Game Cookery

[david goodfellow]

There are some excellent recipes for rabbit/hare on this site:

http://www.bowhunting.net/susieq/rabbit.html

Hasenpfeffer is my "go-to" recipe for rabbit or hare, particularly the wild rabbits from the Sierras as they are actually hares. (I know a lot of hunters whose wives are not fond of preparing game or don't know how (and don't want to learn ).

So in exchange for me doing the prep, I get part of the bag.

I've been preparing it for 50+ years and have no written recipe but the closest to mine is this one:

http://www.germanculture.com.ua/recipes/blmain13.htm

Thanks for taking the time to reply, plenty here for me to get stuck into

[david goodfellow]

David

Of course, you won't be able to find proper andouille sausage here in the UK but what you're after is a smoked sausage. I've used the ones made by Mattesons and always available in the supermarket. Yes, I know you would normally rather starve than eat Mattesons but it does work for Louisiana dishes (I've also used it for a Carolina "low country boil" but that's another story)

Thats quite an interesting take John, may well try that.

[andiesenji]

I should have added in my post that you really should bake a batch of German hard rolls to go with the hasenpfeffer because there will be a lot of very tasty gravy to mop up and one needs a sturdy roll for this purpose.

[sjemac]

Winston Churchills Favorite Breakfast.

Being a hunter and a waterfowler allows me to sometimes experiment with the more decadent dishes from history.

The makings:

A Snipe.

A Brace of snipe.

A brace of snipe on fried bread with bacon and thyme.

A brace of snipe on fried bread with bacon and thyme and a large glass of Champagne. In honor of the old Lion.

[OliverB]

that's some great looking food here! I'm just trying to get into game (and who knows, might take up hunting eventually too), made a rabbit (bred, not wild) recently and have a couple "game" birds in the freezer. Now, I've always been wondering, and this thread seems as good as any: how do you know - or do you care - if the wild animal was healthy? Say, I find a deer on the side of the road and smuggle it home somehow, or at least a piece of it, can I cook it medium rare or might the kids get rabis? They act crazy enough at times w/o needing that extra push

Same though when hunting, you can't really know how healthy that animal you just go was, are there particular rules to go by? Don't want to take this off topic, but if somebody has the cliff notes version of info or a good link, I'd appreciate it!

[Peter the eater]

A brilliant pair of snipe, thanks sjemac. So many lovely little birds, so little time.

[Mallet]

that's some great looking food here! I'm just trying to get into game (and who knows, might take up hunting eventually too), made a rabbit (bred, not wild) recently and have a couple "game" birds in the freezer. Now, I've always been wondering, and this thread seems as good as any: how do you know - or do you care - if the wild animal was healthy? Say, I find a deer on the side of the road and smuggle it home somehow, or at least a piece of it, can I cook it medium rare or might the kids get rabis? They act crazy enough at times w/o needing that extra push

Same though when hunting, you can't really know how healthy that animal you just go was, are there particular rules to go by? Don't want to take this off topic, but if somebody has the cliff notes version of info or a good link, I'd appreciate it!

I wish they covered this topic in greater detail in my hunting course. I always carefully inspect any animal I shoot (inside and out) for signs of injury or disease. Certain animals (esp mammals) carry diseases that are transmissible to humans. My most common concern is Tularemia, which can affect rodents and rabbits (in an affected animal, the liver is often spotted white). Other things to watch out for might include avian tuberculosis (spots on liver, lungs: more common with pigeons, starlings, sparrows), avian botulism (more of a specific concern with waterfowl). Most of these diseases occur at very low prevalence, and I believe wild populations are monitored for those pathogens most likely to affect humans. I don't larger game (yet), but certain deer populations are affected by wasting disease (basically equivalent to mad cow or scrapie), which I find pretty scary.

I've never seen a sick animal yet, so while I'm aware of the concerns, I don't lose any sleep over it. If you happen across a deer across the side of the road, my guess is that spoilage is your biggest concern

[sjemac]

Sick animals don't last long in the wild so finding them is rather rare when hunting. If the animal looks sick (i.e. emaciated, stumbling, lethargic etc.) don't consume it. The liver is a key indicator of health, it should be of uniform color and free of cysts or spots. Otherwise there is very little other than trichinosis (killed by cooking or prolonged freezing) and Tularemia (found in rabbits and hare and evidenced by white spots on the liver) that is transferable to humans. Some things like "rice breast" in waterfowl and tape worm cysts in other animals are unappetizing but not harmful (I still wouldn't eat an animal exhibiting either).

[OliverB]

interesting, thanks!

[Emily_R]

Help! I have friends whose uncle gave them a frozen wild duck, pheasant, and "chucker." They don't have any more information about these birds (how young/old, etc). They've enlisted me to cook them for a dinner party. Can someone point me towards the most foolproof way to cook all three (preferably at once)? Any chance that a big braise -- like the coq au vin posted earlier -- might work for all three of them?

Many many thanks,

Emily

[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 October 8, 2010 by budrichard (log)

[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 October 8, 2010 by SaladFingers (log)

[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...