Cooking Wild Game And Fish

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• Chef Outlines Six Factors That Contribute To Quality Of Wild Meat

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  With hunting season in full swing, wild game might soon be showing up on the dinner table.

  To get the best flavor out of your meat this year, Chef Joel Olson, a nationally-recognized culinary instructor for children, youth and adults, shared six factors that affect meat quality.

  Here are his tips:

  Age.

  The older the animal, the tougher the meat is going to be, Olson said.

  Sex.

  Sex also has a major influence on meat quality. If one thinks about the aggressive male as opposed to the more docile female, there is going to be a difference in fatness and conformation of the animal.

  Diet.

  The phrase, ‘you are what you eat’ is especially true when it comes to wild game. For instance, pine squirrels and deer found in Colorado that feed off pine trees do in fact taste like pine trees, Olson said.

  Type of kill.

  If the animal tried to run, it’s likely that adrenaline was running through the body.

  “If it was stressed, that’s going to affect the meat. And aging can counteract some of that by letting it hang for a while,” Olson said.

  How it’s processed.

  Olson offered some questions to think about when meat is sent in to be processed. Did they do a good job cutting it up? Was it cold when they did cut it? Or was it a hot and balmy day? Did it sit out long while it was being processed?

  How it’s packed.

  Airtight packaging is a great way to preserve meat for a long period of time, Olson said.

  “I had a chunk of venison in my freezer once for three years, no freezer burn whatsoever because I’d wrapped it tight,” Olson said.

  To get even more flavor out of your meat this season, when it comes to cooking, Olson recommended cutting the meat into small pieces. That way, the bite-size pieces will pick up a lot more flavor and people won’t have to chew big chunks of wild game.

  “It’s going to penetrate and become a part of the dish,” Olson said.