Game birds offer the most varied and perhaps the most delicious
wild meat. Ranging from the rich, tangy flavor of the miniature
woodcock up to a magnificent wild turkey or Canada goose, they
provide a range of flavor delicacy as wide as the variation of
the sport in hunting for them. The quality and flavor of game birds,
however, depends to a very large extent, on the care they receive
after the hunter has bagged them.
The simple rules to follow are these: The birds should be drawn
soon after they have been shot. The body heat should be allowed
to cool as quickly as possible. The birds should be kept cool or
at cold temperatures until they are to be cooked. Game birds should
be bled, cleaned and cooled quickly after shooting. And as you
clean them, be sure to remove the oil sacs at the base of the back
near the tail. Also be sure to carry a portable ice chest to speed
cooling and to protect the birds from spoilage during the trip
home.
When testing game birds to determine those which are young and
tender, the stiffness of the bill is usually significant. If pheasants
and grouse, for example, can be lifted by the lower jaw and nothing
breaks, they are mature birds whose james are set. They will not
be as tender and will require more cooking than the younger, less
developed.
Game birds should be skinned if only the breast will be used or
if they are tough and will be used in stews or casseroles. Otherwise,
the birds should be plucked. This helps keep the meat more moist
and tender.
Be sure you remove any shot pellets and cut away any badly shot
up areas. Cut off the wings and feet of small birds with shears.
Then, cut small birds up the backbone, remove the lungs, wash and
drain.
Cut larger birds into pieces, the same as you would a chicken.
You'll also find the livers from medium and large-sized birds are
big enough to save and will taste very similar to chicken livers.
Here's another hint. Freezing a bird for a week or two will help
tenderize it.
NOTE about DUCKS: In the fall, ducks usually have fine- flavored
meat, and any stuffing can be used with them. At other times of
the year, they may be more strongly flavored and are improved by
soaking the cleaned birds for 2-3 hours in fairly strong salted
water to which 1 tsp. baking soda has been added. If ducks prepared
this way are to be kept under refrigeration for a few days, after
wiping them dry, put a few slices of onion in the body cavity.
This will help remove the excess gamey taste, and the onion is
to be discarded before the ducks are cooked.
However, like all game birds, ducks should
be allowed to hang at a temperature just above freezing for at
least 48 hours before
they are cooked. The length of time and temperature at which they
are allowed to hang beyond that period will control how "high" or
gamey they are allowed to become. This should be determined by
personal taste.
When preparing game birds, you can cook young birds by broiling,
roasting, or in any of your other favorite recipes. But older birds
should be stewed or braised to tenderize them. Or if you wish,
you can try a commercial tenderizer. Just sprinkle the tenderizer
in the body cavity of the bird and let the bird stand in the refrigerator.
The amount of time the bird needs to remain in the refrigerator
depends on the size of the bird. For example, a large bird such
as a turkey, will need 12 to 24 hours for the tenderizer to work.
If you're not sure how many servings you'll get from each bird
this may help you:
*1 serving = 2 quail, 1-2 squab, 2-3 doves, or 1 small duck.
*You can figure on at least 2 servings from 1 pheasant or 1 large
duck.
*A 4-6 lb. goose should feed 4-6 people.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu
Safe Handling of Wild Game Birds
HGIC 3515
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC3515.htm
http://hgic.clemson.edu/pdf/hgic3515.pdf
Care in the Field
Be Prepared for
the Hunt: Remember to bring a sharp hunting knife, a steel
or whetstone, light rope or nylon cord, plastic bags, clean
cloths or paper towels, and a cooler filled with ice.
Field Dress the
Bird Promptly: There are major rules to follow as soon as the
bird is dead.
- Remove the entrails and crop
as soon as possible, because the grain in the crop may ferment
if not removed.
- The heart and liver may be saved for giblets. Store in a plastic
bag on ice to keep them clean and cold.
