105 replies to this topic

[Mallet]

We didn't replicate the epic nature of past game dinners this year (it was a busy one). Fortunately, hunting season is upon us again: time for everyone to come out of the weeds!

[therippa]

I'm cooking some beaver tails this weekend, like the guys did on Cooking Issues.

I'm thinking of serving them as sliders and can't wait to send out the Facebook invite for a "Beaver Eating" party. Does anyone know what kind of sides would compliment/hold up to the strongly flavored meat?

[Mallet]

Cool link! Are you cooking the tail or the flapper?

I think some sort of pickle would be pretty tasty with the meat (beets? pearl onions?).

[therippa]

I'm doing the tail...my girlfriend just got back from Chicago (where czimer's is) and brought me back 6 of them (about 5 pounds). I'm going to cook it the same way they did, probably make like a veal stock jus to dip them in.

[Mallet]

Cooked my first wood duck yesterday, oh boy was it ever good! Up to now my only experience with waterfowl has been with mallards and black duck, geese (canada+snow), and divers (long-tailed duck and scaup).This wood duck was definitely a cut above: as juicy as any chicken I've had, less beefy than mallard, with a touch of gaminess.

I simply seared it in olive oil before putting it in the oven at 425 for ~10min on a bed of beet greens.

[SaladFingers]

I have a couple of mallard ducks and would like to know how to cook Mallard duck breast.

I know when I cook Gressingham Duck breast (non-wild) they tend to be quite fatty, so the correct method is to cook them slowly skin-side-down to render the fat for a crisp finish. Mallard are much leaner so I'm not sure how to cook them.

[Zacky]

"Fast and hard, or slow and long" is the rule with lean game. I'd go fast and hard with the breasts(if you are cutting the birds up) and long and slow with legs etc.

You might find the breasts are quite small too, but very tasty! I recently cooked a whole mallard the long and slow way and that was great too - brown the top in butter, season well and braid with streaky bacon then braise with sweet white wine and apples. Rest the bird while you finish the sauce with cream and some reduced stock.

[budrichard]

Do you have wild mallards that have been shot or pen raised mallards fattened on corn?
Wild mallards have no fat compared to a domestic duck and I have found that they are best cooked broken down. The breasts lightly sauteed, rested and served medium rare to rare, the leg/thighs are best slow cooked and i like a sour cream medium.
The carcass can be used to make stock for a sauce.
Pen raised and fattened on corn can be cooked whole roasted but should be removed from the oven so with resting will yield a rare to medium rare breast.-Dick

Edited by budrichard, 08 October 2010 - 12:09 PM.

[SaladFingers]

Wild Mallard shot down from the sky. Like I say - when I've bought farm reared duck breast, they've been fatty so I cook them skin-side-down on a medium heat for 10 minutes so the fat renders down. I'm assuming using leaner breast means cooking on a higher heat for less time. I want nice crispy fat and medium-rare meat.

Edited by SaladFingers, 08 October 2010 - 01:40 PM.

[budrichard]

"I want nice crispy fat and medium-rare meat. "

A wild mallard will not have fat layer underneath the skin as a domestic duck so break down the mallard and cook as I suggested. The skin on the breast can be crispy and the rest medium rare, in this case I would not rest but serve hot as one does with venison. Wild mallard can be cooked whole and in this case I would bard the duck and roast until the breast is medium rare, deboning immediately off the heat to stop the cooking process, the leg/thighs will be a little tough but certainly edible. I whole cooked wild mallards for many many years but now only break down and serve as I indicated. Good luck.-Dick

[Philip Dundas]

One little tip. Obviously wild game is tougher because it actually does fly to survive during its life. Back in the day, it was common to 'hang' wild game - which is where the 'gamey' smell came from - in order for the bacteria left in the body to break down some of the tough fibres and make the flesh more tender. Once the feathers came out easily the bird was ready to pluck and cook. Clearly we don't do this any more for hygiene reasons but it means that most of the game we can buy is too tough and quite tasteless. As a practical alternative when you buy a brace of mallard or any other game birds, take them out of the wrapper and put them on a covered plate at the back of the fridge for 4-5 days (I've done a week). There is no chance of them going 'off' like this, particularly as they are able to 'breathe'. This period will really help to break down those tougher bits and make the cooking much easier.
All game pot-roasts better than in the oven, because it keeps the moisture in and you can even add them to something like sauteed red cabbage or braised fennel. The bitter or anise flavours allow the taste of the duck to emerge - when roasting can rather overpower the bird.

