Got Game?

Noooo! We're not talking about starting a pick-up basketball game. Nor are we at a club, comparing notes with other Pick-up Artists. Pick ups have nothing to do with the matter, unless you are referring to what you do with what you just shot or pulled into your boat. This post is about that special cuisine ... the kind some people absolutely love and some people absolutely cannot stomach (because it tastes "too gamey"). For many, it's an acquired taste, due largely to the fact that it is all they have to eat.

I was once foolish enough to sample a platter of wild game at a local German restaurant. I kept thinking about missing dogs and feral cats as I ate. By the way, that place has since gone out of business.

Venison, rabbit, pheasant, quail ... even bear; I've seen all of these on my plate. Each time, I ate what was put before me out of politeness ... or fear ... after all, the chef has a gun and knows how to use it. Right?

Yet, two things always seem to endure in these situations. The first is the number of people that simply relish wild game. On a recent television show, the meth heads were actually trading venison for their drug of choice. The second enduring phenomenon entails the emphatic reassurances from your host, that the game has been cooked in such a way that you won't notice the usual taste. It reminds you of all those idiots that kept giving you recipes for how to cook liver and make it taste like something palatable. Ugh!

One blog I recommend you visit, before you accept anything your neighbor, friend or spouse just bagged and butchered, is Chef John McGannon's "WildEats Enterprises". It will give you the kind of advice you really need ... namely the kind of preparation you will need to cook something savory. Of course, he's out to sell you some seasonings, but if it gives you the ability to finish eating what's on the table - who cares?

Check out this sample dish from Chef McGannon:

                         Chili-Glazed Venison Meatloaf with Roasted Sweet Potatos

 http://www.wildeats.com/