Game means poultry and meat animals found in the wild.
VENISON
Venison is the most popular game meat by far, a venison is deer meat. Some deers are farm raised but for the most part they are found in the wild. Farm raised venison is a lot milder in flavor than venison hunted in the wild. Venison is very low in fat, so venison has the potential to dry very quickly, marinating venison is a good way to tenderize the meat and add more flavor to it. The loin and leg of a deer is tender so it will be good to use a dry heat method when cooking. Shoulder, neck, and breasts are tougher cuts of the venison and should be braised or simmered.
RABBIT
Rabbit can be cooked the same way you cook chicken, chicken recipes can be used for a rabbit. Rabbit have a lot of characteristics similar to chicken but the rabbit has a mild taste compared to chicken. Rabbits taste well when marinated. The best for cooking would have to be the small rabbits, about 3lb, the mature rabbits are about 4 to 5lb, and mature rabbits are tougher and drier.
To Cut Up A Rabbit:
- Cut off the hind legs through the hip joint.
- Cut off the forelegs through the shoulder blade.
- Cut off the hip bone.
- Cut through the backbone
- Separate the remaining rib bones from the loin.
HARE
Hare is the cousin to the rabbit. Hare has meat that has a dark reddish brown color. Seven to Eight month old hares weighing about six pounds are the best kind to eat. The larger hares weighing more than eight pounds are very tough and stringy. You can cut a hare up the same you would cut up a rabbit. Hare is a very lean meat, so it becomes dry if you overcook it. You can marinate hare in a red wine marinade, brown it on the top of the stove and roast it for about 15 minutes until it is rare or medium done. Remove the loin muscles from the bone and cut lengthwise into thin slices.
When storing fresh meats from the wild it is important not to wrap them tightly, because bacteria and mold will begin to grow. Let the air circulate because the air will slow down the growth, so wrap them loosely. Store at 32degreesF, meats do not freeze until they reach 28degreesF. Fresh meats from the wild keep well for only 2 to 4 days, cured and smoked meats keep up to a week. The freezer will not rescue a meat that is going bad. When freezing meats wrap them well enough to prevent freezer burn.