I think that what an animal eats has a lot to do with how the meat taste, if you get an older deer that has been eating alot of sage and dryer type brush it will have a totally different flavor than one that eats new sprouting vegetation or has access to fruits or grains. Cow elk taste way better than bull elk because during the time you can hunt bulls they are in the rut and right after the rut and they have almost no fat, they have been living off reserves. Amount of time it takes an animal to die has an effect on flavor too, in my opinion, if you get a solid kill shot (heart, lung, neck) it will taste better. Scootah is right on the money. Most people overcook game meat, the fat content is very low so if you overcook it taste like crap, the only tip I have is to bring the game to room temp before you cook it and cook it at a high heat to medium rare make sure you have a nice thick piece, I like to top it with a good blue cheese it adds some great flavor and some fat. You are cooking an organic piece of meat so don't just throw it together, put some effort into cooking it, make it look good and find a good sauce to top it with. For roasts you have to cook it low and slow, I like to make green chili from them.
You're making a factual comment for the wrong reason. White-tail habitats in Upstate New York have been encroached upon to the point that if herd numbers aren't kept in check year by year, the animals start to die of starvation. Have you ever seen a starving animal? It's a sad thing. A bullet through the brain or lung is a kinder death. Knowing this, would you rather we issue permits to civilians who pay for their licenses, generate revenue, and then eat the game, or allow the population to grow wildly out of control to the point that game wardens are forced to shoot the animals en masse and dispose of the carcasses in a less productive manner? I don't think you're a pussy just because you don't want to hunt, but if you want to comment on the issue, understand it first.
Re: Venison recipe I use this for backstraps and tenderloins and it's really good. You'll need: - 1 gallon-sized ziploc bag (or other container if you want) - 2 garlic cloves (diced) - a few sprigs of fresh rosemary - equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar (enough of both to appropriately cover the meat in the ziploc, so it depends on how big of a piece you're using) Put everything in the bag and marinate in the fridge for about 2-3 hours. Using either a grill or over-safe skillet, sear both sides for about 1 minute on each side. If you're using a grill, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 3 minutes on each side (time will vary depending on thickness of the meat, so use your own judgement). If using an oven, preheat to 375ยบ and cook for another 6 minutes.
I think there is a lot to the adrenaline theory. The best venison I ever had was a deer that I shot through the spine. It walked right in front of me and sat down and I hit it at about 100 yards straight through the spine (it was a shotgun slug, so even hitting something at 100 yards without a scope is good). It was an instant death. It never even moved. The entire deer from the back straps to the stew meat didn't have the slightest hint of the gamey taste that is so often associated with wild animals.
Not to mention that overpopulation leads to the spread of disease as well. That was an issue recently for the deer population in Minnesota & Wisconsin.
All this talk of deer meat has me hungry for stuffed & smoked backstrap. I'm going to have to see if I still have a backstrap or two at home...
Deer are retards and a nuisance. They eat everything, breed everywhere and pick the best times to play in traffic. I'm fully in support of hunting them. That said, we are the real assholes for promoting suburban sprawl and pushing into their habitats. But that's life for ya.
About an hour ago, I cooked some steaks this way (I read this post and a few additional articles last night). The steaks turned out excellent. Some of the most juicy and flavorful steak I've had. I could have seared it a bit more. I did 1 minute on each side in a 450 degree grill. It probably should have been more like 550. I also made some vegetables for a few fajitas, i did them in a plastic bag in a boiling pot of water for about 8 minutes (Vegetables don't break down until 183ish degrees, so it has to be hotter than how you cook your meat. I boiled water on the stove, so it wasn't exact.), which turned out excellent, they had a ton of fresh flavor (you will probably have to try this a few different ways to find out how you like your own). I will probably saute my onions and mushrooms separately from my other vegetables next time as I love their flavor like that. You could also toss your vegetables in a skillet for a minute or so after doing them in the bag if you like all your vegetables that way. Cleanup was also super simple. I most likely will cook some chicken like this tonight as the cooler is still hot and I'll just add some more hot water to it. My steaks cooked for about an hour, (although they probably should have only been in for about 45 minutes). I put them in my cooler when the water was 139 degrees, with 4 below room temperature sirloin steaks. When I pulled them out, the temperature was down to 136. Next time I will be putting them in at about 133 degree water as they were on their way to medium, and I prefer medium rare. Your cooler will lose some heat do to the meat being colder than the water, and may lose heat faster than mine as I put my cooler out in the sun, and it was about 95 degrees out today. One way to combat the heat loss is to put as much water in your cooler as possible, do not open it until it is ready, and wrap a blanket, comforter, or as many layers as you can/want to around the cooler. Enjoy.
It's basically poaching. It's also the best way to cook fish if you're afraid of fucking it up... you simply cannot overcook it.
"There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter." Ernest Hemingway Win.
Seemed appropriate to post this here. Leopard Attack! That photo is awesome! The leopard jumps on and is biting the head of the one person in the picture without a helmet.