Exotic/Different meat cooking

[Mortblanc]

Killing, gutting and prepping a deer for consumption is not rocket science, I hear that even a cave man can do it.

I personally consider prepping deer easier than processing chickens, an activity I sincerely hate.

My son and I have processed two at a time on the patio picnic table in a couple of hours, well perhaps three hours, right down to boning, wrapping in butcher paper and depositing in the freezer.

Almost all animals go through the same process, more or less, no matter if they are rats, rabbits, squirrels, dogs, cats, deer, cattle, mutton or elephant. You get the insides out and reduce the meat into manageable portions. The first few times it may not be pretty, but as long as you get the meat into the pot that is what matters.

If one has never skinned and processed anything it is time to look in the local newspapers and find a supplier of meat rabbits, go to the provider, have them knock one in the head for you and talk you through the process while they watch and laugh. Then place it in a plastic bag, take it home and cook it on the charcoal fired Barbe.

Keep it high enough off the coals to avoid burning and give it 30-45 minutes sizzle time while turning every 5-10 minutes. When the meat near the bone is not pink it is done. When the meat has reached "done", or a temperature over 160f, most any parasite or other problem will have been eliminated by the cooking process.

Boiling is even better since the entire contents will reach 210f for an extended period of time and just about any problem that was present will have been eliminated. You boil water to purify it and you can do the same to "purify" your food if it is questionable.

Boiling is also the most efficient cooking method since none of the nutrients are wasted. You get the meat, the broth, any fat that was present and you will have the ability to add whatever foraged vegetable matter that is available right down to unprocessed grains.

Lack of knowledge of primitive cooking is a matter of avoiding the chances for training. One has to avoid ever cooking on a barbeque, ever building a campfire and boiling up a stew or cup of tea, ever cooking on the hearth of the home fireplace or experimenting with these things in any way.

You have to NOT do it on purpose if you call yourself "prepared" in any way yet still lack these skills!

It is truly something one can learn in the back yard, on the balcony of one's apartment or at the picnic tables available at most public parks. It is one of the things that can be transferred directly from the recreational sphere to survival use.