There are so many other parts of the moose that do not get eaten. Here are some good ideas for meals you
The moose calf liver was the mildest and tenderest I have ever eaten; it is way superior to calf or lamb liver.
I cut it into 8 slices (it weighs close to 12 pounds) and froze seven of them, holding one out to have fresh tonight. For lunch all we had were the trimmings and they just knocked me out.
The next meal will be even better. I simmered the head meat for 4 1/2 hours. It wasn’t even a full simmer but what the French call a chuckle with the water around 185 F and with the odd bubble coming to the surface every 30 seconds or so.
The cartilage softened and the gristle melted nicely and the meat comes off the bone fairly easily but is still a bit chewy and not fork shreddable. I had little nibbles of various pieces as I packed it away.
The lips need to have the thick ugly white membrane peeled away; the wee bit of meat underneath is delicious. The nose is rich, fatty soft cartilage and has the firm texture of the Pope’s (or Parson’s) nose on a chicken or pig’s feet. And the cheek meat trimmings were totally awesome. I plan to braise the two cheeks in fat for their second cooking when I get to them. A 25 pound head yields about 4 pounds of usable meat, not counting the brains or tongue (the brain was destroyed by a perfect head shot and Ray reserved the tongue for his own table) plus 2 quarts of rich stock.
If I had used the whole head and not just the lower jaw, nose, cheeks and one neck vertebrae the yield would have been even higher.
Monday: Despite the small amount of bone used the stock jellied up nicely upon cooling. That half gallon of stock is so rich it will make a gallon of soup broth.
Today I picked up some pot barley, a leek and a turnip and made some Scotch broth with the neck meat and a portion of the nose. Ray and Matthew tell me that aboriginal hunters often roast the nose on a skewer over an open fire in the field as a snack while butchering the body.
Traditionally the hunters also eat the liver (warm and raw) for strength and it rarely made it home to the women and children. (My liver had a little slice missing as Ray paid symbolic homage to the tradition.)
Tuesday: I re-heated the leftover soup and added some Espagnole sauce and lima beans. Even better the second time. Cheers Jim in Yellowknife
