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Eating Panther


HawkeyeFoodie

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Okay...so I don't have a panther in which I'm going to cook nor do I want to find anyone that can source big cat meat.

What I'm looking to do is play a little trick on my friends and make them believe that they are eating Panther meat (it's for a football game in which we are playing the Panthers). So has anyone or has anyones' "friend" eaten any type of large cat? I assume that it's red meat. I'm thinking of going with an Elk or some Venison so it'll taste a little different than beef. An suggestions on alternatives?

Does anyone have any suggestions on preparations? As a panther can mean cougar, jaguar, puma, or leopard the region it would come from could be about anything.

I'm looking for something simple, bite size, and could be made on a grill as I want to start my story with "I was only able to get a little of the panther meat as it was really expensive, but I was told that this is a tradition (insert country) dish that (insert natives of previous country) would eat when they would catch a panther in the wild".

Thanks for your help!

Scott

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Most peoples dont eat carnivores because of the strong taste...maybe substitute Boar meat...maybe cooked Indian style with a yoghurt/spice marinade

tracey

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

Maxine

Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

"It is the government's fault, they've eaten everything."

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You might want to settle on a particular big cat to fake rather than using a generic term ("panther" doesn't refer to a particular species).

I'd go for something very lean and relatively tough.

Goat, maybe?

We'll we're playing the Panthers so I'll call it panther and elaborate on the exact cat when I figure out what type of recipe it is.

I'm sure I've seen Boar, but where would one get goat short of purchasing an entire goat?

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goat should be available at and Hispanic or Halal (muslim) market

T

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

Maxine

Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

"It is the government's fault, they've eaten everything."

My Webpage

garden state motorcyle association

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Most peoples dont eat carnivores because of the strong taste

Ooooo, never thought of that.

Wild land mammals that get eaten in Eastern Canada: deer, moose, caribou, rabbit, squirrel, porcupine, raccoon, beaver . . . no carnivores there. Bears? No, they're omnivores, don't count. Fox, wolf, coyote, fisher, lynx, bobcat . . . all carnivores, nobody eats them.

Interesting.

Peter Gamble aka "Peter the eater"

I just made a cornish game hen with chestnut stuffing. . .

Would you believe a pigeon stuffed with spam? . . .

Would you believe a rat filled with cough drops?

Moe Sizlack

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goat should be available at and Hispanic or Halal (muslim) market

T

Get a lamb or goat shank and slow cook it whole -- you could pass it off as feline.

Peter Gamble aka "Peter the eater"

I just made a cornish game hen with chestnut stuffing. . .

Would you believe a pigeon stuffed with spam? . . .

Would you believe a rat filled with cough drops?

Moe Sizlack

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In the French version of the Wild Chef tv show, Martin Picard (of Au pied de Cochon in Montreal) and his sous-chef Hugues, prepared Kung Pao Bobcat (or something like that) while making fun of old racist stereotypes about the type of meat used in Chinese restaurants. With such a recipe, you can pretty much use any kind of meat since the flavor will be masked by the sauce.

I would still probably go with wild boar or slightly overcooked guinea hen (to make sure it's at least a bit chewy).

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Not to be prudish, but am I the only person who thinks this is a creepy idea? Are you planning to tell them before they eat it or after?

Are you expecting your friends to think you yourself killed it? If so, that would be a mountain lion (cougar), since that's the only type of panther in the continental US as far as I know. It's not legal, by the way, to kill a mountain lion. They are protected. I assume that it is equally illegal to export dead leopard (old world) or jaguars (So. America.)

If you expect them to believe you, then it's one way of finding out just how dumb your friends really are.

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Not to be prudish, but am I the only person who thinks this is a creepy idea? Are you planning to tell them before they eat it or after?

Are you expecting your friends to think you yourself killed it? If so, that would be a mountain lion (cougar), since that's the only type of panther in the continental US as far as I know. It's not legal, by the way, to kill a mountain lion. They are protected. I assume that it is equally illegal to export dead leopard (old world) or jaguars (So. America.)

If you expect them to believe you, then it's one way of finding out just how dumb your friends really are.

Ms. Meadows,

I do not think it's creepy at all. Just a good little practical joke as we're having a football tailgate and we're playing the Panthers. What better way to celebrate than to eat a little of the opponent's mascot? 8-)

Will I tell them before or after they eat? Well if things go well, I'll be bringing "panther" from my "secret source" for the next 30 years and people will talk about it around the water cooler on Monday.

