Why not grill game? - You need to know that

Wildburger – Grilling wild – Grill recipes and marinade Photo: djd/Kapuhs/DJV

Have you ever thought about grilling game? To venison too grilling, you need to know when to buy which meat. This is because hunting wild animals is only permitted at certain times of the year. Since we've been living in the country, we've noticed this every year. In autumn, the hunters wake us up early in the morning when they go duck hunting on the Alz. At our former place of residence in the Munich area, the hunters closed certain fields to general access during the hunting season. There they hunted primarily for rabbits, hares, wild boar and red deer. The hunting season for most game species is autumn and winter. Wild animals give birth to their young in spring and summer and hunting is not permitted during this time. During the closed season for wild animals, their meat is not for sale. Depending on the size of the animal population, the closed season can be longer.

Grilling wild means grilling organic meat

Venison comes from animals that grow up in nature. Without fattening feed. Without medication. Wild animals feed on what nature provides. Grilling game therefore always means low-fat meat on the grill. You should pay attention to this when choosing your Wild Grill recipes and marinades. Venison tastes very intense. You want to preserve this taste when grilling. It is therefore sufficient to soak the meat in a marinade of oil and herbs for three to four hours. Rosemary or thyme are good for this. Before you put the game meat on the grill, you should definitely wipe off the oil. Otherwise your venison roast will burst into flames.

Venison should be grilled slowly, as the meat tends to become tough if grilled too quickly. It's best to sear it sharply. Then you put the game meat on the edge of the grill or let it finish grilling one level higher. With a grill thermometer* (Display) you can easily monitor the core temperature of the meat. Deer and roe deer meat should still be pink inside. This works at a core temperature of 53 degrees Celsius. However, wild boar should be cooked through (core temperature 70 degrees).

Venison roulades for venison grilling — Game roulades for grilling game Photo: djd/Kapuhs/DJV

Local Vendors

If you want organic game meat, it is best to buy it directly from the hunter. There are more and more game parks where game is bred for sale. However, natural rearing is not guaranteed there. Feed and medication often play a role there.

The enjoyment of game on the grill is extraordinary, but the preparation is just as easy as with conventional meat. Under www.wild-auf-wild.de there are suggestions, recipes and tutorials about wild cuisine. There are also game suppliers and restaurants in the area. The meat of local wild animals has a high muscle content, is rich in vitamins and minerals and has a high proportion of omega-3 fatty acids. No wonder that 84 percent of Germans consider venison to be a natural and healthy food, as the result of a representative survey by the German Hunting Association (DJV) shows.

Wild shish kebab for wild grilling — Wild shashlik for wild grilling Photo: djd/DJV/Olaf Deharde

Venison grill recipe "Maibock shashlik"

A wild pleasure tip is the Maibock shashlik, refined with wild herbs, from the new cookbook "Food found*“by Jan Hrdlicka, Fabio Haebel and Olaf Deharde (advertisement).

Serves 4 people:

3 bay leaves
1 tbsp juniper berries
½ tbsp allspice
1 tbsp coriander seed
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 leg of venison (approx. 1,8 kg)
4 white onions
1 red pepper
Wild herbs of your choice

Preparation of the Wild Grill marinade:

For the spice mixture, roast the bay leaves, juniper, allspice and coriander seeds in a pan without fat. Make sure that the spices don't get too dark, otherwise they can become bitter. Allow to cool slightly and grind finely in a mortar or spice grinder with salt. Cut the leg of venison into cubes of about 4 centimeters and marinate with the spice mixture and oil in a bowl for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the onions and cut into bite-sized pieces. Also cut the peppers into bite-sized pieces. Thread the skewers alternately with meat, onions and peppers. Grill over charcoal and garnish with wild herbs.

Grill game — Click on the photo and then mark “Grilling wild game” on Pinterest

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Source Wild Grillen: own research and djd/Deutscher Jagdverband eV (DJV), Berlin

Text: Copyright Monika Fuchs, TravelWorldOnline and djd/Deutscher Jagdverband eV (DJV), Berlin
Photos: Copyright Monika Fuchs, TravelWorldOnline as well as Canva and djd/Deutscher Jagdverband eV (DJV), Berlin

Why not grill game? - You need to know that