Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Eating and cooking game.

Generally I like to cook and eat most game that I shoot, both domestic and foreign. This may pertain to BIG game but with your kind indulgence I will interject small game as well.

Things I like:

Elk
Antelope
Moose.
Hogs, wild boars.
Wild turkey.
Pheasant.
Rabbits.
Quail.
Partridge.
Wood Cock.

Things I'm not crazy about but will eat.

Mule deer.
White tail deer.
Ground hog.
Squirrels.

Things that I really don't like:

Caribou.
Canadian Geese
Oppossum.

As to African game I really don't have much experience eating even though I lived there for many years.

Can the Afrikaners shed some light on the various game shot and cooked and give an opinion.

I suppose that it is asking too much to solicit recipes but I will really appreciate personal experienced from those who are savants.

I'm kinda surprised you being from Wyoming and don't even have antelope or elk on any lists

Some of my favorites in order
1) Axis deer
2) Ling
3) Elk
4) Crappie
5) Eland
6) Nilgai

Some of my least favorites

1) Auodad
2) Duck
3) Mule Deer
4) Crawdad

Lonny:

Oops, guess I had a senior moment. I eat it all the time.

My bad. I edited to include.

Thanks

Wood Cock is not Woodcock. The later is real tasty. Someone else will have to chime in on the former.

My little problem's are that apparently I haven't mastered the art of cooking some wild game and making it tasty and palatable.

And much of my family really doesn't care much for it. Some actually REFUSE to eat it at all.

When I shoot the bigger animals and bring them home I'm stuck with most of the meat which I can't consume in reasonable time. I can't even give it all away. So I've taken to leaving 1/2 with the guide/outfitters.

My main thrust here was to elicit some suggestions/help with recipes and/or tips on how to get rid of the gamey taste.

Maybe I posted this in the wrong place.

I suspect game care in the field and camp is lacking if the meat is unpalatable. In every case of gamey taste I've personally seen, it was in different stages of rot.

With that said, if it's not to gamey, jerky, stew and chili are your friends.

Kent

Kent:

Agree.

My game is immediately processed, sent to a professional handler who cuts it and packages the same day.

From my belief the taste of game depends on a multitude of factors.

Age

Male female

Season, in heat/ testosterone

Body parts/ back strap/ tenderloin/ neck bones/ legs/ liver/ kidneys/ tongue - other.

I read about one Canada Goose recipe in American Rifleman that was so grotesque and complicated that it went to extremes with
spics, condiments and additives so extensively that it disguised the goose completely.

I'm a very basic, keep it simple - stupid person. Minimize everything - heat and serve. But it doesn't work for me with wild game that has a very strong gamey taste.

Any suggestions to suppress distaste the will be appreciated.

OK... meat care starts immediately after death, in the field, not the processor.

Here in az I've found the gameiness proportionate to how long the skin is left on. Also guides don't concern themselves much with immediate meat care and more on trophy care.

I'm not surprised with your findings.

That said...

Stew, everyone's favorite.

Cube meat after searing or sear in pan after cubing, have meat seasoned regardless. Crockpot, cut in your favorite vegetables. Mine are potatoes, onions, tomatoes, celery, carrots. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and a packet of stew mix from the grocery.

Pepper steak.

Season steaks, flour and sear in oil, turn heat down, add onion slices and cut green peppers on top, cover with lid, flip to brown both sides.

Jerky is always a good choice.

Kent

Is this what you're thinking of?

A Friendly Suggestion per African game. Consider posting that request on the African Forum.

From personal experience which sounds similar to yours so far, I/we never cared for deer UNTIL....

I learned to 'age' the meat BEFORE freezing.
IF the weather is above 32 F and below 50, I leave it hang outside 3-5 days BEFORE cutting and freezing.


IF the weather is above 50 F or BELOW 32 F, I cut it up and keep it in COOLERS, with ice & water, but NOT frozen 3-5 days.

It's AMAZING what aging will do for the flavor and tenderness of meat.


As Far As I Know (AFAIK) all beef that is sold in stores or to restaurants is AGED, sometimes for much longer than 3-5 days.


It's very important to keep it COLD w/o being frozen.