[Simon_S]

Clearly we don't do this any more

"We" may not, but I do! If somebody gives me some mallards they've shot, I'll hang them in the garden shed for a few days before plucking.

[sjemac]

This time of year when the temps are hovering around freezing up here, I hang all my birds for 7-14 days with the guts and all in them. The enzymes improve the texture and flavor (makes it milder) of the duck. There is a noticeable difference between fresh and aged birds.

My hanging rack.


Never more than med rare with duck. It tastes "livery" well done.

Try this one guys.It's a way of cooking ducks and geese that will appeal even to people who say they don't like waterfowl but still has enough of the duck flavor to appeal to those of us who do like it. Try this out, you won't be disappointed with the results.

Step one: Pluck the breast of a medium to large duck and singe of the pin feathers.


Step 2: Cut the breast off the bone in one piece so that you have the 2 halves still connected by the skin.




Step 3: Cut a crosshatch pattern on the meat side of the breast but be carefull not to cut all the way through. Season meat side well with salt and pepper, cajun seasoning, or my favorite --OLD BAY.



Step 4: Put your favorite stuffing in the breast and tie the breast up with butcher string as shown (skewers or good sharp tooth picks can be used to hold it together too ). The stuffing shown is just ritz crackers, salt, pepper and parsley. But I've used fruit, herb, and sausage stuffings too.




Step 5. Roll in a light dusting of flour and deep fry at about 345-350 until the skin's really nice and brown(or roast at 425 for 20 minutes -- baste with oil or butter as she's going). Take out of oil, drain, dust with your favorite seasoning salt or spice and let sit about 5 minutes before taking off the string and slicing. Should be medium rare when done. I serve this with a drizzle of sauce made from lemon juice, mayonaise, capers, green onion, salt/pepper, hot sauce and worchesteshire.

[MSRadell]

Looks wonderful!

[qrn]

Wild duck , and goose,(in my opinion) is best not eaten..Bad stuff..Terrible taste,,,
Its so bad I stopped hunting it , because if I am not going to eat it , I am not going to kill it...Domestic is very acceptable....
Bud...

[Chris Hennes]

Bud, have you tried it in sausage? I've made some really great duck sausage with about 50% wild duck and 50% pork.

[sjemac]

Wild duck , and goose,(in my opinion) is best not eaten..Bad stuff..Terrible taste,,,
Its so bad I stopped hunting it , because if I am not going to eat it , I am not going to kill it...Domestic is very acceptable....
Bud...

Not at all. You just need to learn how to cook it. I've cooked it for people expressing exactly the same opinion you have. They used to hunt them but didn't like to eat them. They are now coming out for hunts and taking back full limits of birds to their kitchens. If you cook it past med-rare it will taste like liver. Except for the legs. They need low and slow till falling off the bone.

Now goose breast I turn into ham, corned goose or sausage. It tastes like very tough, dry beef otherwise.

If you have been eating sea ducks or sewage lagoon ducks then I understand the sentiment.

Canvasback Sashimi with braised legs:

Edited by sjemac, 31 October 2010 - 03:57 PM.

[david goodfellow]

My fish wholesaler had two brace (four birds) hanging outside his premises and told me they were going to sell game in the run up to Xmas.

As I had spent quite a bit on fish he only charged me £4 for the lot.

Now I don't normally gut any birds but my wife was busy so she implored me to have a go. Well I looked at a Youtube video and it looked reasonably easy, except for me it was not. It took an age, and it was obvious from the smell that they had been hanging for more than a few days.

Two of the birds had been shot in the hind quarters (legs) and that part of the flesh had turned blue. Am I to presume blood has penetrated the flesh and spoiled it? I am prepared to discard the "blue" parts, any ideas? Is it still edible or has it been spoiled?

[Mallet]

sjemac, do you hang all the geese you shoot or do you first inspect and sort based on level of damage? For example, I would be fairly hesitant to hang a gut-shot bird for a week.

[sjemac]

sjemac, do you hang all the geese you shoot or do you first inspect and sort based on level of damage? For example, I would be fairly hesitant to hang a gut-shot bird for a week.

Absolutely inspect them. I had 48 birds we shot last week and about 8 of them were breasted out on the day they were shot due to being heavily hit or hit well back. Birds with shot in the legs or breast were cleaned after about 3-4 days and only the perfect ones (hit in the head/neck - no broken wings or legs) were left for the full 7-10. Certain birds like wigeon and gadwall are pond weed eaters around here so they get cleaned up in a day or two. The barley fattened mallards and geese are best hung as are the diving Canvasbacks and Redheads.

David, discard the blue parts. They may be edible but probably not palatable.

