[Sca-cooks] Game meats- was Big Eggs

[Philippa Alderton]

Mina and Adamantius are discussing game meats, and at
the beginning of this thread, Mina had mentioned that
ALL game meats should be cooked to well done.

This is incorrect, at least in North America. Venison,
duck, and goose, all wild, are at their personal best
when rare, connective tissue from older animals being
an exception, as Adamantius sez. Pheasant MUST either
be larded or barded and cooked rare, or wet-cooked-
it's just simply too dry a meat to withstand long dry
cooking. Most grouse, doves, and other small game
birds are similar.

For what it's worth, ostrich and American Bison are
now farmed in the US- both are good rare.

Now, there are some meats which DO need to be cooked
well-done, but there are specific reasons for that,
also.

Groundhog/woodchuck tends to require long, wet cooking
because of the density of their tissues. Young
groundhog can be cooked much less, but is at it's best
when "properly" barbecued (NOT grilled). Squirrel, by
its nature, is awfully bony, with a zillion little
tiny bones, so it's usually at its best as a gravy
base, or in a soup base with dumplings- the longish
slow cooking helps the meat separate from the bones.

Rabbit can be cooked using any chicken recipe, as long
as having skin is not an issue, but MUST!!!!!!!!!!!!
be either domestic, or ONLY!! ONLY!!!! ONLY!!!!
harvested after the first frost, or before the last
one. The reason here is a disease endemic and COMMON
to wild rabbits, which will infect humans with a lot
of obnoxious symptoms if acquired from contact with
the blood. DO NOT poach rabbit out of season- go buy
one, if you feel a rabbit munchie coming on in the
summertime.

Bear meat IS subject to trichinosis, and thus MUST be
cooked thoroughly. Bears are omnivores, folks, and
although I hear it tastes best rare, you're taking a
high risk cooking it that way. I suggest Bear cooked
in pastry- he'll likely give you a recipe ;-)

Phlip

=====
Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....

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