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How to prepare game

After hunting small game in Ireland, there is nothing better than having dinner together. It’s the right time to enjoy warm, unique dishes prepared with game. We are talking about meats such as venison, deer, hare or even wild boar, guinea fowl, pheasant, wild rabbit. Very special animals because they require a very different treatment from the typical beef or pork that we cook every day. Let’s find out everything you should know about wild game. To prevent game meat from being too tough – it is less fatty than farmed meat – it must undergo maturation, which varies from animal to animal in terms of time and manner. It consists of a maturing process of the meat, to make it softer and juicier, and must take place at constant temperatures between 0 and 4 degrees. To ripen, the animal’s innards must be removed and it must then be hung in a cool, ventilated place for a period of 2 to 4 days. The time depends on the animal: for poultry, for example, a couple of days is sufficient, while wild boar and deer require more time.

Small game in Ireland: how to make meat tasty

Marinating is a very simple step for preparing small game in Ireland. You soak the meat in wine, red or white, and various spices to make it tender and tasty and to eliminate that wild flavour that not everyone appreciates. To prepare the marinade, you pour half a litre of red wine, two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, two of vinegar, a few peppercorns, 3 bay leaves, 10 juniper berries, 1 raw chopped carrot and 1 chopped onion into a bowl large enough to hold the piece of meat. Marinating also allows the meat to keep longer. It is sufficient to leave the meat in the marinade for about 12 hours, but the timing varies depending on the type of animal, so it is best to always ask your butcher for advice.