Wild Game

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

KickassAmazon76 wrote: »

This is totally not what I was expecting. 🤣

Sorry, can't help. The wildest game I have is the 8yo turkey I found at the bottom of my freezer last week!

Haha are you gonna cook that this year?

Well... I seriously debated on trying it just for the hell of it... But no, I decided to release it into the wild. Haha

I draw the line around 3yrs.😂

Dogmom1978 wrote: »

KickassAmazon76 wrote: »

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

KickassAmazon76 wrote: »

This is totally not what I was expecting. 🤣

Sorry, can't help. The wildest game I have is the 8yo turkey I found at the bottom of my freezer last week!

Haha are you gonna cook that this year?

Well... I seriously debated on trying it just for the hell of it... But no, I decided to release it into the wild. Haha

I draw the line around 3yrs.😂

I have no time limit except “how freezer burned is this?” If it’s so freezer burned that it becomes unrecognizable, then I release it into the wild 😜

The expiry said... 09 JAN 02...

So it could theoretically have been older than both of my teenagers... And that just seemed... Wrong! Hahahaha

KickassAmazon76 wrote: »

This is totally not what I was expecting. 🤣

Sorry, can't help. The wildest game I have is the 8yo turkey I found at the bottom of my freezer last week!

Me either. Do I get a participation trophy for being here though?

acpgee wrote: »

I only have experience with grouse and would roast it until it reaches an internal temperature of 60C to 70C depending on whether you want it medium rare or well done. When it is about 5 degrees away from desired temperature I like to coat with a half and half mixture of honey and mustard and let that caramelize the last few minutes in the oven.

I've never had squirrel but would probably treat it like rabbit. The classic thing to do there is braised in red wine spiked with vinegar and sugar until tender. The acidic braise will help with tenderizing. Google hasenpfefer recipes for ideas.

Oh, thank goodness someone has offered an actually-constructive response!!
I was feeling kind of poorly that I couldn't give two cents about "wild game".
Anyway, I thank you for the Original Poster (but I esteem she'll do so herself when she can )
*Now I have at last some idea what I can do when (if) I ever have grouse or squirrel.

BotanyNerd wrote: »

Hi all! My freezer is packed with a wide variety of game. Currently seeking out recipes for grouse, dove (please don’t suggest poppers 😆), Chukar and squirrel. Thanks in advance!

I'm vegetarian, so it's been a while (my late husband was a hunter, so I've team-cooked it, and I grew up with some game in my intake).

Squirrel is better IMO in hearty preparations: Stews, pot pies, that sort of thing, with hearty veggies (parsnips, rutabega, cabbage/brussels sprouts and whatnot. Maybe a hearty tomato sauce? One of my friends made squirrel cacciatore, and folks seemed to like that. I'd consider it in something like lasagna (ground or cut small), too, with a hearty sauce.

The wild fowl can be nice with fruit: Stuffing with fruit, if large enough, or a fruit sauce. I've lost track of which birds are fattier, but if very lean, consider bacon wrap (or butter under skin) for flavor, though it obvs adds calories big time. Otherwise, if sweet-ish meat, fruit, maybe some vinegar in the sauce.

We don't have chukar here (at least not by that name), but I'd consider that in the same category as other game birds. If fatty, consider acidic adds. If tending to be lean/dry, consider fatty adds. If sweet, consider acids/fruits. And so forth.