As far as my "dumb" friends...if you knew them, you would know that they are very fun, but dumb they are not. Also, they know I am a guy that likes to do things over the top, especially with tailgates and food. They also know that if there is a guy that they know that will be able to procure some illegal leopard meat it'd probably be me.

While I appreciate your input, please feel free to not stop by our tailgate.

Thanks,

Scott

PS. I really like the leg of goat idea. I think it would look very similar to a panther's leg.

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If somebody told me that I was eating panther, I would expect a lean gamy-tasting meat, and a big bone showing an animal with the power to leap and spring (that's why the goat leg idea is so good). Some goat neck might trick your friends into thinking they are eating from the other end of the animal. Those big vertebrae, if you get the idea... Tell your friends it's a delicacy.

I second Judiu's idea of anchovies to introduce a fishy taste. Animals taste like what they eat, and this is supposed to be a Southern swamp panther, yes?

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If somebody told me that I was eating panther, I would expect a lean gamy-tasting meat, and a big bone showing an animal with the power to leap and spring (that's why the goat leg idea is so good). Some goat neck might trick your friends into thinking they are eating from the other end of the animal. Those big vertebrae, if you get the idea... Tell your friends it's a delicacy.

I second Judiu's idea of anchovies to introduce a fishy taste. Animals taste like what they eat, and this is supposed to be a Southern swamp panther, yes?

I think you just described exactly what I want. So now that goat looks like the meat of choice, how does one go about cooking goat?! Is it like cooking a lamb shank? Should I slow cook it the night before and let it sit in a braise and reheat that day?

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Okay, I don't know about other states, but here in CA mountain lions are designated "specially protected species" despite their numbers and it is illegal to kill or hunt them unless a permit is issued for a particular individual cat that has been deemed a public safely hazard.

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... how does one go about cooking goat?!  Is it like cooking a lamb shank?  Should I slow cook it the night before and let it sit in a braise and reheat that day?

I've never cooked goat, only eaten it in braised Thai Muslim and Indonesian dishes. It tastes very good with all those curry-type spices. But I'm not sure that's what you want for a tailgate party.

My guess is that cooking goat is much like cooking lamb.

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So now that goat looks like the meat of choice, how does one go about cooking goat?!  Is it like cooking a lamb shank?  Should I slow cook it the night before and let it sit in a braise and reheat that day?

I regard goat and lamb as being very similar. In fact, my grocery store slaps big red stickers with the word GOAT so the lamb lovers don't bring home a surprise.

Fresh goat is a very nice alternative to lamb -- it's cheaper, lighter in color and more neutral in flavor. I cook both the same way, certainly when it comes to shanks. 4 to 6 hours in a slow cooker works well.

Peter Gamble aka "Peter the eater"

I just made a cornish game hen with chestnut stuffing. . .

Would you believe a pigeon stuffed with spam? . . .

Would you believe a rat filled with cough drops?

Moe Sizlack

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Not to be prudish, but am I the only person who thinks this is a creepy idea? Are you planning to tell them before they eat it or after?

Are you expecting your friends to think you yourself killed it? If so, that would be a mountain lion (cougar), since that's the only type of panther in the continental US as far as I know. It's not legal, by the way, to kill a mountain lion. They are protected. I assume that it is equally illegal to export dead leopard (old world) or jaguars (So. America.)

If you expect them to believe you, then it's one way of finding out just how dumb your friends really are.

Actually it is quite legal to hunt mountain lion in a few western states, when I was in AZ javelina hunting they were giving out free lion tags because they feel the population has grown too much.

I recall reading that the Lewis & Clark expedition ate up to 9lbs of meat per man, per day. Mountain lion was one of their favorites.

I myself have had bobcat "balsamic" stew a few times at a local game dinner, the meat is quite similar to good pork, one of my favorites. I think if you gt a piece of well marbled pork and cut it into chunks you wouldn't be far off.

My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income.

- Errol Flynn

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Nittany Lion probably tastes about the same :biggrin:

I think goat is your best bet for relatively easily available and not easily identifiable taste.

Mutton could work too. I once made Dahl sheep chili that was pretty good for bush food.

It's almost never bad to feed someone.

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Nittany Lion probably tastes about the same  :biggrin:

I think goat is your best bet for relatively easily available and not easily identifiable taste.

Mutton could work too.  I once made Dahl sheep chili that was pretty good for bush food.

Haresfur,

Nittany Lion will taste really good on September 26th! Probably as good as UNI Panther!

Scott

Edited by HawkeyeFoodie (log)
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Take a look at Exotic Meats. You may find interesting alternatives there.

Nice source... wish there was something like that in Canada. The only one I know of here is a wholesaler who does much larger minimums than I can work with.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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