My friends and I process all our own game. We always get our deer dressed out and quartered and the meat on ice with lots of salt within a couple hours. At that point we do nothing but add more ice and salt for at least 7 days, sometimes 10. This seems to do a great job getting all the blood, and gamey flavor, out of the meat. I used to not care for wild game until I was taught to do it this way. I've had many people who have never cared for deer meat eat compliment on the quality of the meat prepared this way and the lack of gamey flavor.

Looks like jwall and I had the same thoughts and were typing at the same time. Wild game quality is determined by what you do BEFORE the meat ever goes in the freezer.

Soak it in milk overnight before cooking. It neutralizes a lot of the "gamey" flavor.

ABSOLUTELY !

I don't know about great minds........<G>

but experience is the best teacher.

Thanks all:

Very helpful and plausible suggestions.

Soaking in milk:

It definitely works with bluefish.

Salting and ageing:

I have a big chain store not far way that dry ages beef 30 days. It is excellent. My son says it is by far the best he has ever tasted. But - he says don't do anything to it - just cook and eat. Don't spoil it with additives. They just have a big glass case at room temperature but it may have some ventilation. It does not spoil but the outer crust gets cut off. It shrinks quite a bit and sells for $30 per pound.

I've tried various marinades too. All of the store bought were a big disappointment and sat in my frig for months. Fresh lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire seemed to work best.

Based on the input I'm changing my approach to handling.

Much appreciated help.

You might consider the results of what you are shooting on it's palatability too. A young tender fawn is always better eating than an old buck in rut.

I killed a very old doe a couple years ago that I turned everything but for a little bit of jerky and the back straps into hamburger. I don't know for sure, but My best guess was that she was past ten. I've only ever had one big buck that was good eating. Some are just good for stew/grind meat. I've never had a bad yearling/fawn in 60 years though.

Great stuff jwall, and I could not agree more.

Antelope has been some of my best and worst eating.Young elk tops the list, but a 12 year old bull or cow a can be tasty ,but very chewy to say the least.

Rocky Mountain Big Horn is another that can be the best or worst.

Deer either muley or whitetail that live in the corn fields in eastern Colorado are very good table fare.Sage brush and osk brush fed , som eof the worst. The corn fed deer go itno the fields when the corn is 2-3 feet high and don't come out until the corn is cut. Most of the time if it is irrigated corn in a pivot circle,there is enough water leaking out at the well head to get them by.

I don't hunt geese or ducks as they usually taste like mud.

Cooking ,I very seldom use more than salt/pepper nd ground sage,unles I am making a pot roast. I don't
get soaking the meat in milk or marinade.

My experience is limited to primarily coastal blacktail where sage and acorns are present so may not be applicable to other areas but here is what I try to do after the game is down.
First get it skinned ASAP. Hang it until it cools, usually overnight. I take mine to a local processor and they usually hang it for 2-3 weeks. I have been told that hanging deer does not make a difference as they don't have the same enzymes as beef but this works for me.
When ready to cook, make sure all fat and any meat exposed during the hanging process is cut off. You want only lean red meat, no grey or browned edges. I usually BBQ and marinade in balsamic vinegar, a little olive oil and garlic at least 4 hours but up to a day or so.
BBQ on a hot fire very quickly 3-4min per side for a 1 inch steak. It has to be rare, if it isn't, it will be tough and dry.
This works with our local deer and it still tastes like deer but the balsamic gives it a sweet flavor and there is no gamey taste whatsoever.
AS far as meat in Africa, my experience has been that it is cooked with all kinds of sauces and curry and it is more about the cook than the meat.

I don't know about deer enzymes but here's a little experiment that won't cost you anything.


Cut off a chunk of deer and FREEZE it ASAP. Later, no matter how much longer, cook it. You'll TASTE a diff.


The aging does 2 things.
A. allows blood to drain, evaporate, or dry out of the meat. IMO the blood gives that 'gamey' taste.

B. When not frozen, the muscle tissue breaks down and the meat will be more tender.


I began deer hunting in 1972 and didn't learn about aging till 1981. My and my whole family's attitude changed for the better about eating venison. I've gotten friends and fellow hunters to JUST TRY it and EVERY one of them prefer it.