Hunting Question and recipes (changed title)

reach

This question may come across as ridiculous to any seasoned hunters out there. But here goes.

What you do you do with the rabbits, foxes, general varmints you take when hunting ?

The reason I ask is that I fancy trying my hand at live quarry, but I'm not excatly sure my wife would be up for me putting my spoils into the wheely bin, or serving kinsale leg o fox for four nights running?

thelurcher

http://www.shootingtimes.co.uk/stimes/gamerecipes.php

http://rimfirecentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=34

reach

the pigeon recipes look interesting, although the plucking might be a bit much. Might get a couple of feather down pilllow's out of it eventually !. maybe even a duvet !

Clare gunner

reach wrote:

the pigeon recipes look interesting, although the plucking might be a bit much. Might get a couple of feather down pilllow's out of it eventually !. maybe even a duvet !

You need goose or duck down for that.:D
Skin and cure fox pelts.Pull their fangs as well.[A missed trophy over here.]wear rubber gloves when doing this,foxes are manky disease carriers.
skin rabbits,use pelt as anti blister material when cured .Ditto mink,if you are hardy and can boil them their oil is exellent leather perserative and waterproofing.
Piegon breast in bacon and cider,yum.

Sparks

reach wrote:

This question may come across as ridiculous to any seasoned hunters out there.

No such thing as a stupid question reach; but we do use words like that to describe people who feel dumb asking and decide skip asking and to just go ahead and do the thing anyway, so well done for asking! Perhaps it's time we had a few threads on recipies for game?

Vegeta

as we are talking about cooking game anyone know where i can buy a mincer, manual or electronic i don't care, there's a few dead bodies i need to take care of.........only kidding i would like to make duck/pheasant breast mince or venison mince

Sparks

Mincers are a pretty standard attachment for food processors like the Kenwood Chef vegeta, you could find them in any of the kitchen stores in Dublin. Myself, I'd try upstairs in Brown Thomas - I know the reputation of the store for being overpriced, but for some reason their prices on good cooking stuff like proper chef's knives, saute pans, food processors and so on are actually quite decent and you know you won't get too much hassle if something goes wrong with them. You might get a better price in power city, but frankly, I'm not a great fan of the idea of skimping on tools that you'll use a lot...

thelurcher

reach: you could just skin the pigeon - cut down at the breast bone and peal apart - then just cut out the breast meat either side - I know you leave a lot of waste but if you have loads to process it's the best way.

Vegeta

Just ordered one from amazon.co.uk, its a manual one so am looking forward to getting that. I love spaghetti bolognese but hate eating standard minced beef as god only knows what is in it so my own shot venison and duck/pheasant mince might be the way to go

Samson

Vegeta wrote:

as we are talking about cooking game anyone know where i can buy a mincer, manual or electronic i don't care, there's a few dead bodies i need to take care of.........only kidding i would like to make duck/pheasant breast mince or venison mince

I'd say Sweeney O'Rourke (catering equipment suppliers) on Pearse Street in Dublin would be worth a try; and if they don't supply, they will certainly point you in the right direction. Ring directory enquiries for their number (haven't got it handy myself - sorry).

It's also worth keeping an eye out for liquidation auctions, this type of stuff comes up from time to time.

reach

Thanks for all the great info guys.

Sparks - I never shy away from asking questions I think are silly. I just sometimes like to state that they are possible silly, so as not to make myself feel silly if that makes any sense.

anyhow I've changed the Title to reflect the current thread discussion.

Cheers

Vegeta

thelurcher wrote:

reach: you could just skin the pigeon - cut down at the breast bone and peal apart - then just cut out the breast meat either side - I know you leave a lot of waste but if you have loads to process it's the best way.

myself and my bro always do that, as you pointed out a lot of waste but it really is the easiest way. We always just pluck the feathers from the chest of the bird and then cut the skin down the centre, with a sharp knife then cut the meet down either side of the breast bone, at this stage the breast meat although cut from the bone will still be attached to the skin, so peel meat from skin with a sharp thin bladed knife

Sparks

Vegeta wrote:

