients offers a truly innovative experience that is guaranteed to stun anyone who sees it.

Cody Powell-McClintick can be reached at [email protected]