“I don’t like game meat”

[backcountry_sassn]

When I hear this, I take it as a challenge. It all starts in the field. And I know we all hear that all the time but it’s true. If I killed a beef cow, let it lay in the sun while I take pics for a couple hours, half a$$ gut it, dragged it through the dirt, load it in my truck, drove around to show my friends, left it in the garage because I’m too tired, the next day cut it up not really taking my time, then over cook it, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t taste good. Maybe if you stuff it in a jalapeño wrapped in bacon and cover in in BBQ sauce it would be fine haha.

Ive learned to love the entire process..... mainly so I can change peoples minds about game meat (I’m definitely prideful). Here’s some pics of how I view wild game cooking. I’ll make sure to post recipes on the thread in the future.

 

[Dave N]

That's art on a plate! Damn it, now I'm hungry...

 

[JohnCushman]

Amazing!!! I usually start new people out with some sort of ground meat dish. Usually chili. They can't really taste the game meat, per se, but they are getting it into their heads that they are eating it. Next I'll move to a heavily marinated steak. A little more game taste and more getting it into their heads they are eating it. Then I'll go to a lightly marinated steak. Really taste the meat more, and more of the idea that they are eating it. Then I'll go to a nicely seasoned grilled steak. Full taste of the meat. If in any of these steps they tell me they don't like it, I'll try to get the idea as to why and figure out how to counter act it. My recent ex had never had game meat, so I started this with both antelope, elk, and deer. She ended up loving the antelope and elk, but there was nothing I could do to get her to like the deer. I can accept that. She at least tried and found game meat she liked. My mom ended up loving antelope stew meat. My dad ended up liking everything he tried. My aunt even got in on it and liked elk steaks and deer chili. I think the biggest hurdle in getting someone to try game meat is getting them over the bambi complex that they were cute furry animals in the beautiful nature. I've gotten a few people to try game meat on a dare, one was a trade for me to eat tofu, and a couple bringing on camping trips and bringing game meat for meals. I have a former vegetarian friend who will only eat game meat as her red meat source. So, I guess you just have to figure the person out to start a plan to get them to try it. I will NEVER substitute game meat in a dish for store bought meat as a secret. That is one promise I've made anyone I cook for. If they decide to try game meat, I want them to give me the full consent and for them to ration out their decision. I think it is wrong and unfair to people to trick them.

 

[Bigjay73]

I'll admit, I'm not a huge deer meat fan. I get my deer broken down cleanly and cooled quickly every time, but it's not my favorite meat, probably number 9 on the list.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Like anything, training a palate to accept something different from the “norm” as being delicious can take an open mind and a little exposure.

It definitely helps if the person preparing the wild game understands the nuances of proper procedures of field care and cooking.

My palate is trained to induce salivation at the sight of this.... of

 

[Dave N]

My palate is trained to induce salivation at the sight of this....

It worked!

 

[JohnCushman]

Like anything, training a palate to accept something different from the “norm” as being delicious can take an open mind and a little exposure.

It definitely helps if the person preparing the wild game understands the nuances of proper procedures of field care and cooking.

My palate is trained to induce salivation at the sight of this....View attachment 131094 of

Is it May yet??!!

 

[nrpate05]

The main problem is everyone compares any red game meat to beef. It's simply not the same. Grass fed and finished beef is closer but it's still not there. Most of the beef in this country doesn't really taste like anything. For some reason "mild" is a compliment when discussing beef. Maybe it's the German ancestry in me but I like "robustly" flavored meat. The word "gamey" to me simply means there is flavor. It's not necessarily a good or bad thing. When giving people wild game, I try to tell them to have an open mind and not compare it to beef. It's tough though.

 

[LuketheDog]

If I killed a beef cow, let it lay in the sun while I take pics for a couple hours, half a$$ gut it, dragged it through the dirt, load it in my truck, drove around to show my friends, left it in the garage because I’m too tired, the next day cut it up not really taking my time, then over cook it, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t taste good.

Ever been to a big livestock processing plant? It ain't that appetizing! The smaller butcher shops and mobile processors are really cool, however...

 

[Arcola]

All of those dishes look delicious. Our family much prefers wild game meat. Big moose steak in the sous vide as I type this. We finally started eating from our 1/4 of beef last week and everyone was a little bummed. It's good beef, but it just doesn't compare to antelope, elk, etc.

 

[Gr8bawana]

The main problem is everyone compares any red game meat to beef. It's simply not the same. Grass fed and finished beef is closer but it's still not there. Most of the beef in this country doesn't really taste like anything. For some reason "mild" is a compliment when discussing beef. Maybe it's the German ancestry in me but I like "robustly" flavored meat. The word "gamey" to me simply means there is flavor. It's not necessarily a good or bad thing. When giving people wild game, I try to tell them to have an open mind and not compare it to beef. It's tough though.

