For Jackson Hole's early settlers, abundant game provided tasty, high-protein meat - especially from the area's abundant elk, deer and bison. Today, the tradition continues to inspire Teton Valley chefs.

Come and taste for yourself. Area chefs will prepare their "art-of-the-meal" creations for the Taste of the Tetons this Sunday. The event is part of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival Sept. 6-16.

We surveyed a number of 2007 Taste of the Tetons participants for their favorite meat recipes. You'll find the results below, including some fresh ideas for game - just in time for hunting season. Best of all, these recipes have been adapted for home cooks.

The Wort Hotel's Bison Meatloaf

2 1/2 pounds ground bison

1/4 medium yellow onion, diced

1/4 cup chopped garlic

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons dried thyme

3 tablespoons dried oregano

3 tablespoons dried parsley

1 large egg

3/4 cup bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

2 strips of bacon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Form into four small loaves, about 10 ounces each. Arrange on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Top each loaf with half a strip of bacon and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees with an instant-read thermometer. 4 servings.

About Chef Jason Ambrust: As a small boy in a traditional Filipino family, Armbrust observed that it was the men in his family who took on a culinary role. At age 8, he declared that he intended to be a chef one day.

He came to Jackson in 1997 at the encouragement of his brother Tim, an Executive Chef in his own right and Ambrust's best friend and mentor. During his tenures at Snake River Lodge and Jenny and Jackson Lake Lodges, he worked in every aspect of food service and management. His passion for learning and dedication to the culinary arts helped him earn the position of Executive Chef, a position he has held since October 2004.

Stone Table's Chuletas de Wyoming ("Wyoming Chops")

Elk Chops:

8 elk chops, cut in sections of two

3 tablespoons crushed garlic

Salt

Rub chops with garlic and salt; cook chops on grill or in oven at 350 degrees until medium rare. Use your meat thermometer in the center near the bone; the internal temperature should read 130 to 135 degrees.

Potato puree:

6 to 8 medium red potatoes

1/2 stick of butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup of beef stock

Salt to taste

Cook whole potatoes in a large pot of boiling water over high heat until tender. Remove from heat and cool, then peel. If you have a potato ricer, rice potatoes in a bowl, otherwise you can mash them. In a large sauté pan over low heat, add potatoes, butter and heavy cream. Mix all ingredients until smooth, then add beef stock. (Add salt to taste.)

Portobello Mushrooms:

4 large Portobello mushrooms

Olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the mushrooms lightly on both sides until soft and tender.

Seco Sauce:

1 cup cilantro paste (process 1 bunch of cilantro in blender with 1 cup of water)

1/2 cup basil paste (process a generous handful of fresh basil with 1/2 cup water)

3/4 cup small diced red onions

3 tablespoons peeled, crushed garlic

2 cups of beef stock

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1-1/2 cup heavy cream

Sauté onions for 5 minutes until soft, then add garlic. After 30 seconds, incorporate basil and cilantro paste. Cook 3 minutes and add the beef stock. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally; remove half of the sauce and set aside. Add heavy cream to remaining sauce. Continue to simmer until sauce thickens, add salt to taste.

To serve the dish, spoon a large circle of potato puree on each plate. Place a Portobello mushroom in the center of the potatoes, and stand the elk chops on the mushroom. Spoon the sauce across the top from one side of the dish to the other. 4 servings.

About Chef/Owner Gustavo Suclla Schiaffino: Schiaffino was born and raised in Lima, Peru. His grandmother owned a restaurant as he was growing up, and he credits her for all of his experience in the kitchen. Schiaffino owns and operates the Stone Table restaurant in Jackson with his wife, Julie. He incorporates and fuses his South American charm and flavors into all his dishes.

Four Seasons Resort's Pan Seared Buffalo Filets

1 russet potato

1 egg white

Salt and pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

12 ounces morel mushrooms

2 ears of corn, husk and silk removed

3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped, divided

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, divided

1 pound bing cherries, halved and pitted

1/4 cup Kirsch

1 tablespoon red wine

1-1/4 cups veal demi-glace*

4 8-ounce buffalo filets

Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

20 arugula leaves, julienned

Micro greens for garnish

Peel a russet potato and grate with a grater. Squeeze out the excessive starch, lightly season with salt and pepper and then mix in a tablespoon of egg white. Form the potato mixture into small patties 3 inches around and fairly thin. Heat a medium sized saute pan over medium-high flame and allow it to become hot. Coat the bottom of the pan with vegetable oil and then fry the potato patties, evenly browning on both sides. Allow to drain on a clean towel.

Wash the morel mushrooms and cut in half. Soak in a bowl of cold water for about 20 minutes, drain on a clean towel. Use a sharp knife to cut the corn kernels from the cobs.

In a small saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Gently sauté half of the shallots until softened, add the cherries and cook for about a minute. Deglaze the pan with the kirsch and the red wine, and allow to reduce by half. Add the veal demi or beef stock and allow to simmer until the mixture thickens slightly. Check the seasoning. Remove from heat and cool slightly, then gently melt in 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of butter and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Season the buffalo filets with kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over a medium high flame and carefully place the filets into the hot pan. Evenly brown each side and arrange in a greased baking pan. Finish cooking for about 12 to 15 minutes for medium rare in the oven.

Meanwhile, heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat and add the morel mushrooms. After 30 seconds, add the chopped shallots and garlic. Cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the corn niblets and sauté for another minute, then add the arugula and allow it to wilt. Season the ragout with salt and pepper and set aside.

