MOOSE !!!


 
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Dave Cason

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Hi Everyone!

I have a small "hunk" o' moose sitting in my freezer right now, total weight about 19-20 lbs.

He's about 18" long and 10" wide and about 6" thick. I'm gonna sorta wrap him in a ball for the WSM.

Does anyone have any suggestions for recipes or do you have a idea of how long he'll take to cook?

I do have my shiney new Polder Model 362 to get a reading but how should I use it to know when Bullwinkle is ready to be inhaled?

HELP!! (grin)

Cheers'
Dave
 
Will need to know what cut of (hold nose and repeat after me) moooOOOOOoooose meat you have. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
In my opinion moose meat is the best meat I have ever eaten. The tenderer cuts surpass any beef available anywhere (again, my opinion, but one which I share with many others). However, there isn't a cervid on this continent with leaner meat. Therefore, you are not going to treat your roast (which I assume you have) like a pork butt on the WSM and get satisfactory results without the use of a barding needle and lardoons.
 
Never had moose but I doooo like buffalo. Would it too require the use of the medievil instrumunts you describe. What are they?
 
I have cooked both moose and buffalo and because they are both extremely lean you must be careful not to overcook. With both meats, what I would do is the same as brisket. I would place moose/ buffalo on the lower rack and a big old pork butt above, to render its fat over the moose/buffalo. This will help to ensure a moist result. Cook till an internal of 138-145 F and enjoy. The danger of cooking to a higher internal may leave you with the largest chunk of jerky you have ever
 
Among North American wild animals, only bear and feral hogs have flavorful fat, and feral hogs don't really count as wild animals, even the ones that forage exclusively on roots, grasses and mast. Fat must be trimmed away from all other wild meat and done so meticulously. This reality contributed to the virtual extinction of the black bear and his precious cargo of fat in the eastern half of this country by settlers who emigrated from lard-based cooking cultures.

The tenderer cuts of cervids are cooked best hot and fast, the hotter and faster the better. The working-meat cuts, those high in connective tissue, are best prepared through braising and stewing?through cooking low and slow in a sealed, moist environment?because they do not have the intramuscular fat to keep them moist during the transformation of collagen to gelatin.

Based upon this understanding, my guess is you would have to introduce fat from grain fed animals or else your meat will be dry beyond description if your intention is to cook game roasts on the WSM in the manner of brisket or pork butt. I think you'd also be advised to drape slices of fresh side (uncured bacon or pork belly, however you describe it) over the meat and also lace it intramuscularly with lardoons. I don't know that renderings from a pork butt placed over the meat would accomplish what needs done.

My barding needle will take a piece of fat 5/16" square by up to 16" in length. It has a pointed end to pierce the meat, and the act of passing it one way through the meat (the needle separates from the handle for this purpose) leaves the fat behind.

Not counting the chickens that we raise, at least 90 percent or more of our meat diet comes from wild game meat. I've only ever used the barding needle a few times, and only then in covered roasts. If you braise correctly, no real need for it.

To quote Alton Brown, "braises and stews are the finest edibles on earth." He basis his judgment on domestic meat. Braised meat from wild cervids is fit more for the celestial plain. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
 
I've cooked a lot of moose, elk and venison roasts. I generally marinade over night then cook them in the following manner. I quess you can say that I steam bbq them as I fill the water pan with boiling water and cook at a temp of 300-325F. I turn the roast over about halfway through, which I find to about 18min/lb. You can also produce a nice result if you ask/purchase some beef fat caps from your buther that you can place over or tie on to the roast. I start the cook at a higher temp of about 425-450 for 20 mins or so. The results have always been very good. Good luck and bon appetit!
Ken
 
OK guys ......

First of all it is a its a rump or inside/outside round taken from the hind quarters from a moose heres a nice picture of it !! (grin)

Right now its frozen in the freezer with 65 layers of saran wrap around it.

It's been a while since I have been able to Post (sorry for that) so I'll start at the top:

1. What is a barding needle and what is a lardoon? It's sounds like a Welsh beer or something! (grin)

2. Jim says to render the fat over the moose while cooking ... is that because the moose will dry out so fast in the smoker? So just let it drip on to the slab of moose on the lower grill?

3. I agree with Dean, moose rocks that's why I don't want to blow this roast ... it'll take me three years to get my game tag to replace it if it screws up. He says to drape it with fresh side (un-cured bacon). I don't know what that is, sorry, it's not the same as the stuff in the packages is it? I'm guessing I can get it from our local Safeway or a decent butcher shop?

