>> That article was fascinating. I knew something about aging fowl already but it was informative to see a step-by-step instructional guide. <<
I've seen various discussions of different ways to handle birds, and aging meat is a running debate in most circles.
>> The only semi-direct knowledge I have about killing and cooking birds was my mother's memories of growing up on a farm. Her Sunday job was to catch and kill and clean and pluck and cook a chicken for Sunday dinner. This was during the Great Depression.<<
When I was 2 and 3, my mother raised chickens. She didn't want to water them through winter so we killed and froze the birds in autumn. I helped catch them, hold the feet, and after they were dead my main job was coring out the guts because my hands were smallest. It was a cool project.
*chuckle* Until I got to kill the rooster that always attacked me. I was juuust big enough to swing the ax, but that left Grandma holding the feet, and she let go too soon. So the headless rooster ran out into the field with Mom chasing him. LOL It's one of my favorite family memories.
>> I grew up in hunting/fishing culture, but one of the main problems was some deer hunters clearly didn't know how to properly prepare and cook venison. <<
Bluntly put, if you treated a prize steer the way some people treat deer, it would taste "gamey" too!
1) Kill cleanly. If you paunch the damn deer and trail it for hours, the stress chemicals impart a taste to the meat that few people enjoy. Stop cocking around trying to hit a heart the size of your hand, because if you miss then you've got hours of trailing. Take a poacher's shot to the head or upper spine. Either you miss completely, or the deer lays down dead.
2) Field-dress the deer immediately. Carry what you need to string it up and process it right there.
3) If you expect to kill the deer more than about an hour from refrigeration, pack ice in your truck so you can chill it promptly.
4) Don't hunt anywhere for food that the regulations lead to unsafe food handling. Only hunt for trophies in those places, if you consider that ethical. Really. Check the regs before you pull the trigger. Some places have laws that can make you sick or kill you if followed.
>> My father, a preacher, would never turn down a free meal, and members of his congregation were always inviting us to venison dinners. We had some very good venison dinners and some truly awful ones. OTOH, most of the fishers knew how to properly prepare fish so there were usually some good fish dinners.<<
Yeah, it all comes down to knowledge and responsibility.
>> You're right in that most modern Americans would freak out over this information.<<
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dancing_serpent
Re: Well ...
Date: 2019-03-05 11:15 pm (UTC)I've seen various discussions of different ways to handle birds, and aging meat is a running debate in most circles.
>> The only semi-direct knowledge I have about killing and cooking birds was my mother's memories of growing up on a farm. Her Sunday job was to catch and kill and clean and pluck and cook a chicken for Sunday dinner. This was during the Great Depression.<<
When I was 2 and 3, my mother raised chickens. She didn't want to water them through winter so we killed and froze the birds in autumn. I helped catch them, hold the feet, and after they were dead my main job was coring out the guts because my hands were smallest. It was a cool project.
*chuckle* Until I got to kill the rooster that always attacked me. I was juuust big enough to swing the ax, but that left Grandma holding the feet, and she let go too soon. So the headless rooster ran out into the field with Mom chasing him. LOL It's one of my favorite family memories.
>> I grew up in hunting/fishing culture, but one of the main problems was some deer hunters clearly didn't know how to properly prepare and cook venison. <<
Bluntly put, if you treated a prize steer the way some people treat deer, it would taste "gamey" too!
1) Kill cleanly. If you paunch the damn deer and trail it for hours, the stress chemicals impart a taste to the meat that few people enjoy. Stop cocking around trying to hit a heart the size of your hand, because if you miss then you've got hours of trailing. Take a poacher's shot to the head or upper spine. Either you miss completely, or the deer lays down dead.
2) Field-dress the deer immediately. Carry what you need to string it up and process it right there.
3) If you expect to kill the deer more than about an hour from refrigeration, pack ice in your truck so you can chill it promptly.
4) Don't hunt anywhere for food that the regulations lead to unsafe food handling. Only hunt for trophies in those places, if you consider that ethical. Really. Check the regs before you pull the trigger. Some places have laws that can make you sick or kill you if followed.
>> My father, a preacher, would never turn down a free meal, and members of his congregation were always inviting us to venison dinners. We had some very good venison dinners and some truly awful ones. OTOH, most of the fishers knew how to properly prepare fish so there were usually some good fish dinners.<<
Yeah, it all comes down to knowledge and responsibility.
>> You're right in that most modern Americans would freak out over this information.<<
They just don't stop to think of it.