food Wild Game or Fish

JoynersHotPeppers said:
Thanks Grant, most people cook venison to death but it is so good if you treat it like a high end steak. 
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I cook all game medium rare. Otherwise you might as well grind into sausage and burger. 
 
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My version of surf & turf.  Venison loin and some striped bass I caught on friday.
 
So, from what I have noted, that actually intensifies the gaminess, right? ...
 
Somewhat contrary to what I might have guessed on my own ...
 
JoynersHotPeppers said:
I agree, wasn't going to call you out ;)
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Broke in the new Weber gas grill.  There will be a learning curve with the sear station.
 
grantmichaels said:
So, from what I have noted, that actually intensifies the gaminess, right? ...
 
Somewhat contrary to what I might have guessed on my own ...
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In my limited experience yes, and it gets real leathery.  
 
I am not expert but here is how I feel and what I know about venison....35 + years of eating it.
 
  1. Still hunting where the deer is not running has a huge effect on the tenderness overall of the muscles
  2. Cooking the loin and other parts to medium rare or medium matters
  3. Roasts are roasts so treat them as such, some require a longer cooks
Gaminess is subjective to the taste buds of the eater :)
 
JoynersHotPeppers said:
Gaminess is subjective to the taste buds of the eater :)
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From my own limited experience and what was taught to me the 'gaminess' of most game meat has to do with the kill.  A quick clean no hassle/stress kill will result in 'cleaner' tasting meat - no matter the target.  I was told it's when you miss badly and have to chase to finish that the meat gets 'gamey' because of the panic and stress the animal goes through dumping adrenaline and other hormones into the blood stream and muscle tissue.  Tasting the meat from my grandfather's buck - killed where he stood with a single shot and then comparing it with the buck that I badly like the rookie I was then chased and finished - the difference was marked to me.
 
All good points so far. A few more big factors IMO...

1. What the deer are feeding on (a deer that has been eating corn for months is going to be much better than one that has been eating evergreens).

2. Shot placement, and how the deer is field dressed. Being careful to not puncture the digestive tract, bladder, and glands is key. This is why I always butcher and process my own. When you bring a deer in to get processed, you are most likely not getting that deer back. You are getting a mix of several, especially if you are getting sausage and/or burger. I have no interest in Joe Blow's gut shot deer that he couldn't find until the next morning.

3. Removing ALL the fat makes a huge difference.


All that said, venison is not supposed to taste exactly like beef. I absolutely love it, but you can do everything right, and some people still aren't going to like it.
 
SmokenFire said:
 
From my own limited experience and what was taught to me the 'gaminess' of most game meat has to do with the kill.  A quick clean no hassle/stress kill will result in 'cleaner' tasting meat - no matter the target.  I was told it's when you miss badly and have to chase to finish that the meat gets 'gamey' because of the panic and stress the animal goes through dumping adrenaline and other hormones into the blood stream and muscle tissue.  Tasting the meat from my grandfather's buck - killed where he stood with a single shot and then comparing it with the buck that I badly like the rookie I was then chased and finished - the difference was marked to me.
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Exactly, hence my point #1. Deer run by dogs even with a perfect shot will have very tough muscles. Last year I had 4 shots and 4 kills, only 1 made it 5 yards further, rest never knew.
muskymojo said:
All good points so far. A few more big factors IMO...

All that said, venison is not supposed to taste exactly like beef. I absolutely love it, but you can do everything right, and some people still aren't going to like it.
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The only way I have been able to get people to eat it that will not otherwise is in chili. I 100% agree, some people just cannot get paste the something "new" to me taste. 
 
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