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Favourite Big game..for food!

  • Whitetail deer

    Votes: 15 50.0%
  • Mule deer

    Votes: 2 6.7%
  • Elk

    Votes: 6 20.0%
  • Moose

    Votes: 8 26.7%
  • Caribou

    Votes: 2 6.7%
  • Bear

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Big Cats

    Votes: 0 0.0%

Favourite Big Game...for food!

4K views 28 replies 17 participants last post by  Widux 
#1 · (Edited)
What's your favourite big game animal to eat?
Why?
How do you cook it?
 
#2 ·
Def caribou! Marinate in half a bottle of good red wine. Drink the other half while grilling.Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill it and serve with a onion/pepper/garlic relish on the side. Oh ya, and lots of potatos.
 
#3 ·
Wel I like wild game of any type fit for eating, I think though my favorite of all is a lil exotic we have here in Texas. Axis Deer, I think it tastes better than whitetail or mule deer and seems at least to me to have a better texture as well as being a little more forgiving of over cooking. I like thick Axis steaks as well as Axis chili!!
 
#4 ·
Wel I like wild game of any type fit for eating, I think though my favorite of all is a lil exotic we have here in Texas. Axis Deer, I think it tastes better than whitetail or mule deer and seems at least to me to have a better texture as well as being a little more forgiving of over cooking. I like thick Axis steaks as well as Axis chili!!
Had to look those deer up, neat looking animal, would love to try it.

Swede, sounds delicious! even if it wasn't it probably would taste just fine considering the 1/2 bottle of wine I just drank ..
 
#7 ·
alot of gaminess is not getting them cleaned fast enough. mine are gutted within 5minutes of hitting the ground. also corn fed deer taste better than deer that live in swamps or pine forrests. make sure to cut off what little fat there is, and marinate. it will never taste like beef, but it doesnt have to taste gamey either. the key to cooking venison is to not overcook it. i dont like bloody meat, but if you overcook it, its going to be like chewing on leather.
 
#9 ·
Thanks guys, our deer are all mountain deer, we have little or no praire type areas thusly no praire crops.
I have been eating game for 30 years no prob, but my wife doesn't want to cook deer.. says she won't enjoy it anyway, so the task is up to me, the cooking then getting her to try it... hopefully I can make it tasty.
I field dress it immediatly and since our mountain air is pretty damn chilly in the fall (0-35*F), I don't think that is going to be a problem. I also shove snow in its cavity till I get home and hang it.. sound right to you boys?
What about marinades, types and length?
 
#12 · (Edited)
I prefer Mule deer to elk (but it is real close). Haven't tried the bottom four choices yet. We have always found that in addition to the tips suggested above about cleaning them good and keeping them cool that how you cut them up (process them) makes a difference in the taste. We cut out all the fat and anything that isn't red meat that we can. It takes longer but is well worth the effort in my opinion. My favorite way to cook it is to roll it in flour and just fry it. We butterfly the steaks so that they are fairly thin. Fix some mashed taters and gravy (made in the same skillet you just cooked the meat in) and ohhh ya. Good stuff.
 
#14 ·
Well, since you didnt list Dall sheep or Buffalo, Has to be Moose.
As far as Gamey goes Most hunters do not hang and age the Meat. It will always be gamey if the Meat is fresh killed and butchered or if the Animal is running and scared when shot due to the adrenaline in the meat...I hang My Moose for a Month, letting it mold all over the outside,The enzymes have to go thru the meat, when trimmed and cut , it will be moist, tender ,Juicy, and have No gamey flavor...Prime as real aged beef, which if you never experienced Real Aged beef, you don't know what you are missing.Mold on Meat outside does Not hurt a thing, It gets trimmed during butchering, like cutting off a rind...
Rich
 