4. Then lace it intramuscularly with lardoons, I'm guessing thats a tool I shove in to the roast to stuff more of the same kind of bacon in different places to keep it moist? How many pieces and where? It goes back to #1 about what is a lardoon?

5. He then says if you braise correctly, no real need for it. OK, so I don't need to use the lardoons or do I use them? What's braiseing?

6. Ken says I can use beef fat caps, so I guess either one will work. I am going to safely assume that the roast will dry out pretty quick on the WSM so that's why I need to use all of your suggestions?

............................................

I just realized I don't know how to post .jpg's here and I don't know what a UBB is, so if you e-mail me at home at dcason@shaw.ca I'll scoot you a picture of the frozen puppy ! (grin)

It's now frozen in to a ball it's got a circumfrence of about 33" it's diam. is 12" and it 8" high. Before I froze it, it was 18 " long 10 inches wide tapering in at the ends and about 6 inches thick at the thickest point.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP EVERYONE !!!

Cheers'
Dave
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dave Cason:
[qb]I just realized I don't know how to post .jpg's here...[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>See the FAQ for info on how to post images.

Regards,
Chris
 
Larding Needle Set

"Larding" is a process by which you run strips of salt pork or suet through lean meat to give it moisture and extra flavor. A "larding needle" is used to do this. Instructions on larding can be found in basic cookbooks such as "The Joy of Cooking". Larding makes a major difference in the results, and it's well worth doing if you do any significant amount of roast cookery. Larded Beef
(or larded anything else) is essentially artificially marbled with fat. Prime beef,
for example, as opposed to lesser beef grades, has little flecks of visible fat interspersed through it. By using a larding needle you can add flavor and moisture to the leanest cuts of meat and wild game. Great gift idea!
From
lardons; lardoons [LAHR-don; lahr-DOON]
1. Narrow strips of fat used to LARD meats. 2. The French also use the term lardon to refer to bacon that has been diced, blanched and fried.
 
2. Jim says to render the fat over the moose while cooking ... is that because the moose will dry out so fast in the smoker? So just let it drip on to the slab of moose on the lower grill?

That is correct. The Butt will render its fat onto the moose roast and keep it moist and will add some flavour. Watch the temp of the moose as it will cook at a different rate than the pork.
 
Thanks Guys !!

I'll go find a larding neddle I guess ...

Does anyone know where I can buy one and what do I use for the actual fat, I'll go to the store and see if I can get pieces of pork fat I guess.

I'll try to cut them up as Dean suggested, so between that and the pork butt on the top grill like Jim says, running at 138-145 that should keep the boy moist? (grin)


Any ideas or suggestions as to how many pieces I should put in the moose? What would you guys suggest as a smoke wood? All I can find up here in Calgary for real wood is "Apple" for whole chunks but I have bags of shavings for every other kind of smoke wood there is. I have been using the shavings wrapped in foil and poked with a pencil to let it out ...it seems to work OK.

Hey Ken ... what were you useing a marinade over night? Do you use rubs or mopping when doing the moose?

Cheers'
Dave
 
Hi Dave,
Hey I'm located about an hour away from you. Yes, I marinade over night with a wine, oil, spice mix. You might be able to find a larding needle at Russell Food Equipment or a Butchers & Packers, or other restaurant supply stores. I'm not sure if there is a Barbeque Country store in Calgary but they carry a selection of chunk wood for smoking. I generally do rub my game roasts after the marinade. I have not used a mopping sauce as I usually try to put a fat cap on my roasts.

On edit, here is the site for the Calgary branch of Russell's:
http://www.russellfood.ca/branches/calgary.htm
 
Hi Ken .....

So you can get chuck smoke wood around here?

What's BBQ Country is that a local store out near you if so and they have smoke wood on whole chucks instead of the darn shavings I have to get here in town at BBQ Galore ...I'm on the way!!

(grin)

Cheers'
Dave
 
Oh, you mean "chunk wood". I thought for a moment there was a special wood for doing chuck roasts. /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif
 
Dave, BBQ Country is a store up in Edmonton and they sell chunk wood. I have not checked the Calgary directory but there must be one there as well. To be truthful I use the chips most of the time because they are easier to find. I just put the in a tinfoil wrap and poke some holes in it.

I just went to their website and they carry the Weber chunks.
http://www.barbecuecountry.com/products/default.html
 
Yea, Sorry ....

I was so jazzed about being able to get chuck wood up here I was not really typing clearly.

But I think you can use chuck wood for chunky tasteing chucks ! (grin)

Cheers'
Dave
 
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