3 Tips For Preparing Wild Game As An Entrée

For people who love food, eating something new and trying different recipes is part of the fun. And because a lot of people haven’t grown up eating wild game in all of its forms, trying this type of meat can be a very interesting experience. 

One of the complaints that people often have about eating wild game is that it tastes gamey and is hard to prepare properly. But with a few tricks, even you can cook wild game to taste delicious. To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for preparing wild game as an entrée. 

Handle The Meat Properly

The most important part of getting a piece of wild game that will taste delicious is in properly handling the meat. 

If you’re getting the game yourself, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t destroy the meat by hitting the animal right in the area where you’ll want to be eating the meat. This means you’ll need to be very careful when you take your shot and use your gun appropriately. Additionally, Brad Fitzpatrick, a contributor to American Hunter, shares that you’ll want to cool the meat as soon as you’ve field dressed it. You’ll also need to be very careful about not contaminating the meat with anything internal and external as you’re handling the animal. All of these things will help with the flavor of the meat. 

Consider A Brine

As you’re preparing to cook the meat, you may want to consider brining it.

According to Jamie Carlson, a contributor to Outdoor Life, using a brine on the meat can help to draw a lot of the blood out of the cut. Also, the salt that’s used in a brine can help with the flavoring of the meat. And depending on how you’re planning to cook the meat, a brine will also keep the meat more tender by allowing it to hold onto a greater portion of its moisture. 

Cook To The Right Doneness

Cooking wild game can be challenging even for the most experienced cooks. The trick here is knowing how different cuts of meat are going to be best prepared.

Eric Baker, a contributor to the Seattle Times, shares that, in general, wild game should either be cooked medium-rare or until it’s so tender that it falls apart. As most wild game gets cooked more and more well-done, it will also start to taste gamier. So if you’re wanting to avoid this, make sure you know what cut you’re working with and which doneness you should be aiming for. 

If you’re wanting to have wild game as the main portion of your meal, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you in properly preparing it.