Teach me how to cook moose so it doesn't end up as cardboard!
December 3, 2011 4:55 PM Subscribe
Give me your best moose recipes, please!
The SO's father hunts in his spare time and as such, cuts of moose and other game gets generously given sometimes.
I usually go to allrecipes or some such for my recipe hunting, but a search for 'moose' usually gets me things about 'mousse' instead, and I'm not looking for dessert!! Due to the toughness of moose it's pretty hard to adapt recipes from, say, beef. (Although I've never done a big roast beef; not sure if it'd be similar.)
Equipment available: stovetop, oven, slowcooker. Slow cooker recipes should stay within the 6-8 hour range (overnight is possible, but not for the particular instance tomorrow. I'd still appreciate a fantastic 15 hour moose recipe, but I just won't be able to use it for tomorrow).
Thanks!
The SO's father hunts in his spare time and as such, cuts of moose and other game gets generously given sometimes.
I usually go to allrecipes or some such for my recipe hunting, but a search for 'moose' usually gets me things about 'mousse' instead, and I'm not looking for dessert!! Due to the toughness of moose it's pretty hard to adapt recipes from, say, beef. (Although I've never done a big roast beef; not sure if it'd be similar.)
Equipment available: stovetop, oven, slowcooker. Slow cooker recipes should stay within the 6-8 hour range (overnight is possible, but not for the particular instance tomorrow. I'd still appreciate a fantastic 15 hour moose recipe, but I just won't be able to use it for tomorrow).
Thanks!
Will be in from the desktop in the morning and translate some Swedish recipes for you. Moose (älg) is pretty common here, so I should be able to hook you up with some noms.
posted by Iteki at 5:05 PM on December 3, 2011
posted by Iteki at 5:05 PM on December 3, 2011
Not sure what a bottle moose is, but here's a recipe for stew from Newfoundland.
You could also google "moose meat" in quotations, that should eliminate mousse results.
posted by sarae at 5:31 PM on December 3, 2011
You could also google "moose meat" in quotations, that should eliminate mousse results.
posted by sarae at 5:31 PM on December 3, 2011
Moose Roast in a Slow Cooker: "The meat was so tender that you could cut it with a fork."
[and a recipe for the Russian Dressing called for in the recipe, in case it's hard to find pre-made where you are]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:46 PM on December 3, 2011
[and a recipe for the Russian Dressing called for in the recipe, in case it's hard to find pre-made where you are]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:46 PM on December 3, 2011
We substitute moose for beef or goat or lamb in curry recipes. It helps if you've got a pressure cooker, though, and it takes more like 30 minutes on pressure as opposed to the just under 20 for beef. Moose borgouignon is also very good.
posted by leahwrenn at 6:27 PM on December 3, 2011
posted by leahwrenn at 6:27 PM on December 3, 2011
You don't say what cuts you have, that will affect how you cook it (obviously). Some of the more tender cuts could be cooked like steak (fast and high heat), while a tough cut, like a tough cut of beef (roasts) would be cooked at a low temperature for a long time. Moose doesn't have as much fat so you might have to add more in the form of bacon or duck fat or something. I know a lot of deer meat comes as minced/ground meat and cube steak so it isn't hard (or particularly interesting) to cook.
You can substitute moose for venison, according to The Joy of Cooking. They recommend either barding or larding to make sure there's enough fat. Larding is putting small pieces of bacon (or salt pork) into the surface of the meat. Use a small knife to put little cuts over the meat and then stick the bacon in. Barding is wrapping the meat in bacon.
Cooking times and temperatures for different cuts are below:
Saddle Roast
Preheat to 550F. Lard a 6-7 lb saddle of venison/moose. Rub with 1 clove of garlic minced, butter. Place roast, fat side up, uncovered in roasting pan in oven. Reduce heat to 350F and cook for 20 minutes per pound.
Roast Leg
Same as above but bard the meat.
Steaks
For 1/2 inch steaks from young animals. Rub with garlic. Saute in 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp oil, 5-6 minutes per side. You can also marinate them before you cook - there's lots of choices but it looks like red wine, juniper berries, nutmeg, thyme, rosemary are some of your choices for complimentary flavours.
