Another method of removing the game odor and taste from many of the wild game meats is to soak it overnight in cool milk. The milk does not attack the meat tissue as the vinegar does, and will help retain the natural juices. Forget plucking, skin the ducks and geese. This method is faster, and much cleaner. Like all wild game, it is just as important for the foul to age as it is the deer or elk. Always leave the skin on the animal or bird, keep the rib cage spread wide open, while the animal is hanging in a cool place that doesn't get over 50 degrees, and do not begin to butcher and package until a small amount of mold spots start to form on the inside of the ribcage.
As for the ducks and the geese, field dress them as normal, but do not skin them until they have rested in a cool area,(around 35 to 40 degrees) for at least 2 days, or until you can easily pull a back feather without resistance, then skin and freeze.
As for your bear meat, or any of the red meat wild game, it is critically important that all of the fat and fatty tissue be removed. This includes all of the sinew or silver skin. Bear fat like antelope fat can ruin an otherwise good piece of meat, and bears are very fatty, especially in the fall.
Personally, I have always found that the bear meat is more of a robust meat as compared to deer or elk. We enjoy the bear after steaked in pieces not thicker than 1/2" and soaked in a soak of Marsala cooking wine, worcestershire and brown sugar mix, (go very little on the sugar, 1/2 teaspoonful per 2 cups of wine), and then broiling over the BBQ with either hickory or apple wood chips that have been soaked for 3 to 4 hours, and coating each side very lightly with mixture of wine and BBQ sauce. With the Deer, Elk and Moose, the cooling and hanging time is critical. I have left game covered in cheese cloth for up to 10 days in the past because it was so cold in my shop. Separate all of the muscles as you butcher, this will give you a great access to the various ribbons of silver skin. The Deer and Elk are extremely lean by nature, and are best if cooked either spiced with your favorite spices, or dropped in flour, then egg wash and then your favorite breading mix and flash cooked in oil or bacon grease heated to about 400 degrees. Flash cook 1/2" pieces no more than 1 minute. per side, or more if you don't like pink meat. Sorry this is so long, but as you can tell I love wild game and to cook with it.
As for the ducks and the geese, field dress them as normal, but do not skin them until they have rested in a cool area,(around 35 to 40 degrees) for at least 2 days, or until you can easily pull a back feather without resistance, then skin and freeze.
As for your bear meat, or any of the red meat wild game, it is critically important that all of the fat and fatty tissue be removed. This includes all of the sinew or silver skin. Bear fat like antelope fat can ruin an otherwise good piece of meat, and bears are very fatty, especially in the fall.
Personally, I have always found that the bear meat is more of a robust meat as compared to deer or elk. We enjoy the bear after steaked in pieces not thicker than 1/2" and soaked in a soak of Marsala cooking wine, worcestershire and brown sugar mix, (go very little on the sugar, 1/2 teaspoonful per 2 cups of wine), and then broiling over the BBQ with either hickory or apple wood chips that have been soaked for 3 to 4 hours, and coating each side very lightly with mixture of wine and BBQ sauce. With the Deer, Elk and Moose, the cooling and hanging time is critical. I have left game covered in cheese cloth for up to 10 days in the past because it was so cold in my shop. Separate all of the muscles as you butcher, this will give you a great access to the various ribbons of silver skin. The Deer and Elk are extremely lean by nature, and are best if cooked either spiced with your favorite spices, or dropped in flour, then egg wash and then your favorite breading mix and flash cooked in oil or bacon grease heated to about 400 degrees. Flash cook 1/2" pieces no more than 1 minute. per side, or more if you don't like pink meat. Sorry this is so long, but as you can tell I love wild game and to cook with it.
