Other Game Meats

Cooking tips

Rabbit

Rabbit is great for winter warmer meals such as rabbit pie or rabbit stew. Use ingredients such as bay leaves, lemon zest, bacon, onions, rosemary, garlic and parsley - these all work well in rabbit recipes.

Before starting to cook the rabbit, it is recommended that you soak it in a mixture of 1.5lts of water and 175ml of white wine vinegar for 30 minutes. The best herbs for flavouring rabbit are rosemary, sage, bay leaf, thyme, fennel and basil. Rabbit meat can be a little watery so it is recommended to heat it in a frying pan for a few minutes until dry. It usually takes 45-60 minutes to cook.

Jointing a rabbit or hare

1. Cut off the hind legs by inserting a strong, pointed knife into the ball and socket joint, just above each thigh.
2. Cut the forelegs off in one piece, slicing cleanly through the rib cage.
3. Split the forelegs down the middle. The forelegs, saddle and hind legs of the rabbit can be divided in to five pieces. If you do not want to keep the saddle whole for roasting, cut into serving size pieces.

Venison

Our wild venison comes from the South East of South Australia - the fillet, the saddle, the loin and the whole leg, make good roasting cuts. The loin can also be eaten as chops which Wild Oz have prepared in store, as well as shanks, sausages and mince just to name a few. Venison, particularly wild venison is a very lean meat which can therefore dry out easily if overcooked, as with kangaroo meat, we recommend marinating in olive oil prior to cooking. You can also add vinegar, spices, red wine to flavour the marinade. Adding crushed Juniper berries adds interesting flavour and works really well with Venison.

When roasting, allow 25 minutes per 450g in a moderate to hot oven. Fillet should be seared in a HOT pan to medium rare, do not over cook.

Serving suggestions

Venison can be served with redcurrant jelly or cranberry sauce and goes particularly well with the following flavours; thyme, rosemary, orange or lemon juice, cloves, cinnamon and juniper.

Wild Goat

Cuts such as loin chops and cutlets derived from the loin can be pan fried or grilled but it is best to marinate them in an oil based marinade before cooking. Mini-roastsand leg roasts can be roasted in a moderate oven for approximately an hour per kilo, but for best results cover them and cook slowly with a low moist heat (150C). Goat forequarter chops and diced are best used for casseroles and curries.
Because goat is such a mild tasting meat, there are a wide variety of flavours that work well with it, these include; garlic, curry, ginger, chilli, rosemary, lime, mint, tomato and wine.

Wild Pork

Wild pork has a darker colour and a tighter grain than domestic pork. It has a unique flavour which is richer than farm bred pork. The most tender cuts come from the loin, these cuts can be pan fried or grilled. It is recommended to slow cook other cuts such as forequarter chops or mini-roasts. Wild pork may be prepared using pork or venison recipes.