-
The birds may be plucked or skinned in the field. However,
be sure to leave an identification mark on the bird as may
be required by state game regulations.
- Cool the carcass quickly to
retain flavor and maintain the quality of the bird. A temperature
above 40 °F is meat’s worst
enemy.
-
Wipe out the cavity with a clean cloth or paper towel. Do not
use grass or snow as this will contaminate the carcass.
-
Allow air to circulate in the carcass by hanging or laying
the bird in a well-ventilated place.
-
In hot weather, place the birds individually in plastic bags
and put on ice.
-
Do not pile warm birds in a mass.
- Store birds in a cooler on ice out of the sun.
-
Keep the Birds Cool During Transport: The best way to store
birds is in a cooler on ice. If this is not possible, keep
the car well ventilated and put the birds on the back seat
or the floor. Do not transport them in the trunk because the
enclosed space does not allow heat to escape from the birds.
Care in Process and Storage
Don’t
Cross-Contaminate During Processing:
-
Wash
your hands, knife and cutting board with hot soapy water
and rinse thoroughly.
-
To
prepare ducks, cut the wings off at the joints, remove the
head and pluck out the pinfeathers. Feathers may
be removed
by scalding the birds in hot water (145 °F). Pin feathers
and down may be removed by dipping the feathered bird in
a paraffin
wax/hot water mixture. When wax hardens, the feathers may
be scraped off.
-
When
preparing upland birds, such as grouse, pheasant, quail and
partridge, skin or pluck the bird and soak in cold water
for one to two hours to remove excess blood.
-
Birds
Generally Do Not Require Aging: If you wish to age birds,
holding them at just above freezing temperatures
for two to
three days may increase the tenderness of the meat.
Storage Tips: For
immediate use, birds should be stored in the refrigerator at
40 °F or less and used within three days. For long-term storage,
the whole cleaned carcass or individual parts may be frozen
at 0 °F or lower. Do not freeze birds without plucking and
cleaning them first.
Freeze meat while
fresh and in top condition.
-
The advantage of packaging parts instead of the whole bird
is that bloody spots can be eliminated by cutting out or
rinsing out with cold water. Parts also fit conveniently
in your freezer.
Parts may be boned, and the carcass and neck used as a
soup base.
- Use moisture/vapor-proof wrap such as heavily waxed freezer
wrap, laminated freezer wrap, heavy-duty aluminum foil or freezer-weight
polyethylene bags.
- Wrap tightly, pressing out as much air as possible. Label the
packages with the content and date.
-
Use frozen packages within 6 months for best eating quality.
-
Care in Preparation
-
Thaw birds in the refrigerator or microwave. Slow thawing
in the refrigerator 12 to 18 hours helps to tenderize
the meat
and prevent bacterial growth. Microwave-thawed food should
be cooked immediately. Other thawed meat should be used
within one to two days. Keep raw food and cooked food
separate.
Fish-eating
ducks (those with pointed or serrated bills) may need soaking
or
marinating. Use a marinade high in acid such as lemon or lime
juice, vinegar, wine or buttermilk. You may soak older birds
in a solution of ½ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon vinegar per
quart of cold water for 4 to 12 hours in the refrigerator.
Care in Cooking Game Birds
Wild
game birds should always be cooked thoroughly. Check visual
signs of doneness;
juices should run clear and meat should be fork-tender. However,
recent research has shown that color and texture indicators
alone are not reliable. Using a thermometer is the only reliable
way to ensure safety and to determine the “doneness” of meat
and poultry. To be safe, a product must be cooked to an internal
temperature high enough to destroy any harmful bacteria that
may have been in the food.
When
cooking whole poultry, the thermometer should be inserted
into the thickest
part of the thigh. If cooking poultry parts, insert the thermometer
into the thickest area, avoiding the bone. If stuffed, the
center of the stuffing should be checked. All poultry and stuffing
must reach 165 °F to be safe. For reasons of palatability and
acceptability, poultry may be cooked to a higher final temperature.