Braised
Good for older, tougher animals. Marinate for 12-48 hours turning occasionally. Pat dry. Preheat oven to 300F. Rub meat with garlic and dredge in flour. Brown meat in pan over high heat. Once meat is browned add vegetables (diced celery, chopped carrot, whole onion with 3 whole cloves stuck in it) and 2 cups stock (include the marinade if you want). Cover and bake for 2-3 hours (depending on how tough the meat is). Replenish the liquid if necessary.
Just a note that you may not want to use any recipes that call for bottled/jarred moose meat. This is moose that's been canned at home (or in the bush) so it's pre-cooked (and potentially a good way to get botulism). It's probably much more tender than your fresh moose.
Good luck! I'm jealous, I love moose meat.
posted by hydrobatidae at 7:23 PM on December 3, 2011
You can substitute moose for venison, according to The Joy of Cooking. They recommend either barding or larding to make sure there's enough fat. Larding is putting small pieces of bacon (or salt pork) into the surface of the meat. Use a small knife to put little cuts over the meat and then stick the bacon in. Barding is wrapping the meat in bacon.
Cooking times and temperatures for different cuts are below:
Saddle Roast
Preheat to 550F. Lard a 6-7 lb saddle of venison/moose. Rub with 1 clove of garlic minced, butter. Place roast, fat side up, uncovered in roasting pan in oven. Reduce heat to 350F and cook for 20 minutes per pound.
Roast Leg
Same as above but bard the meat.
Steaks
For 1/2 inch steaks from young animals. Rub with garlic. Saute in 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp oil, 5-6 minutes per side. You can also marinate them before you cook - there's lots of choices but it looks like red wine, juniper berries, nutmeg, thyme, rosemary are some of your choices for complimentary flavours.
Braised
Good for older, tougher animals. Marinate for 12-48 hours turning occasionally. Pat dry. Preheat oven to 300F. Rub meat with garlic and dredge in flour. Brown meat in pan over high heat. Once meat is browned add vegetables (diced celery, chopped carrot, whole onion with 3 whole cloves stuck in it) and 2 cups stock (include the marinade if you want). Cover and bake for 2-3 hours (depending on how tough the meat is). Replenish the liquid if necessary.
Just a note that you may not want to use any recipes that call for bottled/jarred moose meat. This is moose that's been canned at home (or in the bush) so it's pre-cooked (and potentially a good way to get botulism). It's probably much more tender than your fresh moose.
Good luck! I'm jealous, I love moose meat.
posted by hydrobatidae at 7:23 PM on December 3, 2011
Response by poster: I know, mentioning the cuts would help, but I don't know them. I am horrible with regards to identifying cuts of meat, or even remembering what they all mean and how to best cook the individual cuts. (At the grocery store, most times I just grab the cheapest thing around.) SO can't remember details on cuts half the time either. And seeing as the packages from his father didn't have writing on the paper wrappers, we're pretty out of luck; even his father won't remember anymore.
That said, I think tomorrow's feast will be a roast (rump? Saddle? Who knows).
My vote's on sticking it in the slow cooker or making a stew, but feel free to keep the suggestions coming! Next time we might plan this out a little better and use some of the recipes that require marinating.
I love game meat, and Metafilter. Thanks again all!
posted by Hakaisha at 7:57 PM on December 3, 2011
That said, I think tomorrow's feast will be a roast (rump? Saddle? Who knows).
My vote's on sticking it in the slow cooker or making a stew, but feel free to keep the suggestions coming! Next time we might plan this out a little better and use some of the recipes that require marinating.
I love game meat, and Metafilter. Thanks again all!
posted by Hakaisha at 7:57 PM on December 3, 2011
hunter angler gardener cook blog has a whole bunch of venison recipes you could try.
posted by vespabelle at 11:21 PM on December 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by vespabelle at 11:21 PM on December 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
Hunter Angler Gardener Cook blog link.
Never seen it, but vespabelle's comment made me look it up. Thanks.
posted by Seamus at 12:15 AM on December 4, 2011
Never seen it, but vespabelle's comment made me look it up. Thanks.
posted by Seamus at 12:15 AM on December 4, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Personally, I think moose is way too lean as it is, so larding, or making sausage are my first choice. If you're not familiar with how wild game tastes, you might want to ease into it.
posted by Ideefixe at 5:04 PM on December 3, 2011 [1 favorite]