Wild Game

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!

Replies

  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,511 Member
    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!
  • BotanyNerd
    BotanyNerd Posts: 38 Member
    I realized I should have posted in the recipe forum 😅😂 dang that’s an old turkey 😂
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,646 Member
    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?
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,511 Member
    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
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
    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 😜
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,511 Member
    Dogmom1978 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
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    My husband used to grouse hunt, but hasn’t for years. The only way I fixed it was braised in white wine.
  • 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?
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,344 Member
    What the heck is a Chukar?

    I’ve heard of eating possums and squirrels and gator, but that’s a new one on me.

    This makes me think of the Top Gear visit time Florida and Alabama, where they had the roadkill menu. ( I’m sure your wild game is much nicer than that, OP.)
  • BotanyNerd
    BotanyNerd Posts: 38 Member
    Haha I love Top Gear, but our wild game was hunted not roadkill 😂 Chukar is a partridge, it’s larger than a quail but smaller than grouse.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,553 Member
    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.
  • mytyglotz
    mytyglotz Posts: 1,804 Member
    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!! :D
    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. B)
  • BotanyNerd
    BotanyNerd Posts: 38 Member
    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 my gosh thank you very much! I can’t wait to give them a try.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    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.
  • I thought this was going to be a naughty forum game from the title of the thread!