Cook ground meats to an internal temperature of at least 160°F (71°C). Cook poultry breast meat to an internal temperature of at least 165°F (174°C). Use an instant-read meat thermometer to ensure that all meats have reached the proper internal temperature. Most wild game meats, such as venison and duck, have an intense flavor when served over medium cooked or undercooked heat, while lighter meats, such as wild pork, should be pickled because they have to be cooked at 160 degrees.
A meat thermometer is an essential tool for cooking wild game to perfection. But, like all meats, it will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat. Take it out of the pan at approximately 135 degrees to avoid overcooking. To cook at a high temperature, choose a roast that is between 2 and 5 inches thick, or a thinner piece that you can roll up and tie.
First, brown the meat in hot fat and then roast it in a hot oven (400 and 450 degrees). At these high temperatures, roasts should only be cooked on a rare to medium basis. If cooked properly, they dry out and shrink. And it is necessary for medium-tender cuts such as the round bottom and the round eye, which need longer cooking to ensure its tenderness.
They wanted everyone to leave well-nourished and with a full belly, and to never raise their noses in the face of wild game. I've been perfecting wild game cuisine over the past few years, so today I'll explain everything you need to know about cooking wild meat. It's also potentially the main reason why non-hunters turn their noses to wild game, since they've been fooled by their taste buds. Cooling wild game to below 40°F as quickly as possible will slow the growth of bacteria and prevent meat from spoiling.
Unless you've eaten mostly wild game meat all your life, your taste buds are keen to think that grain-fed animals taste better. The recipes and step-by-step instructions in Teresa Marrone's Dressing & Cooking Wild Game (Voyageur Press, 201) will guarantee tasty dishes after each hunting expedition, from properly dressing up your game in the field to choosing the preparation that best suits you. After graduating, I volunteered at the Union Gospel Mission in Spokane, where the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife frequently delivered both run over and poached game animals. No matter what type of wild game bird you are cooking, decomposing the poultry allows it to cook every part to perfection and it has less risk of the breast meat being overcooked and dry, which often happens when whole poultry is prepared.
He and his team then served wild game in traditional dishes that could feed hundreds of people in need in the community. With colder and more consistent temperatures guaranteed, hiding is the best option to prevent fat from oxidizing (and therefore spoiling the meat) and, at the same time, avoiding that dark, dry layer of “candy shell”. If poultry is your favorite game, there are a couple of additional steps you need to take to prepare the poultry before cooking them. Both hanging and aging require keeping big game at temperatures between 34° F and 38° F for a period of 7 to 14 days.
While you can age highland birds at temperatures up to 55°F, anything above 40°F is the danger zone for big game hunting. It's never been easier to get wild meat, but be sure to buy it only from reputable sellers.
