I'm ready to branch out in MEAT and would like suggestions.

jerber160

I've never even cooked a capon. or quail.. or anything 'unusual'. In fact i've never roasted a whole chicken. I guess you just do it like a turkey? i have a terrific specialty store near me - lots of their exotics are frozen but I think I'd like to try. a quail is listed as 113 calories in data base. I t hink they have pheasant? ostrich? any suggestions on where to start.

sunnyside1213

One word. Bacon.

AllTehBeers

I've tried all kinds of different meat, and honestly, I don't care much for them. squirrel, duck, pheasant, rabbit, it all just tastes like wild animals. My uncle made kick @ss awesome deer jerky and sausage but other wise, I'll stick with chicken.

jerber160

One word. Bacon.

stop that! bacon is just weird. there are bacon band aids and bacon xmas ornaments and bacon scented soap. I saw pictures of thanksgiving turkeys wrapped in bacon. that much bacon is WEIRD... and this is a diet site peeps... OYE. 130 cals for 3 crispy lil strips.. I mean I love bacon but not in bulk....

jerber160

I've tried all kinds of different meat, and honestly, I don't care much for them. squirrel, duck, pheasant, rabbit, it all just tastes like wild animals. My uncle made kick @ss awesome deer jerky and sausage but other wise, I'll stick with chicken.

i did a rabbit once.. it bombed.. but I'd be willing to try again....i think i tried something foofoo instead of just dejoining it and roasting the thing (is that the right word? breaking things apart at the joints?)

bathsheba_c

I'm a huge fan of bison, especially cooked like a roast beef. Venison is pretty okay as a stew. That's about as exotic as I've gotten.

LittleMissNerdy

I've had boar, bison & venison. I've loved them all! But just like with anything else, it comes down to how you cook it, what cut, ect. The tenderloin from a deer can be AMAZING if prepared right.

JaceyMarieS

Elk is amazing - better than beef. Bison is also quite good. I like venison backstraps/tenderloins - they rival filet mignon - but we grind the rest of the deer into ground meat

Pheasant is very good, but can be very dry. Bacon is actually an excellent idea - I wrap my birds in bacon and put them on a rotisserie. braising is also an option.

I'm not a fan of squirrel or rabbit, and find bear, duck and goose too greasy.

vanguardfitness

Alligator tastes like chicken. Lamb is pretty good but only if it's seasoned well. Try to find an arab restaurant for lamb meat

thescrumisfun

Bison! Nomnomnom. Duck is good as well, but can be a little fatty.

jerber160

Alligator tastes like chicken. Lamb is pretty good but only if it's seasoned well. Try to find an arab restaurant for lamb meat

I've only had alligator once, in a restaurant in new orleans and it wasn't all that. it was breaded and deep friends and BOOORINNGGGG> I've never tried to cook it. Lamb is luscious.. we have it for easter... or yes,, middle eastern restaurants, but easter is the best..

Firefox7275

I've never even cooked a capon. or quail.. or anything 'unusual'. In fact i've never roasted a whole chicken. I guess you just do it like a turkey? i have a terrific specialty store near me - lots of their exotics are frozen but I think I'd like to try. a quail is listed as 113 calories in data base. I t hink they have pheasant? ostrich? any suggestions on where to start.

Many game meats are lean, tough and strong flavoured so taste best stewed/ casseroled/ slow cooked. Farmed birds are tender partly because they do little exercise. Ask in the store which is the least game-y and the easiest to cook, start with something easy or you may get disheartened. They should know their stock well. Fruit is good cooked with many game meats.

jerber160

I've never even cooked a capon. or quail.. or anything 'unusual'. In fact i've never roasted a whole chicken. I guess you just do it like a turkey? i have a terrific specialty store near me - lots of their exotics are frozen but I think I'd like to try. a quail is listed as 113 calories in data base. I t hink they have pheasant? ostrich? any suggestions on where to start.

