Wild Game Birds Processing and Cooking

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Buckytom, no offence taken...

Could you carry on, or post something on the bluefish/shark cooking method?

I can't seem to get that meat to come out worth....well, "peanuts"?

Thanks in advance!

Lifter
 
Having had the experience of hunting wild duck, goose, partridge and grouse, its ineresting just "what" people do with the meat so "harvested"...

Lifter: A rich wine, mushroom & pearl onion sauce makes this dish true dinner-party fare. This sauce cries for crusty bread at the table so as not to lose a drop of its savor! I have served this meal with steamed carrots, white turnips, and broccoli florets; followed with a Boston lettuce salad dressed by a light lemony vinaigrette.

Partridge Bourguignonne

2 small partridges
salt & pepper
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 large garlic clove
2 Tbsp clarified butter
8 fl. oz. dry red wine (Use a wine relatively low in tannin, such as Côtes du Rhône)
8 fl. oz. chicken stock
1 tsp tomato paste
¼ tsp salt
pinch of pepper
2 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
1 5-inch rib celery
3 strips bacon
¼ lb. each pearl onions & mushrooms
2 oz. unsalted butter
1 flour

French or Italian-bread croûtons, for garnish

Wipe partridges inside & out with damp cloth. Cut off necks. Season each cavity lightly with salt & pepper.; add 1 sprig thyme & ½ garlic clove per cavity; truss birds firmly.

In heavy saucepan, heat clarified butter. Dry partridges thoroughly and, over med-high heat, brown them on all sides. Turn birds breast-sides down; add wine & stock, stir in tomato paste, salt & pepper. Tie remaining sprig of thyme with parsley, bay leaf & celery, add to pan.

Bring to boil; cover, reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes. Turn bird onto backs, simmer 10 minutes longer.

Meanwhile cut bacon into pieces. In medium saucepan, boil 1-inch of water, add bacon, boil 1 minutes, then drain, leaving bacon in pan.

Peel onions, score “X” in bases. Wipe & trim mushrooms. Melt 1 oz. butter in pan with bacon; add onions & mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add to partridge; simmer, covered, 30-40 minutes, or until partridges are tender. Turn birds once or twice as they cook. Taste & adjust seasoning. Blend together the remaining butter w/ flour; whisk into sauce.

To serve: Untruss partridges and transfer to deep, warm serving dish. Spoon sauce with onions & mushrooms over & around birds; garnish with croûtons.
 
lifter, i haven't made shark in a long time because if it's not super fresh, it has that ammonia smell i can't stand.

as far as the blue fish, after soaking fillets in buttermilk, i would make a dry rub out of cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper, or use emeril's original essence, then grill the fillets over hardwood charcoal. bluefish is stinky, so the rub and smoke help the flavor.
 
venison

Hi.......

I'm new to this forum. I was looking for information on venison tallow and happened upon this site. I have a 20 year history of eating venison. I'd never tasted it until my husband and I married. We just finished processing our venison for the season. It usually takes us(my husband, myself and our 2 teenage children and our 4 year old) about 6 hours(per deer) to cut up our roasts, steaks, etc and to grind up the rest for burger. It's quite a family affair for us....we have a regular assembly line to get the deer from hoof to freezer.

We cook the venison a lot of ways.....kabobs, jerky, roasts....the ground
venison we use just like we would ground beef.
We're always on the lookout for new recipes. Think I will try the one
I saw here using kethup, garlic, brown sugar and beer. Sounds good!!!

minnesotan
 
Wild Game

Today is the start of rifle hunting deer season U.P. here in Michigan (LOL). As is always the case the guys get together and decide who gets what deer blind. Usually within a few days I have more then enough venison to last the rest of the year.

Some of my more inventive ideas for venison use have been a sauerbraten with potatoe pancakes on the side. I have cut the shanks to use as one would for Osso Bucco. I have butchered the saddle for rib chops. I "French" the chop and leave it two bones wide. I divide the hind quarters into their respective roasts (sirloin tip, bottom round, top round, etc....) The backstrap, I save to make "filets". Of course the tenderloins make great rumaki with a burnt orange marmalade glaze.

