Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [79]
KEEP IT SIMPLE:
Prepare fewer types of meat: choose any one or any combination.
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Chapter 7
Goat, Bison & Other Game Meat
Most people think of game meat in a nostalgic way, with mental images of wild buffalo, antelope, and boar roaming the prairie or hunted in the untamed woods. That’s the original definition, which distinguishes the meat of domesticated animals like cattle and pigs from the meat of wild animals hunted for sport. However, most game meat is now semi-domesticated as well. The majority of bison, boar, antelope, and alligator sold in the United States is farm-raised or ranched and is not truly wild. Among big game, some of the only truly wild game meat left is bear and moose, both of which are difficult to come by. Even small game like rabbit and hare are primarily farmed.
Wild, Ranched, and Farm-Raised
Game is available in varying degrees of domestication. Truly wild game animals live a natural life with little human intervention until they are killed and eaten by hunters. But the meat of wild animals is not inspected and therefore banned from commerce and restaurants in North America. The game meat available to most cooks and consumers is from animals that have been ranched or farm-raised. Ranched game animals are essentially free-range, roaming acres of ranch land and consuming a diet of forage. The animals are not intensively bred, so they are genetically similar to their wild counterparts. They are hunted or trapped and then slaughtered, and their meat is processed in sanitary facilities similar to those used for domesticated animals such as beef cattle. Ranched game meat like venison, wild boar, and elk is about as close to wild game meat as most of us can get.
Farm-raised game tends to bear a more noticeable mark of human intervention. The animals are bred and raised under human control with a standardized diet to produce a more consistent product. They are semi-domesticated, meaning the animals still resemble their wild counterparts but have also been bred for valuable traits. Farm-raised game meat may even come from hybrid species such as beefalo, a hybrid of domesticated cattle and American bison. But most ranched and farm-raised meat retains the robust flavor associated with wild game.
Big and Small Game
Game is classified by size for the purpose of hunting. Large game includes animals like deer, bear, and antelope. Small game refers mostly to small mammals like rabbit, squirrel, and muskrat. The most common game meats are:
Goat: Among the first animals to be domesticated, goat meat is still considered by some North Americans to taste gamy. Goats are related to sheep, and goat meat tastes similar to lamb, but it’s a bit more barnyard-y. Goats are sold as mature goat (mutton) or more mild-flavored kid goat, which may be labeled “chevon” (yearlings, seven to twelve months old) or “cabrito” (weanlings, three to six months old).
Bison and beefalo: Bison are native to North America and were nearly hunted to extinction until they were ranched and farm-raised. Bison meat is leaner, sweeter, and more complex-tasting than beef, and is not the least bit gamy. Bison meat is even leaner than some cuts of chicken. Beefalo are hybrid animals consisting of three-eighths bison and five-eighths domestic cattle, which gives the meat a flavor and composition closer to beef. Cuts of bison and beefalo are similar to those of beef.
Venison: Deer comprise a large family of antlered animals, including reindeer, moose, elk, caribou, gazelle, antelope, pronghorn, and white-tailed deer. To distinguish deer meat from other types of venison, the term “venison” usually refers exclusively to species of deer such as white-tailed deer, red deer, and fallow deer. Venison meat is somewhat similar to beef, but it is darker red; has shorter muscle fibers; less fat, cholesterol, and calories; and a more robust taste. Venison cuts are similar to those of beef.
Boar: An ancestor of the domesticated pig, boar may be wild or farm-raised and has lean, exceptionally flavorful meat, which is similar