I had kangaroo for dinner last night. It kind of tastes like a cross between lamb’s fry and beef only without the disgusting texture of liver and it doesn’t taste or smell as strong either. I think it’s nice and since it’s more environmentally friendly than beef in Australia (and a heck of a lot cheaper), I prefer it.

All game meats have different flavors and textures.

Elk and deer (venison) have relatively the same taste and texture. They are similar to beef, but usually have a “gamier” taste. There isn’t a way for me to explain that taste to you… you have to taste it for yourself.

They also tend to have a lot less fat and be more tough. Cows are fed to be FAT, and don’t do a lot of moving around so the meat is more tender. Elk and venison are usually really good in braised dishes, or as ground meat. You can use them in the same applications as you would ground beef or any tougher steak or roast.

Uncooked rabbit has a similar texture to uncooked chicken, but again, it has it’s own taste. These tend to not have a ton of fat either, but are usually pretty tender.

Bear is a very dark, greasy sort of meat. It’s pretty interesting, but rarely do you see it.

Rattlesnake has a similar texture to fish (it flakes), but tastes like a cross between chicken and fish, without the “sea” flavor that comes with fish.

My dad hunts, and I’ve seen him do this:You have to eviserate the animal pretty soon after it dies. All living animals produce urea, and this will start to break down the organs and cause belly burn, or gut rot.

Then meat must be hung. You can’t just kill it, skin it, and eat it. (Well… you can, but it won’t taste good.) This is called green meat. It usually needs to hang for about a week before you can eat it. This is the same process that beef goes through before it’s vacuum-sealed and wet-cured, or dry-cured.

Depending upon where he is, he’ll usually just put the animal in the back of the truck, and take it to a butcher in town. They’ll do all the cleaning and hanging, and then break it down into steaks, roasts, or grind it.

You can store all of this meat in the freezer just like any other meat you buy at the grocery store.

I’ve had elk and venison steaks, elk and venison burgers, elk and venison in spaghetti sauce, rabbit in paella, and just sauteed bear meat.

I like it all, but I also grew up in New Mexico… LOTS of people there hunt, and you can go buy venison, elk, proghorned antelope, and oryx meat at the local butcher shop. Of course, no one there even knows what foie gras is! It’s a regional thing… and I wouldn’t change where I’m from for the world!