Many game meats are lean, tough and strong flavoured so taste best stewed/ casseroled/ slow cooked. Farmed birds are tender partly because they do little exercise. Ask in the store which is the least game-y and the easiest to cook, start with something easy or you may get disheartened. They should know their stock well. Fruit is good cooked with many game meats.

thank you... fruit? as in glaze, or stuffing inside birds or rolled inside?

jmc0806

Bison, buffalo, lamb are all good. I tried impala and that was pretty good but probably hard to get...

When I had crocodile it tasted like ham...

PaulaDygert

My husband and his friends do a lot of hunting so we have a lot of game food tonight we had deer tacos, look up ways to cook it online. That is what I do. We just got a smoker and it is awesome!!! Bacon does take out the game taste and we use it a lot for deer roast and deer loins but I don't eat the bacon... Also we have used apple juice to baste it with lots of ways to cook it.

autovatic

I've had any number of game meats over time, and I really like many of them. For rabbit, I make it braised in red wine.

I would say that the key to "exotic" meats is to know their provenance and source them locally, if you can. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but a lot of farms are trying their hand at unusual livestock like bison and elk, and they will taste much, much better than something shipped and frozen from who knows where.

jerber160

hmm old thread but i recently had wild boar ravioli. it killed me. beyond good. mmmmI didn't make it tho...local restaurant. and since this thread I've had some really tender, nice alligator. I also found the capon to be stupid.

Sandcastles61

The key to these lean wild animals is low and slow on the heat. You should also use some type of braising liquid to keep them moist if you are roasting, or cook on the stove in a sauce .... The correct herbs for each meat is crucial. We love quail, rabbit, venison, elk, antelope and bison. Pheasant is good but has a funky color LOL. Berry sauces go great over top of roasted. Enjoy your continued experiment

Alatariel75

Kangaroo is delicious, lean and versatile. Don't know your chances of getting your hands on any though!

dougpconnell219

I had rattlesnake once. Kinda like fish. Bad fish.

jenglish712

I've only ever had wild pheasant... which a little dark and gamey. I haven't made it in years but I think last time I stuffed it with onions and oranges and baked it in a sweet citrus juice. You have to be a bit heavier handed with many game meats.

tempehforever

I'm also hoping to start trying new kinds of meat! I'm into this thread.

Definitely practice roasting a whole chicken--its actually much easier and quicker than you'd think, and makes for wonderful leftovers (plus you can save the bones for stock!). Seriously, it's easy enough to do weekly. I stock up on quality whole chickens when they go on sale at Whole Foods (or occasionally I can get them from a farmer I know) and freeze them.

One less common cut of meat I've been meaning try is oxtail (the poor man's short rib, it seems?). I've been looking at recipes for wine braised oxtail ragu that sound amazing. Not a low calorie food, though, but I'm excited to try it as a treat. Over polenta. YUM.

I've cooked rabbit and found it very difficult to cook correctly. It might be easier to keep the meat from getting tough if you cook it in a stew? Pretty much anything is good in a stew, haha.

Things I've never prepared myself but found delicious: venison, pig's foot, pig's ear, bison, and goat (middle eastern recipes are great for goat).

Not delicious: pigeon and snake. Don't recommend.

jerber160

tempehforever wrote: »

I'm also hoping to start trying new kinds of meat! I'm into this thread.

Definitely practice roasting a whole chicken--its actually much easier and quicker than you'd think, and makes for wonderful leftovers (plus you can save the bones for stock!). Seriously, it's easy enough to do weekly. I stock up on quality whole chickens when they go on sale at Whole Foods (or occasionally I can get them from a farmer I know) and freeze them.

One less common cut of meat I've been meaning try is oxtail (the poor man's short rib, it seems?). I've been looking at recipes for wine braised oxtail ragu that sound amazing. Not a low calorie food, though, but I'm excited to try it as a treat. Over polenta. YUM.

I've cooked rabbit and found it very difficult to cook correctly. It might be easier to keep the meat from getting tough if you cook it in a stew? Pretty much anything is good in a stew, haha.

Things I've never prepared myself but found delicious: venison, pig's foot, pig's ear, bison, and goat (middle eastern recipes are great for goat).

Not delicious: pigeon and snake. Don't recommend.

oxtail= jamaican.. same with goat.. rabbit stew.. mmm with fennel? hmmmm