Cooking Wild game

Below if a ramble about my experience with wild game from ask the chefs at Myrtle Beach 911 page. Hope it helps some frustrated hunter!

BigEd,
I was an avid hunter in a former life (or really former location), and hosted annual game dinners where all of my hunting friends cleaned out their freezers and we did a 10 course dinner. I have been trying to get into it more but have trouble finding somewhere to hunt. Anyway, here are my thoughts.

The quality of the game is greatly impacted by how it is handled in the field. This means field dressing game ASAP and cooling down the mat. Bags of ice can be placed in the body cavity of animals to cool down quicker.

Venison works well with marinades, spices and sweet fruit components. I like spice rubs and crusts, sometimes I will buy a pre made or mix one from spices in my cabinet. Chili pepper, onion powder, cumin, garlic, ground mustard (just a little), ground cloves, paprika, cayenne, etc. work well. Marinade can be as simple as balsamic vinegar, red wine, and soy sauce. I also use prepared marinades if in a hurry. Fruit works well, cherry, blueberries, plum, peach, and apricot. I use prepared jams and jellies, to make a sauce, you can add pan juices, wine, or a little vinegar gives a nice acidic kick.

Turkey needs brine in my opinion. You can find a recipe on my web site, www.chefkurt.com. I like to roast with butter and fresh herbs rubbed into the skin or tucked under, and the cavity stuffed with aromatics cut into large chunks, onion, celery, oranges, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, apples, etc.

Duck is one of the tougher ones because it tastes like what it eats. I have cooked ducks that actually taste la little like fish! I like to brine or soak in milk or buttermilk, both of which will take some of the gaminess out. Roast or grill, braise, or confit the legs for a beautiful duck.

Some other random thoughts;
Bear meat I braised in a spicy tomato broth and served with whit beans
Elk I grilled and served with a blueberry sauce
Caribou I grilled and sliced
Conch I sliced thin, dipped in egg and sautéed very quickly, served with a piccata type sauce
Goose I cut into cutlets, breaded, and pan fried, with served with sauce Robert (veal stock with chopped cornichon, vinegar, and mustard)Squirrel stew!
Quail I stir fried recently with great success, soy peanut sauce. I also braised and picked the meat from the bones and made a creole rice dish with it.
Wild boar can be tricky; I brined then smoked for 8 hours, served with homemade BBQ sauce
Ground meat is always good for chili, burgers, meatballs (try soaking the crumbs in milk for a moister meatball), lasagna, etc.

Hope this helps, and I would take any meat you want to pass along, even squirrel! Or any hunting location or club tips.
Ciao,Chef Kurt

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everybody. A few of my resolutions;

Learn – I resolve to learn as much as I can about new products and techniques that I come across this year. The more knowledge, the better we can use what we have learned.

Think – I resolve to think about my actions in an environmentally friendly realm. I will strive to recycle, buy locally, support sustainability, control use of water and gas as much as possible

Smile – I resolve to celebrate the joy that life brings daily and to keep things in perspective.

Be Healthy – I resolve to eat well, which to me does not mean no fat or butter, but does mean cooking fresh, honest food and eating a variety of foods including lots of fresh local vegetables and fruits. I resolve to exercise, take walks, and live well.

Cook Well – I resolve to be thoughtful and exact in everything I cook and teach others to cook, striving to be the best I can be every day.

Hope all your resolutions help you to be a better person, and that you achieve everything you set out to achieve. Have a great year!