#19 ·
I love deer, and you can pre-soak the meat in a little vinegar and water to reduce the gaminess taste. It has really helped me recover from CHF. What I would really love is some buffalo [Bison]. It's low in cholesterol, and high in protein. I tried some deer steaks on the grill but they came out tough, guess I cooked them too long. Going to find some Bison. Can't hunt them in Texas.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Well, since you didnt list Dall sheep or Buffalo, Has to be Moose.
As far as Gamey goes Most hunters do not hang and age the Meat. It will always be gamey if the Meat is fresh killed and butchered or if the Animal is running and scared when shot due to the adrenaline in the meat...I hang My Moose for a Month, letting it mold all over the outside,The enzymes have to go thru the meat, when trimmed and cut , it will be moist, tender ,Juicy, and have No gamey flavor...Prime as real aged beef, which if you never experienced Real Aged beef, you don't know what you are missing.Mold on Meat outside does Not hurt a thing, It gets trimmed during butchering, like cutting off a rind...
Rich
Sh*t, I knew I forgot some of the popular big game, a friend of mine just (Dec.) brought back a nice buffalo from Pink Mtn. , off the highway that leads to you Mooseman. I love bison/buffalo meat but I don't hunt for it so it slipped my mind. Dall sheep too, man what a brain fart.
We age our deer, but not every time, in the early season (Sept. 10 is the start) it is still so bloody hot here (15-25*celsius) the deer usually go straight to the shop. The late season deer we age and, yes, much better, the moose and elk are so damn tasty they seldom will get the aging process but I want to try it this '08 season.

Billy, I said "big game", don't know about where you live but our skunks and such don't take 'roids. :)
 
#23 · (Edited)
I have NEVER hung an animal. As soon as I can get it home, it is skinned and butchered and then some is cooked ASAP and the rest is put into the freezer.

I also go for Head shots on the Bigger game and try to do the same on the smaller game. Woodchucks are great before June (North country), but you must remove the glands in the front armpits ASAP or the meat turns bad. cook slow in a crock pot and it tastes like Sirlion.

This may sound like a myth but I have found that if the animal didn't instantly die, then the aderenlin and amino acids started flowing and when it does die, the meat will have a different taste. A quick swift death, from a head shot, will not allow the animal to become frighten and the meat will taste better. Just my observation over the years.

I then salt the hide with a non idoized salt and roll it up

swedesteve

I freeze my fish in a zip lock bag with some milk in it, preserves the flavor. I marinate my meat in Orange juice and REAL Maple Syrup.

They say Buffalo is the meat of all meat. I would think that means only FREE RANGE mid west buffalo and not some Buffalo grown on a 50 acre farm. I have had Buffalo jerky but never REAL Buffalo.

Most all of the wild game has ZERO Cholesterol and close to ZERO fat.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Tough to rank some of them but,
Dall sheep
Moose
Elk
Caribou
Black bear
Deer ( I rarely get to enjoy it )
I enjoy them all for sure, and as for "gaminess or fishiness" it is all in the prep, if prep is done as it should be there is no such thing ! Else it is in the mind ! I stand by that .

Well one exception is a bull caribou in rut . It can be rather STRONG.

Oh i forgot the recipe part, I have a few but I'll put this out for now as it is late.

Take a Moose, elk, deer etc roast, sear it in olive oil either coated in flour or not, ( the flour becomes a thickener later or you can use arrowroot as I prefer ) add onions of choice and minced garlic to your liking. This all done in a cast iron skillet while the oven heats to 325 F. Once the roast is seared add a can of Guinness stout or a good ale or ( the best I found for this ) a Samuel Adams cranberry lambic ( though I cant stand to drink it ) to about 1/2 " deep in the skillet. Add dried tart dark cherries, 1/4 to 1/2 cup aqnd some black pepper corns ( not sure on measurement as I am an "adlib" type cook, maybe 1tsp ).I also add some Worcestershire sauce and Hoisin sauce to this , again unsure on measurement but use your best judgement to taste, maybe a tbls each. Now you put the skillet and all in the oven and cook until medium rare approx 45min for a 1 to 2 lb roast. Keep in mind that the roast continues to cook after it is taken form the oven. Remove the roast from the skillet and set aside with foil covering it. Reduce waht is left in the skillet ( add remainder of lambic/stout/ale etc as needed ) and thicken as needed to desired consistancy. After reducing the remainder you will have a nice flavorful and bold gravy for the meat and potatoes so dish accordingly.Slice the roast and serve with potatoes, rice or pasta etc and vegies of choice.

I like sweet onions to counter the tart cherries and hops or cranberries in the beer. Also you can cover, or not, the roast as it cooks. Just be sure to monitor the liquid in the skillet.

This is really tasty once you dial it in. I like to create recipes and this is one of my favorites. As I think of more I will add them. I hope you like it !
 
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