Remove the buffalo filets from the oven and allow to rest briefly before serving. To plate the dish, reheat all ingredients, place the morel mushroom ragout into a ring mold and place two crisp potato latkes on top. Slice the buffalo into three or four slices and fan on top of the latkes, remove the ring mold and drizzle the sauce around the plate. Garnish with micro greens. 4 servings.

*Veal demi-glace is a rich, concentrated veal stock that chefs use to add complex flavors to dishes. You can find a recipe to make your own at epicurious.com or substitute a rich beef stock; the flavors will not be as intense but the dish will still taste delicious.

About Executive Chef Simon Purvis: Britishnborn Chef Purvis has over 20 years of international culinary experience, having served as a chef in nine different countries to date. "My culinary travels and experience have allowed me to be able to join a new property and quickly adjust to the local culinary cooking style, while including influences from my previous travels," says Chef Purvis. "My guiding principle with food is to retain and highlight the flavors of each ingredient - and then marry them into one another to create a dish that is flavorful and interesting." Purvis oversees three restaurants at the Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole.

Couloir Restaurant's Honey and Coriander Glazed Venison

1 pound venison, Denver Leg, trimmed and trussed

2 tablespoons chopped rosemary

2 tablespoons chopped thyme

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2-1/2 ounces Balsamic vinegar, divided

1/2 cup clover honey

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 ounce coriander seeds, freshly ground

1/4 ounce mustard seed, freshly ground

1/4 ounce cumin seed, freshly ground

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Marinate the venison with rosemary, thyme, olive oil and 1/2 ounce balsamic vinegar for four hours.

Remove from marinade and let dry.

Add honey, red wine vinegar, remaining balsamic vinegar, coriander, mustard seed, and cumin seed to a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until reduced by half. Let cool.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Season the venison with salt and fresh pepper. Sear on all sides in a hot sauté pan. Let venison rest for 4 minutes. "Paint" honey-vinegar mix onto venison at least four times at 5-minute intervals. Roast venison for 10 minutes or until medium-rare. (Do not overcook.)

About Executive Chef Wes Hamilton: A native of Florida, Chef Hamilton won the coveted "Best Young Chef" National Championships in California in 2000, and has since developed his talents at two of Jackson Hole's finest restaurants: Jenny Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park and The Westbank Grill at the Four Seasons Resort. After a year-long stint at a luxury guest ranch in Colorado, Hamilton returned to Jackson in 2007 to open Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's new on-mountain restaurant, Couloir, located at the summit of the Bridger Gondola. Hamilton's cooking style is simple, yet precise. Rarely blending more than three flavor principles in a dish, he believes in high precision and execution of each dish for maximum enjoyment for each guest. He takes a "less is more" approach, looking for what can be taken away, rather than what could be added.

Amangani's Prosciutto-wrapped Berkshire Natural Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin, 1 1/2 pounds

8 slices prosciutto ham

Wrap the pork in prosciutto ham and grill it over a medium-hot fire, turning once or twice, until just done, about 15 minutes.

Root Vegetable Hash:

3 tablespoons butter

2 sweet potatoes n peeled and diced

2 Yukon gold potatoes n peeled and diced

4 carrots n peeled and diced

2 turnips or rutabagas n peeled and diced

3 shallots, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

Snipped fresh herbs

Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the vegetables until soft, but not mushy. Add chopped shallot and garlic and some fresh herbs; remove from the heat and cool.

Granny Smith Apple Gastrique:

1 cup of sugar

2/3 cups of cider vinegar

1 cup of fresh green apple juice

3 sprigs fresh thyme

4 cups of chicken stock

Melt the sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until just brown. Add the vinegar, apple juice, thyme and stock. Heat to boiling and cook until the mixture reduces and thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and cool. Pour into a squirt bottle.

Additional ingredients:

Frisee greens

Champagne vinaigrette

To serve, spoon some of the root vegetable hash in center of a large white dinner plate. Dress the frisee greens with a bit of champagne vinaigrette and place on the top of hash. Slice the pork into 12 slices, and arrange two pork slices on each serving on top of the hash. Drizzle the Apple Gastrique around the pork.

About Chef Joseph Santangini: Chef Santangini has trained in every facet of food preparation and presentation under the guidance of some of the country's most reputable chefs. He was previously the executive chef at the the Grand Teton Lodge Company, and left in 2005 to manage the culinary program for the Amangani resort in Negril, Jamaica, before returning to oversee the culinary operations at the Amangani resort in Jackson.

Q Roadhouse Barbeque's Beef Brisket

1 beef brisket, 4 to 5 pounds

Dry rub:

1/2 cup paprika

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1/4 cup garlic powder

1/4 cup black pepper

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons kosher salt

Have your butcher trim the brisket, removing the tough membrane near the pointed end and leaving about 1/4 inch of fat on the underside. In a small bowl, combine the dry rub ingredients. Rub the brisket with the dry rub, patting it so it sticks. (Extra dry rub can be stored in a glass jar in a cool, dry place for up to three months.) Wrap the brisket in plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees (hickory or hard wood recommended) and cook the brisket, using a rotisserie or turning the meat several times, until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees in the thickest section. This will take approximately about one and a half hours per pound, or from 5 to 7 hours for a 4- to 5-pound brisket.

Alternately, you can smoke the meat for 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours and finish cooking it in a covered pan in a 225 degree oven. Baste occasionally with the pan juices.

Wrap the brisket in foil and let it rest for an hour. To serve, reserve the juices from the foil and trim the excess fat. Slice the brisket against the grain and serve it topped with the reserved juices.