The age of the bird determines the cooking method. Young birds
have lighter legs, soft breastbones and flexible beaks. Old
birds have darker, hard-skinned legs, brittle breastbones and
inflexible beaks.
-
Wild duck meat is darker and somewhat dryer than domestic
duck. To retain or add moisture when roasting older or
skinned birds,
cover the breast with strips of bacon or side pork and
roast in a covered pan.
-
Game birds may be prepared like chicken. Dry cookery methods,
such as frying, are appropriate for young birds. Moist
cookery methods, such as stewing or braising, are appropriate
for older
birds.
-
Ducks and geese may be baked, barbecued, breaded, broiled,
fried, and combined in casseroles, chop suey, creoles,
gumbos and gravies.
-
To decrease the distinctive taste of some wild game, trim
off as much fat as possible.
-
In roasting or broiling ducks use a rack to keep them free
of their own fat and do not baste with fat.
-
Remove stuffing from the bird prior to storage, because stuffing
is a good growth medium for microorganisms.
-
Use leftovers within one or two days, or freeze for later use.
Roast Wild Duck: Rub
outside of duck with a slice of onion, then sprinkle with salt
and pepper. You can flavor the bird and absorb strong flavors
by placing a quartered peeled onion, grapes, quartered apples
or potatoes, and a small bunch of celery in the cavity during
roasting, but discard this stuffing before serving. If ducks
are lean or have been skinned, place two or three strips of
bacon or salt pork on each breast and secure with toothpicks.
Place ducks on a rack in a covered roasting pan and bake in
a 325 °F oven for three hours or until the internal temperature
is 165 °F. If ducks need basting, use orange juice, melted
butter, or melted butter and red wine rather than pan drippings.
Roast Wild Goose: The “flavor
dressing” of apple, onion, potatoes and celery, as described
for duck, can be placed in the bird during roasting. Place
the goose on a rack in an uncovered roasting pan and bake in
a 325 °F oven for three hours or until tender. Baste frequently
with pan drippings. You can insert a meat thermometer into
the thickest part of the thigh muscle, without touching bone,
to determine internal temperature. Goose is safely cooked when
the internal temperature is 165 °F and well done at 180 to
185 °F. Serve with a tart jelly or relish.
Dressing for
Duck or Goose: We recommend baking dressing separately
to avoid any chance of hazard from bacterial growth. Bake
in a covered casserole in the oven while the bird is roasting.
If you decide to stuff the birds, do so just before placing
them in the oven, and have all ingredients hot before stuffing
the birds. Use a meat thermometer to be sure internal temperature
of the dressing reaches 165-170 °F.
Microwave Directions for Duck or Goose: Place
duckling or young goose in an oven-cooking bag (or in a covered
pot). Microwave on high 6 to 7 minutes per pound. Crisp in
500 °F conventional oven 10 to 20 minutes.
When microwaving
parts, arrange in a dish or on a rack so thick parts are toward
the outside of the dish and thin or bony parts are in the center.
Allow 10 minutes
standing time for bone-in goose or duck, 5 minutes for boneless
breast.
Use a meat thermometer
to test for doneness in several places, and check for visual
signs of doneness.
For information
on cooking turkey, request HGIC 3560, How to Cook a Turkey.
For information on grilling and smoking, request HGIC 3543,
Food Safety for Outdoor Cookouts. For information on Avian
Influenza see HGIC 4351, Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)and What
Hunters Should Know About Avian Influenza (SC Department of
Natural Resources December 2005). http://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/Yr2005/dec0505/dec0505_avian.html.
Always
use a thermometer to check proper internal temperatures.
All poultry is safely
cooked
when an internal temperature of 165 °F is reached, but may
be cooked to higher temperatures for reasons of acceptability
and palatability. Cooking times are only estimates.
