cooking woodcock

ronn

anyone got tips on how to cook woodcock, checked a few others sites out and they only give reciepes not how to cook it. how long would i leave it in the oven and what gas mark,
thanks

Half-cocked

Yes, I'd like some advice too. I have 2 woodies in the freezer.

Glensman

It's hard to stop it drying out on you and going quite tough in the oven. Bacon over the breasts helps.

So does frying in butter.
Woodcock is quite gamy so i've taken to making game pies- the whole family go Nuts for them when I make it, but you need a few animals- not important what really.
I use any combination of woodcock, snipe, pheasant, duck, pigeon, rabbit and goat...

Recipe:

Ingredients

Mixture of cubed game
2 onions
100g Smoked Bacon
10 Mushrooms
1tbsp Redcurrant Jelly
1tbsp Flour
sprinkle of Thyme, Rosemary
1 Garlic Clove
200ml Red Wine
2tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
300ml Chicken Stock
Puff Pastry

Method

Pre-heat over to 180oC

Fry of the game in batches until evenly coloured. Remove meat and fry bacon.

Add the meat again with herbs & flour and mushrooms. Coat the meat and cook for a few mins before adding wine, jelly, worcestershire sauce & stock.

Cook on a low heat for 75 mins to reduce. Then season and add to the pie dish. Cover with pastry, brush with beaten egg & cook for 30mins.


It really is somethin else, I can't take credit for the recipe- but it's CLASS!

ronn

Half-cocked wrote: »

Yes, I'd like some advice too. I have 2 woodies in the freezer.

thats no good to me,:D:D:D

i was planing on having mine for lunch today

Glensman

ronn wrote: »

thats no good to me,:D:D:D

i was planing on having mine for lunch today

Fry it in butter, onion a bit of garlic (also a bit of bacon if you have it) and have it on toast.
You need to draw a wee bit of the flavour out of the meat and into a sauce of some description (so i'd use plenty of butter). I like gamey meat, but woodcock's a bit much even for me!

JackSnipe

you need to get your hands on the Countryman's Weekly - Country Cookbook.
I think you can buy it on line, I picked it up at the CLA gamefair a few years back.
I also came across a lin on the rathcormac Gun Club site last night fo Game to eat http://www.gametoeat.co.uk/, looks promising, but I only applied for the booklets last night so haven't seen them yet.

Personally, I subsitute whatever game I have, with dish's I like.

terminator2

mallards is the real chef ere,hes the gordon ramsey of boards...:D

mallards

Well there's certainly plenty of cursing when I'm in the kitchen anyway!
I usually just cover them in olive oil, some sea salt and black pepper and roast them in a hot oven for about twenty minutes. Savage with some mash and butter and a few carrots.




Mallards

blackstairsboy

I just fry them the way glensman said. I do this for all game bar pheasant and mallard. Monday night I had woodcock, teal and snipe all on the one pan with onions and garlic. Would of had mushrooms but did not have any. Trick is to only fry for about 2 mins each side any longer it gets tough an really strong tasting and smelling. It is like steak when fried right. Homemade brown or soda bread goes right well with it.;)

terminator2

told ya ,,,hes the man....:D:D

BoarHunter

Woodcock is better medium rare ( same than Grouse or duck ) you will then get the best of it ! Most of the people i know dont take the guts out, only the Gesler which is full of little stones. You can serve the inside cooked in a mix of brandy and full bodied red wine reduced by half and some foie gras sprayed on a slice of garlic bred.

pejay

I try to keep things as simple as i can,

I put them in a roasting dish a little soy sauce or chicken stock and salt and pepper over them cover in tin foil seal it round dish well to keep as much of the steam in as you can, this is the key to keeping them very moist.

Time to roast the woodcocks, if liked underdone, fifteen to twenty minutes; if liked well-done, twenty-five to thirty minutes.

Oven at 180.

DONE!!

gameshooter

Boarhunter is correct, the best way to eat woodcock would be medium rare! the traditional way to cook it is to leave it undrawn(with the guts still inside) and the head still attached. the legs are then trussed with the beek and the bird roasted (only takes about 10-12 minutes max) on a slice of toast, as the bird cooks the inards flow out onto the toast to be eaten and is regarded as the best peice by some people! the head would also be split open to allow the brain to be eaten and the bird served medium so it is not dry. most people make the mistake of overcooking game. Im a professional chef and have worked and cooked woodcock like this many times in michelin stared restaurants on the continent where they go crazy for it,snipe is also served in the same way.Unfortunately game is not enjoyed as much here back home!

marlin vs

Last night I put a woodcock into tin-foil with a decent bit of garlic butter and small bit of chilli flakes and wrapped it well,chucked it into the open fire at 8-15,took it out at 8-30 turned on ear to the ground, and picked at it while I watched the programme.Tasty out and a simple handy snack.:D

ronn

thanks lads,, have the oven heating:D