Song of Solomon 5:2 I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
Dove hunting is a family tradition that has been passed on to my husband through several generations. And now my husband is passing this tradition on to our son’s!
However, this tradition is not so much the bounty of harvested dove but more the camaraderie between family and friends.
My crew brought home a total of 28 doves from their two-day hunt.
How blessed are we? VERY!!!
I usually prepare the doves on the grill with bacon wrapped around them. But this time I thought I would try something new and different.
It turned out so good that I wanted to share with y’all. Hope you enjoy it.
First you need to clean the doves really good and soak them in salt (2-3 tablespoons) and water overnight.
You are going to need a package of Au Jus Gravy and a package of powdered Ranch Dressing mix to prepare this tasty dish.
Onward we roll ……
The next day, drain the doves and rinse.
Place them in the crockpot breast up.
Next, take the package of Au Jus gravy and Ranch dressing mix and sprinkle over doves
Then pour 1 cup tomato juice into the crockpot
Add 1 quart of water to cover dove’s
Then slice about 4 tablespoons butter over the top
Cook on low heat for about 8 hours.
And they’re done!
The dove’s will easily slip off the bone. Be very careful when eating them and make sure to watch for the very tiny bones.
I served these doves with fried okra, mashed potatoes, pinto beans and cornbread.
My hubby had never had doves prepared like this. His reply, “I think that’s the best doves I have ever eaten!”
Southern Gals Cook 
How much salt goes in the water without it overpowering the meat? Thanks ✨🫶🏼
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Hi Olivia. The salt that is in the Au Jus gravy, ranch seasoning and salted butter is just enough to make them taste delicious. If more salt is needed for taste, I suggest adding salt once in the plate. Hope this helps.
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Oh I meant in the overnight soak! Just a sprinkle or drizzle?
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Oops, sorry. Just cover the doves with water and add a couple tablespoons salt. stir it around a little bit and then let soak. Also, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have amended the recipe to reflect how much salt to add to the water. God Bless!
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Thank you so much for featuring my recipe. God Bless,
Dana
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Thanks for the great recipe!
I used the dove breasts (removed from bones).
I layered the bottom of the crockpot with thickly sliced onions, added the doves, and covered them with the ranch dressing packet. Since I didn’t have Au Jus mix, I dissolved 1 beef bouillon cube into a cup of hot water and added 1 tsp soy sauce. I poured this over the doves followed by an 11.5 oz can of V-8 (in place of the tomato juice).
I added enough water to completely cover the doves since we would be away from the house all day and cooked them on low for around 8 hours.
This was great served over rice with sour cream and chopped avocado! It would also be good served taco style with pico, sour cream and/or hot sauce.
Thanks again!
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Sounds good Dana. Glad you enjoyed it and made it your own:)
Thanks,
Dana Moore
SGC
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