Just ordered one from amazon.co.uk, its a manual one so am looking forward to getting that. I love spaghetti bolognese but hate eating standard minced beef as god only knows what is in it so my own shot venison and duck/pheasant mince might be the way to go

Make sure you get the sausage tube attachment thingy so. Nothing beats a good home-made sausage, even if you're just using shop-bought meat as you can make it up to your own preferred recipe.

mifyah1

Fox is inedible and the only usable part is the pelt which some people like to cure and use as a mat or whatever. Likewise most so-called "varmints". Rabbits, if young, will barbecue nicely. Pigeon breasts are nice when roasted. Pheasant, Duck etc are considered a delicacy. Venison at 50 - 100 pounds per carcass is an excellent beef substitute. Feral goat is for those with strong constitutions. A freezer, some knives etc and a basic knowledge of preparing game is necessary. As a general rule wives react badly when husbands turn carnivorous hunter. If you want to try venison without the gore, drop me a line and I will happily arrange to give you some.

reach

thanks for the offer mifyah1, but l'll hold of on that one for now. She's is her first few weeks of prenancy and is dying sick with morning sickness.

She can barely hold a mashed spud at the moment, and I don't want to incur her wrath. :eek: by bring home food that doesn't have a Roches/Dunnes label on it. I'll probably wake up with it sleeping next to me !!!

! Good times !

I'd say I'll have to get myself a nice workshop seperate to the house if I'm gonna become the "carnivorous hunter" , or else I'll be the one being skinned.

Sparks

Congratulations reach, but if I were you I'd hold off on the workshop - I get the feeling you'll have a lot of other things to be spending the money on first in the firearms department, like trigger locks and hiding the gun safes and ammo safes and so on

reach

Thanks Sparks !

and yup, there a whole lot of that needed too. nevermind all the other peripherals that come along with those new little people.

< reach does a few calculations >

Judging by the cost I've worked out here. I'll be getting my next gun for Christmas 2012 and it will prolly be a "Super Soaker 2000".

bugger.

Sparks

This is true reach, but on the upside, you've just started your own Junior Air Rifle squad

WallysWorld

While were on the subject, can anyone point me to a site or book that explains how to prepare game, a friend knows a guy who will occasionaly prepare some of what i shoot for me but id like to be able to do it myself.

Degsy

mifyah1 wrote:

Fox is inedible and the only usable part is the pelt which some people like to cure and use as a mat or whatever. Likewise most so-called "varmints". Rabbits, if young, will barbecue nicely. Pigeon breasts are nice when roasted. Pheasant, Duck etc are considered a delicacy. Venison at 50 - 100 pounds per carcass is an excellent beef substitute. Feral goat is for those with strong constitutions. A freezer, some knives etc and a basic knowledge of preparing game is necessary. As a general rule wives react badly when husbands turn carnivorous hunter. If you want to try venison without the gore, drop me a line and I will happily arrange to give you some.

Barbequed rabbit will be as dry and stringy as hell,and pigeon breasts are very easy to over cook.If you're gonna barbeque rabbits,wrap them in fatty bacon or pork fat first,this will baste the meat nicely and keep it moist.You're far better pan frying pigeon breats in a hot pan for a couple of minutes each side to seal in the juices.Dont waste plucked carcasses either,roast them and boil them up with herbs,vegetables and wine to make an excellent game stock.Together rabbit and pigeon can be used in pies with onion,mushrooms,peas or whatever.Wild meat is the tastiest and most honest of all imo.

Trojan911

WallysWorld wrote:

While were on the subject, can anyone point me to a site or book that explains how to prepare game, a friend knows a guy who will occasionaly prepare some of what i shoot for me but id like to be able to do it myself.

WallysWorld,

Try this book, I have one and find it excellent, The River Cottage Cookbook, it is written by a fella called Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. He had his own show recently on Channel 4 and to be honest I don't think this guy has seen the inside of a supermarket . He mostly lives off the land ie grows his own veggies kills his own livestock, hunts his next meal etc.... (www.rivercottage.net )

TJ911...

WallysWorld

Intresting website, I have seen the show before, the guy seems a touch on the eccentric side:D but it does seem to be a nice lifestyle all the same!