Red pot with vegetables and meat next to a plate with noodles topped with the meat and vegetables.

Tips

  • After the kill, be sure to DRESS OUT the animal properly and CHILL QUICKLY. The flavor of the meat depends on careful field handling. For information about how to do this safely, see North Dakota State University Extension's Wild Side of the Menu Fact Sheets.
  • Remove as much fat as possible when cutting and wrapping.
  • Thaw frozen game completely in the refrigerator.
  • Trim away fat BEFORE cooking if it was not done when the game was processed. Fat from wild game adds to the "gamey" flavor.
  • When cooking, add other fat or liquid to keep the meat from becoming too dry.
  • Serve game meat very hot or very cold. Lukewarm game fat has a greasy taste.
  • Most recipes that call for ground meat can use ground meat made from wild game.
  • Use medium heat and cook to medium well (160°F). Overcooking wild game will make it tough.
  • Game animals have leaner muscles and the meat can become dry quickly. Good ways to cook it are broiling, baking, and cooking in a liquid

Marinades

Some of the less tender cuts of game meat may be soaked in a marinade. A marinade is a liquid which can tenderize and cover up "gamey" flavors. Cover the meat with one of the following:

  1. Mixture of 2 cups vinegar or lime juice, 2 cups water, and 1/4 cup sugar or honey.
  2. French or Italian dressing.
  3. Barbecue sauce or tomato juice, sauce, or soup.
  4. Milk or buttermilk.
  5. Mixture of garlic, soy sauce, and steak sauce.

Place marinating game meat in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Cook as dsired.

Throw away extra marinade - Do NOT reuse!

Herbs or spices of your choice can be added to any marinade. Parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, or basil are all good with game meat. A package of dry onion soup mix can reduce the "gamey" flavor of roasts.

Featured Recipes

Wild Game Soup

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add wild rice, stir and cover, and simmer on low for 40 minutes. Strain off any remaining liquid when finished cooking and set aside.Meanwhile, brown the ground wild game in a pan over medium heat until fully cooked. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess fat and set aside.In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat then add the onion and carrots and cook for about 8-10 minutes.Add the mushrooms, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes.Add the dried herbs, pepper to taste, and hominy. Stir well and let cook for about one minute.

 Wild Game soup

 

Snapshot of the Wild Game fact sheet pdf

Printable PDF

A printable version of our WIld Game fact sheet can be viewed here.