My wife and I recently had the chance to eat some home grown beef for the first time. You can definitely tell the difference from store bought beef. I must say it was delicious!
I did notice there actually some blood in the package when it was thawed unlike store beef.
The closest kind of game I can compare it to is cow elk if cow elk had some marbling. Those of you who can get home grown beef are very fortunate.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

My wife and I recently had the chance to eat some home grown beef for the first time. You can definitely tell the difference from store bought beef. I must say it was delicious!
I did notice there actually some blood in the package when it was thawed unlike store beef.
The closest kind of game I can compare it to is cow elk if cow elk had some marbling. Those of you who can get home grown beef are very fortunate.

I grew up on a cattle ranch. I still prefer a homegrown, grain feed ribeye steak over any game meat. But game meat is still amazing if cooked right.

 

[Treeshark]

Backcountry, your plating skills are strong- if something looks really good on the plate, it always helps!

 

[backcountry_sassn]

I'll admit, I'm not a huge deer meat fan. I get my deer broken down cleanly and cooled quickly every time, but it's not my favorite meat, probably number 9 on the list.

I had a hunting friend tell me he hates mule deer meat. So I took on the challenge and grilled up some backstrap from a November killed, rutted up desert mule deer that had most of his teeth worn down. To this day he still thinks I cooked him beef. The secret is to cook it hot and too a rare-medium rare. No need to marinate or cover in a sauce. Just some seasoning salt and pepper. The other secret to melt butter on it while it cooks. Amazing!

 

[ImBillT]

while getting the animal down to 70ish degrees quickly is important, getting in a hurry to butcher it and freeze it is a mistake. All meat needs to get through rigor before you freeze it, and it will get a little milder with 3-5 days under 40 degrees. Quite a bit longer may even be better if you have the space to age it dry. I find aged and bled deer meat to be reasonably close to grass fed beef, and elk was very close. Grass fed beef definitely has a flavor that isn’t in corn finished beef.

I believe the number one factor in game tasting “gamey” is blood in the meat. Slaughtered live stock is hung and bled while the heart is still beating. A double-lung shot is a good start. Dry again, and/or brining also help get the blood out.

 

[Wildabeest]

Amazing!!! I usually start new people out with some sort of ground meat dish. Usually chili. They can't really taste the game meat, per se, but they are getting it into their heads that they are eating it. Next I'll move to a heavily marinated steak. A little more game taste and more getting it into their heads they are eating it. Then I'll go to a lightly marinated steak.

You stopped too soon John. Where’s the raw liver still warm from the kill? That’s when you’ve really converted them!

 

[JohnCushman]

while getting the animal down to 70ish degrees quickly is important, getting in a hurry to butcher it and freeze it is a mistake. All meat needs to get through rigor before you freeze it, and it will get a little milder with 3-5 days under 40 degrees. Quite a bit longer may even be better if you have the space to age it dry. I find aged and bled deer meat to be reasonably close to grass fed beef, and elk was very close. Grass fed beef definitely has a flavor that isn’t in corn finished beef.

I believe the number one factor in game tasting “gamey” is blood in the meat. Slaughtered live stock is hung and bled while the heart is still beating. A double-lung shot is a good start. Dry again, and/or brining also help get the blood out.

Another cause of gamey taste is people butchering and processing too soon. You have to let the animal go out of rigor to release the amino acids stored in the muscles from the exertion of the kill and rapid running/escape. If possible, let the animal hang and bleed out at least 24 hours before processing, and you'll have better tasting meat. If you can't hang it, then keep it in a cooler on ice, but DON'T let the meat get wet. Put some sort of plastic barrier between the meat and ice and let the meat stay dry.

 

[ImBillT]

Another cause of gamey taste is people butchering and processing too soon. You have to let the animal go out of rigor to release the amino acids stored in the muscles from the exertion of the kill and rapid running/escape. If possible, let the animal hang and bleed out at least 24 hours before processing, and you'll have better tasting meat.

I absolutely agree. I think blood in the meat has the highest potential to contribute to “gamey” flavor, but lack of aging is easily number two on the list. While I don’t think failure to age is quite as bad for flavor, it can be really sneaky, because a lot of folks who butcher their own game think that immediate butchering and freezing is actually taking care of their game. Its the main issue when it come to toughness, particularly not letting it come out of rigor before deboning.

 

[mtmuley]

Sooooo… how do you get blood out of the meat? mtmuley

 

[ImBillT]

Sooooo… how do you get blood out of the meat? mtmuley

As mentioned in the post...a double lung shot is a good start. The heart will pump a lot of blood into the chest cavity. Brining is a good assist. Any sort of soaking works, but I prefer an overnight brine, wet or dry, without water changes. It reduces the amount of blood that remains in the meat without washing out all the flavor that you can wash out with too many water changes. If the animal was double lunged and other meals from it didn’t taste or smell particularly gamey, I’ll go with a dry brine more often than not. A brine isn’t a bad idea on any piece of meat wild or otherwise. Although the salt will pull some moisture from the meat, the moisture that remains is less likely too cook out, and you’ll end up with a juicier finished product.

Also mentioned, commercially slaughtered animals are usually hung and bled(throats slit) while the heart is still beating. This reduces the amount of blood in the meat considerably, and is one of the biggest differences between commercially slaughtered meat and wild harvested meat.

Heart, head, spine, and gut shots leave a lot more blood to coagulate in the meat and usually taste more “gamey”.