Exotic Meats

[tstalafuse]

So, I need help, and I naturally thought of you.

I was asked to help a friend, who I had competed against, do a cook to raise money for a volunteer fire department, to which I said absolutely I would love to help. I am thinking it is going to be the typical brisket, rib, pork butt type fair, which will also be included.

However, it turns out he wants me to cook the exotic meats for the VIPs who are paying a lot to taste the exotics, which include everything from Waygu brisket (exotic to me since I have never cooked one) to Mountain Lion and all the deer, antelope, wild boar in between. Yes, you read Mountain Lion correctly, which was obtained legally before anyone asks. Yes, I said everything I could to not be chosen to cook the exotics, but I confess part of me said hmm, I ain't never tasted no Terran before.. (Guardian of the Galaxy reference for fun).

My understanding is most if not all will be the "tenderloin" from the animals, but I don't exactly have a recipe for seasoning and cooking these types of meats. The only thing I feel confident about is the meats will be extremely lean cuts. So, anyone out there have a recipe for Mountain Lion (gladly accepting help/recommendations for any other exotic type meats as well)...

[ofelles]

Wow, he seems to had a lot of confidence in your cooking. Or you pissed him off cause you won the competition.
The wild boar is an easy one just like regular pork only a little leaner. The flavor is determined by it's age and diet. Antelope is very close to deer and plenty of folks on here cook deer and will chime in. Good luck on the Lion.
Be sure and let us know how everything turns out.
My $.02

[Old Glory]

Here are a few videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8p5ze4nXJA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn4aInn2bek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJbG2yHHW4Q

[nvgraham]

In my experience, with most wild game, the biggest issue is to not overcook it. The meat is so lean that if you go anything over medium it turns into shoe leather and becomes inedible. Some of it will also depend on the type of animal. For example, Nilgai antelope is some of the most mild, and delicious meat you will ever have - on the other hand, standard pronghorn that comes from areas where they eat more sage is very gamey, and you'll need to cover that with spices. I agree on the wild boar comments, that's much easier than most game.

One significant tip I would mention is that you want to trim most if not all of the fat off. Unlike beef, game fat tends to have a very strong flavor profile that some of your guests might find off putting.

My suggestion would be to learn as much about the specific proteins you are getting, then plan preparation around that. The gamier (I would guess Mountain Lion would be in this category) use a lot of spice - if you are lucky enough to have something super delicious like Nilgai, then consider tartare - it will really just depend on whether you want to highlight the inherent flavor of the meat, or cover its weaknesses.

[bbqLuv]

I have been told Mountain Lion is very tasty.
SPG works well on feral pigs and deer meat. Feral hog makes fine table fare.
I find game meat lean and easy to dry out.
I look forward to a review of your cook, Please and thank you.

[Murdy]

You may want to research or post a question in the Meat sub forum at Rokslide ( https://www.rokslide.com/ ). It's a hunting website, and several say they eat mountain lion. The MeatEater website may have some information as well ( https://www.themeateater.com/ ).