[david goodfellow]

David, discard the blue parts. They may be edible but probably not palatable.

Thanks for that

[Prawncrackers]

Woodcock, you don't see one for ages then two come along! The first one I saw was at Moseley Farmers market last weekend. I knew fellow egulleter Nickloman was looking for this rare little game bird. So I messaged him and within 15 minutes he'd come and snaffled it, dedication indeed. I'm glad he got it because he's far more enthusiastic than me about them. I bought my favourite pigeon and wild duck instead.
But by pure accident in the week I was offered the second one by a friend who's off on a long holiday and was clearing out his freezer. He couldn't remember where or when he bought it, but assured me it was this year. Anyway, it looked in fairly good condition so I took it. I knew that Woodcock are not normally drawn but I only learnt from Nick that it's because the birds defecate when they take flight. That's why you can roast them whole and scoop the innards out to spread on toast. I had it with beetroot, quail eggs and a marsala pan reduction. Delicious tasting meat, rich and gamey especially with the innards. You can see it's little heart just on the corner of the bread:

[Peter the eater]

That plate is outrageous! You've made my day.

[Prawncrackers]

Thanks Peter, can you believe this was breakfast today?! That's why the eggs, it's not breakfast without eggs. I forgot to mention that there was a smear of butter under the pancetta and I roasted the bird for 25mins in a hot 200c oven, basting twice.

[Simon_S]

Did you eat the brain? Last (and only) time I had woodcock, the head was served split in two, all the way down the beak. The brain had an excellent flavour.

[Mallet]

That plate is outrageous! You've made my day.

Indeed.

[Prawncrackers]

Did you eat the brain? Last (and only) time I had woodcock, the head was served split in two, all the way down the beak. The brain had an excellent flavour.

I had a chew on it but brain is brain and these are such small birds, couldn't really say if it had an excellent flavour or not. If I had to guess it would be just like roasted duck brains, of which I've had plenty, quack! Isn't it strange that there's such ritual about eating this particular bird:
- Don't draw them
- Tuck the head under or spear the beak through the body to roast them
- Scoop out the innards and spread them on toast
- Split the head open and pick out the brain

It seems that a Woodcock is like an English Ortolan.

[Peter the eater]

It seems that a Woodcock is like an English Ortolan.

Good things in small packages, eh?

There's no shame in concealing a delicious dinner that features a head on the plate. It's all circle of life good karma.

<Edited for grammar>

Edited by Peter the eater, 09 December 2010 - 07:14 PM.

[David Ross]

Tonight, Wild Scottish Hen Pheasant "Vallee d'Auge," (with Calvados and Cream).


I sourced the Scottish Pheasant from D'Artagnan. They offer all kinds of wild game birds, including pheasant, grouse, partridge, wood pigeon and even have a supply of Wild Scottish Hare.

I sauteed the pheasant in a little butter and then put it in a roasting pan with a couple of strips of bacon across the breast to keep it moist. The pheasant roasted in a 450 oven for about 30 minutes, basting occasionally with some of the bacon drippings. I also added unpeeled pearl onions to the roasting pan before it went into the oven. (I also added some fried potato balls back to the roasting pan once the sauce was finished).

While the pheasant was resting, I skimmed most of the bacon fat off the pan and added about 1/2 cup Calvados. Lit the Calvados to flame off the alchohol,(and almost singed the eyebrows), then added a cup of heavy cream and some fresh thyme.

The pheasant was slightly gamey but very delicate in texture, almost what I would imagine a young chicken to taste like. Delicious.

[Mallet]

I usually make meat pies every winter for the holidays, and I always look forward to making them because they are different every year, depending on what meats I have on hand.

This version has 7 species in it: chicken (an old rooster and hen from a friend's yard), pork (a bit of belly for moisture), canada goose, squirrel, snowshoe hare, starlings, and pronghorn (courtesy of a friend's success in Wyoming). Every time I have to clean a squirrel I swear I'll never harvest one again, only to recant after cooking it: they're just so succulent! I cooked all the meat in the pressure cooker in 3 batches, re-using the same cooking liquid for every batch. The cooking liquid is lightly seasoned with salt, onions, dried savoury, thyme and pepper. After cooking the meat is separated from the bone by hand and shredded by paddling the mixture in the KitchenAid for a few minutes. During the mixing stage I often add a cup or two of the cooking liquid, this helps to keep the meat moist. The crust is a standard all-butter pie crust (I use a recipe from the Pie and Pastry Bible), with a bit more salt owing to the savoury nature of the pie. Just to gild the lilly, I grease the pie pans with duck fat.

Attached Images

•