Ross OMeara - Wild Meat - The Complete Fuide to Cooking Game

has also managed to keep hunting sustainable
as a food source.

Australia has many environmentally damaging
introduced species that need to be controlled,
as well as a few native species but we need to
start actually using this protein, rather than culling
and simply leaving it. Most Australians would
hate to admit it, but New Zealand is so far in front
of us when it comes to game management, with
New Zealanders having embraced the hunting
harvesting lifestyle and utilising its game as
a resource.

As a hunter with a food background, I have
compiled this book of wild game recipes with the
idea of also giving hunters, from novices to old
hands, knowledge about the breakdown of the
animals they harvest in the field. Some will have their
own methods and may not agree with what I have
put down in these pages, but there are so many ways
to approach field harvesting to get the same result.

I dont declare myself to be an expert, but I have
worked with food all my working life, and I take an
approach that I hope many will find accessible.

The recipes themselves are very approachable,
with a strong theme of making things from scratch.

I have also linked the selected animal species
covered in this book with similar or comparable
species from other parts of the world to substitute
in the recipes.

As hunters, we are custodians of the bush.

There may be a bit of earnestness in my words,
but I do believe that the more we take responsibility
for the meat we eat, and for our whole food chain
generally, the better off we will all be. And what
better than free- range, cruelty- free, organic,
hormone- free, grass- fed protein, which helps keep
our natural ecosystems in balance and conserve
our parks and wild lands around the globe.

I had a time in my life when I took full responsibility
for my familys food production. For years, we
had a small- hold farm on Bruny Island, off southern
Tasmania, where we raised and harvested all our
own protein. And since I am a bad gardener, we
swapped vegies for meat. We raised old- breed,
free- range pigs, which I processed into old- style
charcuterie, and some we sold as fresh pork. We
had just enough sheep to keep the paddock under
control, and some goats for a while, until they got the
better of us. Chickens were great for eggs and
the odd dinner, and partridge came and went.
Then I would hunt for deer, rabbits, possum,
hare and goats.

When I first started hunting, I called myself a
game harvester, as I looked at game only as meat
that I was accessing for my own consumption, or for
commercial sale. These days, I consider myself a
hunter, as I am more inclined to manage the areas
I hunt. I dont have the need to take just any animal
that I see, and I now feed my family and others with
the meat that I harvest in the field. As hunters, I feel
we have a responsibility to sustain this resource for
future generations.

North America has implemented great hunting
management with their tag system, which helps
with the conservation of species and keeps the
wildlife abundant. I havent made the trip to hunt
over there yet, but hope to visit soon. Europe, with
its deeply embedded hunting traditions and history,
I THINK, BACK THEN, IT WOULDVE
BEEN [ MORE] ABOUT THE PRODUCT,
WHICH IS THE WAY WERE TURNING
THESE DAYS. PEOPLE ARE RELYING
ON BETTER- QUALITY MEAT AND
DOING AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE
TO IT.
Ready for the hunt

Sambar deer grazing

Backfat
The top layer of fat of a pig,
starting at the neck and
finishing at the shoulders.

Bakers flour
This type of flour has a higher
protein content than regular
flour. It is also known as
strong flour or bread flour.

Caping
Refers to the act of skinning
an animal for a trophy mount.

Caul fat
The fat that surrounds the
internal organs of animals.

It is also called lace fat and
crpinette. In Europe, it is
used to keep meat moist
during cooking and roasting.

If you cant get it, you can use
streaky bacon or prosciutto.

Cultured butter
Butter that has had the cream
fermented before the churning
process, resulting in a richer
and more tangy flavour.

Dressing
The act of removing the pelt
or skin from a carcass.

Lard
Rendered- down animal fat,
which is widely available in
supermarkets these days.

Pure sea salt
Less refined than table salt,
pure sea salt doesnt contain
anti- caking agents.

Salt, for seasoning
As a golden rule, the perfect
amount of salt for burgers,