My mother tended to cook three types of flesh...pork, beef, and chicken. Occasionally, fish was thrown in. When asked why we couldn't try a different type of food animal, her answer was always the same. "Its gamey."
I even tried pressing her...what does gamey mean exactly? Her answer was always as confusing as the term "Gamey." My grandparents, living on the edge of civilization their entire lives, were probably more adventurous...but grandpa was a stock man, and a successful one at that. Beef, chicken, and pork (yes, he raised all three at the same time) were always available, so why eat rabbit if you don't have to?
As a teen and young adult, I became more exploratory with meats. Yes, I'll try anything once. Its a good thing that hubby is as willing to explore the various types of meat as well. We've had a wide variety of meats, including the really odd ones like alligator.
As long as it was cooked right, we loved them all. Well, okay...the frogs legs left a little something to be desired, but...well, you get the point.
Precaution: Buffalo cannot be put in the catagory of "gamey". Buffalo should be treated the same as beef, except that you would probably want it a little more rare than you are use to with beef...if you prefer well done, try medium well.
Game meat can be used exactly like the meat that most resembles it. (Rabbit and other similar little guys tend to be fixed much like we do chicken.) The only problem is that game meat has no fat. I accidentally cooked some venison incorrectly...it was dry, tough, and tasteless. GAMEY! I knew immedietly what I had done...I tried to cook it like ground beef instead of ground venison. Still, I didn't throw out that pound of ground venison...instead, I kept it and threw it into a stew the next day. By that evening, the meat had become delicious.
Even restaurants sometimes make the mistake of mis-cooking something. Our first foray into alligator, it was sweet, tender, and delicious. Of course, that was in a swamp in the middle of Florida. These folks knew what they were doing, and had probably done it since the days the Spaniards were looking for the Fountain of Youth. Our next foray was a restaurant nearby. They had fried it the same as gizzards...and while it was tastey, it was tough as the devil. It was an insult to the alligator. They should have stuck with the local fare...buffalo and venison.
So, there is the trick...anything "gamey" needs to be cooked low and slow. Stewed and crock-pot-souped are the best ways to go, but that doesn't mean you can't roast it. Just take your time, and use a gentler heat. For ground meats, I highly suggest browning it, then throw in a cup of water and allow it to "stew" for a time before continuing with the recipe.
Of all the game meats, opossum is probably the one I recommend the least. It resembles a very greasy turkey. Still, if you are hungry...well, you are hungry, and a greasy turkey is better than no turkey.
Just remember, low and slow, stewing is the best. Until then...happy hunting!
I even tried pressing her...what does gamey mean exactly? Her answer was always as confusing as the term "Gamey." My grandparents, living on the edge of civilization their entire lives, were probably more adventurous...but grandpa was a stock man, and a successful one at that. Beef, chicken, and pork (yes, he raised all three at the same time) were always available, so why eat rabbit if you don't have to?
As a teen and young adult, I became more exploratory with meats. Yes, I'll try anything once. Its a good thing that hubby is as willing to explore the various types of meat as well. We've had a wide variety of meats, including the really odd ones like alligator.
As long as it was cooked right, we loved them all. Well, okay...the frogs legs left a little something to be desired, but...well, you get the point.
Precaution: Buffalo cannot be put in the catagory of "gamey". Buffalo should be treated the same as beef, except that you would probably want it a little more rare than you are use to with beef...if you prefer well done, try medium well.
Game meat can be used exactly like the meat that most resembles it. (Rabbit and other similar little guys tend to be fixed much like we do chicken.) The only problem is that game meat has no fat. I accidentally cooked some venison incorrectly...it was dry, tough, and tasteless. GAMEY! I knew immedietly what I had done...I tried to cook it like ground beef instead of ground venison. Still, I didn't throw out that pound of ground venison...instead, I kept it and threw it into a stew the next day. By that evening, the meat had become delicious.
Even restaurants sometimes make the mistake of mis-cooking something. Our first foray into alligator, it was sweet, tender, and delicious. Of course, that was in a swamp in the middle of Florida. These folks knew what they were doing, and had probably done it since the days the Spaniards were looking for the Fountain of Youth. Our next foray was a restaurant nearby. They had fried it the same as gizzards...and while it was tastey, it was tough as the devil. It was an insult to the alligator. They should have stuck with the local fare...buffalo and venison.
So, there is the trick...anything "gamey" needs to be cooked low and slow. Stewed and crock-pot-souped are the best ways to go, but that doesn't mean you can't roast it. Just take your time, and use a gentler heat. For ground meats, I highly suggest browning it, then throw in a cup of water and allow it to "stew" for a time before continuing with the recipe.
Of all the game meats, opossum is probably the one I recommend the least. It resembles a very greasy turkey. Still, if you are hungry...well, you are hungry, and a greasy turkey is better than no turkey.
Just remember, low and slow, stewing is the best. Until then...happy hunting!
(This post was inspired by another blog, which mentioned hunting dogs and cats wtshtf. I imagine that dogs and cats should be similar to game meat...I personally wouldn't know.)
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