Ruffed Grouse

[bburtner@moran]

How do the fellow upland game hunters prepare you Ruffed Grouse?

["Skeet" McD]

How do the fellow upland game hunters prepare you Ruffed Grouse?

I'll bite: and I wish I was biting into some pa'tridge RIGHT NOW. Call me a heretic....with this most delicious of game birds, for my money: simplicity is of the essence. Lightly seasoned and floured, pan fried quickly and not too much...and drunk with a dry white wine. What more could you want?

(and I realize there are a number of answers to that...and I'm looking forward to hearing them)

"Skeet"

[Chasseur]

For nice ruffed grouse, as opposed to the dark and 'tangy' spruce grouse, you can use it much like you would any other white meat poultry.

For specific 'game dishes' in Elman's "The Game Bird Hunter's Bible" has a nice recipe for grouse roasted in a sour cream sauce that was quite nice.

I often made them into fricasse with musherooms and pearl onions in a wine/cream sauce.

The trick for roasting I found was to do it relative quick/high temperature compared to chicken or turkey and to make sure you had some sort of sauce/liquid to keep it from drying out. Taking the time to pluck rather than skin them so the skin is on when you roast them helps a great deal as well.

For the 'heartier' spruce grouse I normally put them into spicer recipes: curry or Mexican food to balance that spruce neddle taste... Soaking them in a mixture of milk and eggs for 24 hours also helps the taste.

[shortbow]

Yep, I'm with Skeeter. I do the old step on the wings and pull trick soon as I kill one, wrap the breast in a bit of muslin and fire it into my game bag until I get home. I then fillet off the meat, soak it in cold salty water for an hour or so and proceed as he does. If its a particularly large old bull grouse I sometimes will steam the meat for a while. This works well with blues as well. As to spruce grouse, I find them inedible.

[rumblefish]

Split, salted cold water marinade (for an hour or so), oil roasted (deep fried no coating), brought to room temperature and served over a oil and vinegar salad. I make Bobwhite quail the same way.

This is of course if the birds aren't too shot up. If they are then cut in pieces, S&P, floured, then pan fried and maybe a white wine deglaze when done.

[bburtner@moran]

A few juniper berries add a nice flavor also.

[shortbow]

How do you use the juniper?

["Skeet" McD]

How do you use the juniper?
Speaking for myself, if using I crush a few and add them to the pan sauce. They are quite pungent, so with a delicate bird like a pa'tridge, less is more IMHO. The faint perfume, however, is wonderful and evokes the outdoors delightfully.

"Skeet"

[rumblefish]

^ Yeah, very pungent. I save it for the strong tasting ducks like broadbill and brant. I add it to the sauerkraut I cook those birds in.

[shortbow]

Thanks Gents. Sounds like a good tip for a variety of small game.

[Mike K.]

How do the fellow upland game hunters prepare you Ruffed Grouse?
Slow roasted and served over fresh home-made buttermilk biscuits with gravy (and with a side of fried apples).:essen: