Different options for dealing with gamey meat? - Edited

H Wally

H Wally

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Asking this in relation to all gamey meat - we're talking the unusually strong or sharp tasting meat over the usual wild taste. At this stage I'm discounting field dressing of the animal as a factor, so the question is focused on methods of reducing unwanted smell/taste in the meat after butchering.

What do you do to reduce the smell/taste in the meat?

Things I've read so far.

- Hanging for extended periods

- Soaking in:
Dairy/yogurt
Salt Brine
Vinegar; Water/Lemon

- Pressure cooking

What've you found that works?


Edit - was staying ambivalent on the animal since I'm willing to mix and match methods, and am curious for solutions across species. In this case it's a pair of odd smelling/tasting grouse... meat smells almost exactly like wet dog. Way different than the usual taste/smell which I like... these smell exactly like an old long coated golden retriever that hasn't had a bath in a couple of years and has been out rolling in wet leaves. Birds were breasted out in the field, weather was cold so no issues with spoiling/contamination.

I suspect the cause to be snowberries - they've got a similar smell when crushed and the birds' crops were full of snowberries and snowberry leaves, so that would be a logical explanation. I'll have to get some birds feeding in heather or a different forest type and compare them - these're the first Alberta birds I've eaten so still figuring it out.
 
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You mention the field dressing not being suspect, but I have to ask if the meat is boned out and trimmed of all fat? Was the kill bled out good as in a heart/lung shot as opposed to a head shot? I only ask this as I've had game meat from others that was either only fit for the dogs, or decent enough, but turned lousy in the freezer due to bone and fat. Deer chops that were good in December were no good for my plate in 5 months.

And the one deer I head shot was very strong tasting, which I'm guessing was the blood?

I soak prairie chicken or rabbits in salt water for a bit, but I never have had to soak venison in anything to mask its flavor.

edit to add: I recall the head shot deer being stronger tasting, and made some good roasts in the oven. Roaster pan, veggies, water, bullion etc. Those meat brine injectors worked great to flavor up the roast as well.
 
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Hamburger. By the time you make tomato based sauces, tacos, etc., the seasonings should cover the gamey taste.
 
Dont shoot then during the rut is always a good start.
Second is Get rid of the Tarsal Glands and when doing so use a second sharp knife with a second pair of disposable gloves.
Do not sue the same ones for gutting and cutting after removing the Tarsal Glands.
Rob
 
Thanks for the comments guys - in this case it's grouse I'm talking about, but have had one experience with a terrible tasting buck, so I'm open to all ideas. With deer I've got the process pretty nailed down, so I'm mostly trying to figure out how to make the odd animal edible, as it's a darn shame to not want to eat an animal and have a pile of smelly meat to suffer through :p
 
H Wally said:
Thanks for the comments guys - in this case it's grouse I'm talking about, but have had one experience with a terrible tasting buck, so I'm open to all ideas. With deer I've got the process pretty nailed down, so I'm mostly trying to figure out how to make the odd animal edible, as it's a darn shame to not want to eat an animal and have a pile of smelly meat to suffer through :p
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There's one grouse that's supposed to be poor eating, spruce grouse? Is that what you're dealing with? Sounds like it's nothing on your end if you breasted out in cool weather.

I'd try a soak in salt water, and then a juicy marinade. We used to get some kind of tangy lemon marinade at Safeway grocery store. That, and some feta on top is great for chicken breast and grouse.
 
IF required:Soak the bone-in grouse breast in cold water and backing soda.

I find that the same species of animal can have a different taste, based on it's diet, as dictated by where it lives.

Here in NS, you can harvest a whitetail deer or ruffed grouse that has spent it's life in the forest. It will taste different than one that lives around old farm fields, that eats apples.

Many years ago, my "bonehead" stepfather shot a spruce grouse (illegal here). (So as not to waste it) I cleaned it, took the breast home and ate it . The meat was dark, but tasted the same as a ruffed grouse from the same forest.

A friend gave me some venison from a doe that he fed squash, last fall. It had a unique, but not unpleasant taste.

I stopped removing tarsal glands, in the woods, a long time ago. I simply don't touch them.

Once my deer is hanging, with everything trimmed out inside (edge of diaphragm, kidney fat, etc.) and the bladder and pooper removed and the pelvic bone sawed through (yep, I do that after the deer is hanging, as taught to me by my hunting mentor (not my Dad), many years ago.....if you want details, just ask), I wipe the body cavity down with a cloth soaked in water and baking soda, then follow with a dry cloth. If the weather is warm and I can't get it into the cooler until the next day, I point a large fan at the body cavity, to aid in cooling and drying, plus any blowflies that try, cannot land, to do their dirty deed......I just learned this fan tactic a couple of years ago and it works great!!

I have never experienced "rank" venison. However, I have seen deer hanging in people's outbuildings, with the body cavity still containing and covered in: caked blood, turds, stomach contents, flaps of green diaphragm, hunks of lung, esophagus intact, neck not split to allow draining, etc. I can only guess that these guys experience "rank" venison.

Sorry for rambling H Wally, but I "love" this subject :)
 
Silverado said:
Hamburger. By the time you make tomato based sauces, tacos, etc., the seasonings should cover the gamey taste.
Click to expand...

If it's too gamey, try using it ground or cubed in stews, sauces, chili, curry, meat pies etc, anything with a sauce or mixed in with other things so that you're just not eating a steak.

I usually use most of the burger from any deer I get in chili, I find mixing in some deer with the normal ground beef gives it a good flavour and isn't too gamey for people who don't like that sort of thing.
 
Excellent - appreciate all the advice guys - good to have the knowledge in advance :d

I've got two breasts - both birds smelled the same so I'll try one in a brine and one in a milk bath and see which one works the best.

Gotta love experiments you can eat afterwards!
 
I can all of my spruce grouse in my pressure cooker. I place breast (including bone) in pint jar and add chicken broth. Process for 90 minutes. When I use them I pull them apart and add mayo and green onions for sandwich spread. Good as it gets and no pine tar flavour.

Darryl
 
Did you find out if it was ruffed or spruce? As pointed out spruce grouse needs to be soaked(brine user here) and I prefer to rub on some crushed saltines with butter when frying. It will help cover the taste of the bird.
 
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