Sunday, January 18, 2009

Wild Game Meats - How Do They Taste?

Wild game meats are becoming increasingly popular on dinner tables and restaurant menus, not only due to their lower fat and cholesterol content, but also because they are easy to cook. More and more people are trying such wild game meats like buffalo meat, ostrich meat, alligator meat, and even rattlesnake meat, which are all available via online specialty sources. However, the big question most consumers have is - how do wild game meats taste? As developers of one of the top online websites about wild game meats, we’ve tried just about every type imaginable, in various recipes. While you won’t hear us utter the phrase “it tastes just like chicken”, we’ll give you our own personal taste descriptions for 6 popular wild game meats. Buffalo (bison) meat is much like beef with a few notable exceptions.

Buffalo meat is considerably leaner than beef and contains 30% less fat. Buffalo burgers and buffalo steaks benefit from cooking at lower heat levels, and tend to be a denser texture vs. beef. What that means is a serving of buffalo meat will tend to fill you up faster than a regular burger, for example. Buffalo meat is just a bit sweeter than beef as well. It can be cooked exactly the same way as beef, and can easily be substituted in recipes. Alligator meat has been a staple of Florida menus for years, with good reason. Alligator meat tastes great! It’s usually served as tenders or nuggets, but is also available to consumers as steaks. With a taste similar to veal, alligator meat is a white meat with roughly the same consistency as chicken breast but denser in flavor and somewhat more chewy, but not tough.

Elk are a part of the deer family, and elk roasts, burgers, and steaks are now available. Elk, like most wild game meats, is extremely low fat. Elk meat is dark, usually a deep amber color, and offers a pleasant somewhat sweet taste. Some say it tastes similar to venison. Pheasant: Most have heard of pheasant under glass, but pheasant meat can be prepared in the same manner as any poultry. Pheasant is very mild, similar in taste to a cornish hen. The meat is pink-white and very lean. Ostrich is a very lean meat with low fat content. We likened our ostrich burgers to lean ground sirloin burgers. Best cooked under low heat to medium rare, ostrich burgers are also very low in cholesterol. Lastly, rattlesnake meat. Rattlesnake is often found on southwestern menus as you might expect. In fact, rattlesnake chili is quite popular although rattlesnake can be prepared several ways. Rattlesnake is slightly chewy, similar to chicken breast and the same type of white meat. You shouldn’t be intimidated of wild game meats at all.

These meats available to consumers have been raised under specific state regulated conditions and are intended for individual consumers. In addition to their savory taste and healthy qualities, wild game meats are easy to prepare and increasingly available via online shipment.

Wild game meats like buffalo meat, elk meat, alligator meat, and rattlesnake meat are increasing in popularity due to their savory taste and low fat content. For free wild game meat recipes and more information, be sure to visit http://www.squidoo.com/wildgamemeats

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