Strong. Wild. Distinctive.
These are some of the more objective words to describe that particular quality of undomesticated game meat. As a matter of preference, it comes as little surprise to me that some people actually seek out this aspect of flavor as something desirable; I am not one of those people! Gamey flavor reminds me of the things that went wrong in food prep. It makes me fixate on one overpowering flavor and things other than what I should be focused on -- enjoying distinct, sometimes nuanced flavors, aromas, textures, and their combinations and contributions in a meal.
The cause of gamey flavors, without delving too deeply into the science of taste and aromatics, indicates alignments on a matrix of butchering techniques, time, animal diet, food preparation, animal age, time of harvest, and bacterial action, in no particular order. In any case it does not always indicate meat spoilage. In fact, spoilage in my experience (thankfully relatively limited) is altogether a different smell and taste, and instantly recognizable.
Assuming the meat has been properly butchered and no spoilage has occurred, it's assumed that gamey flavors will still be present in wild harvested meat to some degree.
How do I reduce or eliminate gamey flavors?
Another word -- preparation. This is one of those things that can't be whipped up or thrown together in a hurry. Prep time can always be reduced, but the success of the results is unfortunately inverse to the time taken to do this properly. But don't get discouraged! As with most recipes, I'm talking about a certain amount of experimentation and latitude. Again, personal preference dictates the level of what is acceptable and what is not.
Some of the primary sources of off-flavors in meat comes from blood, oxygen, and the various naturally-occurring acids, as well as their interaction with cooking liquids, metals in cooking utensils, etc. What I have found is that eliminating as much blood as possible from the meat makes a huge difference in the resulting flavor.
Depending on the cut of meat and how it will be used -- i.e. hind quarter roast, shoulder stew meat, neck for chili, backstraps and tenderloins medallions -- determines the next step. If preparing a roast or other whole portions including the backstraps and tenderloins, I will make several vertical cuts into the cut. If making any other preparation in which the meat will be further cut up, ground, shredded, etc., it's best to cut the meat into chunks sized for whatever recipe will be used. Then I remove as much silverskin and fat as possible, as these also contribute to off-flavors.
Solution(s)
I like to use a beverage pitcher that I keep for this purpose only because it's tall and narrow, with a wide opening. I find it easier to completely cover cuts of meat in this kind of vessel as opposed to a bowl, because unless I use a really huge bowl, I have to either weight down the meat or turn it after several hours for even coverage. On top of that, I can use less solution for more coverage when using the pitcher.
Primarily I use a milk solution for this "marinade." 2%, 1%, Skim, & Whole -- they can all be used effectively. I now use about a 60:40 ratio of milk to water. Cultured Buttermilk, Half & Half, Cream can be used as well, but the ratio changes slightly to about 50:50. In the past I used all milk, but once when I was short on the milk supply, I made up the difference with water -- and found the solution to be just as effective as straight milk.
Another solution I have used with excellent results is a brine of salt and water. As a rule of thumb, whenever I make up a brine, I want it to taste about as salty as ocean water. Usually I accomplish that with about 16:1 ratio of water to salt -- that's sixteen parts water to one part salt. For my pitcher, that works out to about 8 cups of water to 1/2 cup of salt. Of course, the meat will displace some of that water, so I adjust accordingly, subtracting a tablespoon per 1/2 lb. of meat. Dissolve the salt in about two cups of water, pour over meat; fill the vessel the rest of the way with clean water.
I pour the liquid over the meat, not the other way around. It's hard to gauge how much liquid the meat will displace, so it's easier to place the meat in the pitcher first. Cover the pitcher, and put in the refrigerator overnight or at least 8 hours. As I mentioned above, the key to success depends on how long the meat is allowed to marinate, but don't overdo it. With the milk solution, the time limit is more forgiving, but the salt solution can potentially make the meat too salty if left for more than 10 hours. One note, when using the salt solution, you don't need to use near as much salt in your recipe as you normally would as the meat will be pre-seasoned.
As this works over several hours, the solution will pull blood from the meat and turn pinkish. Try not to think about it too much, just appreciate that it's working. Drain the solution off after the allotted time, then fill the pitcher back up to fully rinse off any solution that remains, drain, and proceed as your recipe directs.
Summary
- Trim as much fat, silverskin, tendons, and membranes as possible from the meat.
- Cut meat into size as dictated by the recipe.
- Put meat into a large vessel, preferably a pitcher.
- Pour milk then water into vessel in a 60:40 ratio, or 50:50 using heavier grades of milk. If using salt solution, prepare 16:1, water to salt.
- Soak / marinate in refrigerator no longer than 10 hours if using salt; milk solution can be left longer.
- Pour off solution; refill vessel with clean water to rinse.
- Pour off water and use meat as recipe dictates.
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