As for other game meats, I have made wild goose, wood duck, chucker
( species of partridge), racoon, squirrel, rabbit, and dove.

I have at my disposal a feather plucking device, that a friend of mine concocted. He took a 5 horsepower motor, and created a device that uses a cylindrical rubber tube with little rubber "fingers" on it. I just hold the bird over these fingers and the feathers are gently plucked off. They run down to a tube I have connected to a wet/dry vacuum. Some species of bird are harder to pluck then others. I find I have to be very careful with pheasant because those little fingers can rip the skin right off the carcass if I am not careful.

As a chef I am able to utilize many game birds for some pretty cool presentations. I roast my goose breast wrapped in bacon and slathered with butter to medium, and serve it with a merlot sauce. I will make confit from the leg/thigh, and as long as I keep it submerged in the duck fat, I can save it all year. I can make gallotines, ballotines, terraines, and pates from all sorts of game meats as well.

You know only 6 short years ago, I was totally clueless about all of this. The mere thought of shooting a "Bambi" turned me off. Now,..................You give it to me and I'll cook it. I can bone out an entire deer carcass within an hour. I taught myself how to bone out a duck without having to pluck it first...same goes for all the other birds. I know I am nothing special, but I am fascinated by it all.
 
Hey, doc, I think it's cool you've recently discoverd a walk on the "wild" side. It's another skill that is rapidly disappearing from from our collective abilities. And your friend's gizmo sounds neat. Another notch on the bow for our mechanically inclined tinkerers!
 
I fixed this for my dad the other day, I have it posted over on my board too.
Chipotle Dove

Preheat oven to 400

In a smokin hot cast iron pan add:
olive oil with,
5 strips of bacon-chopped
1/2 onion -chopped
4 green onions- chopped
1 small bell pepper -chopped
! tsp garlic, -minced


Then I added the (about 12) doves to the cast iron skillet
browned them
added
2 chopped chipotle peppers (less if you don't do hot...)
3 chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil.
salt and pepper.

When the dove are browned really good, and the vegetables are just about to burn.
add a can of chicken broth and bring up to a boil.
Cover and put in hot oven. Done in about 30 min to 45 min.

Serve over yellow grits (polenta)
 
Not a fan of wild tukey. Have you ever seen what a wild turkey eats? They eat anything and everything. Yes, even things with 4 feet, two beady eyes, and a tail.
 
buckytom said:
mmmm, that sounds good psiguyyy. how do the turkey's catch them???

Dunno. All I know is what I saw come out of a wild turkey's stomach years ago. Never ate another one since. I know it's irrational, but it's just one of those things that just sets your mind.
 
Hi Psiguyy et all...

Sorry that the "wild" turkeys will upset you on their "menu's", I guess you are going with the turkey's that are "rendered" on the forced feed lot! Guess this lets you out of ducks, geese, partridge, pheasant, etc, too?

From "personal knowledge" that even things like "milk" could taste "off" when the heifers were eating "early season"s stinkweed, well this isn't an issue today!

The "wild" stuff will indeed taste a bit "different" from the stuff on the grocer's shelves, but in my own opinion, it is well worth it...

"Wild" turkey, deer, moose, buffalo, goose, duck, partridge, et al...just literally WONDERFUL foods...

Lifter
 
OK. I'll admit it. I like the factory raised turkey. It's got lots of meat. It's tender. Tastes like I always remembered it. It's cheap.

I do hunt pheasants and I enjoy eating them. Have yet to see any furry animals in the pheasant belly.
 
(Chuckling)

Ever eat bear meat, "farm raised pork", or fish caught from a northern lake?

Those stomachs will have contents that will scare the bejeebers out of you!

Lifter

(Its all just protein!)
 
Never ate bear and have no intention to ever eat bear.

Lots of things I won't eat, even if I actually like it. For instance, I won't eat veal even though there was a time I liked it. I won't eat foie gras anymore even though I love it. I haven't eaten Beluga caviar in over two years, even though I can sit and eat a half kilo without having to come up for air (slight exageration).
 

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