tip of the day - don't cook brant (the wife's gonna kill me)

[mazzgolf]

"Dry age your red-meat waterfowl" they keep telling me. "If you dry age, anything will come out good."

So, as an experiment, I dry aged a brant for 8 days... and while the wife was out today, I decided to cook it up in a frying pan.

Well, now the whole house smells like fish, I have the doors and windows open with it 30 degrees outside, house fan on, candles lit -- and the wife is due home any minute. She's gonna be pissed. I'm in deep doo-doo.  If I don't sign in here in the next 24 to 48 hours, call for help.

[Rdfhunter]

So how did it taste ? 

[stratocaster]

12 minutes ago, mazzgolf said:

"Dry age your red-meat waterfowl" they keep telling me. "If you dry age, anything will come out good."

So, as an experiment, I dry aged a brant for 8 days... and while the wife was out today, I decided to cook it up in a frying pan.

Well, now the whole house smells like fish, I have the doors and windows open with it 30 degrees outside, house fan on, candles lit -- and the wife is due home any minute. She's gonna be pissed. I'm in deep doo-doo.  If I don't sign in here in the next 24 to 48 hours, call for help.

RIP Mazzgolf.......you were a good man, father, hunter.  

[mazzgolf]

10 minutes ago, Rdfhunter said:

So how did it taste ? 

I will say this - I had dry-aged some buffleheads at the same time, and I cooked it, too, and that (believe it or not) was not half bad! I'm actually gonna concentrate on buffies next year and get some recipes for that. But OH  MY LORD did that brant stink!!! I thought I had a good shot at it because after the dry aging, the meat looked pink (pinker than the dark purple when it started).  But NOPE!

[mazzgolf]

"She" just got home... gotta run............ 

[Lunatic]

Try any goose, including brant,Marsala. No need to age or marinate and it comes out great

[Greybeard]

febreeze.  If you're still alive.

[Pqreturn62]

Best way to prepare any terrible smelling bird is to cube it, marinate it in whiskey and BBQ sauce or milk and mustard for at least a day. The cover taste and cover smell  will be so strong that you won’t make the house smell like fish, just burnt whiskey or mustard.

 

[mazzgolf]

No wifely wrath. Phew. I managed to remove enough of the stank so it was bearable to breathe. She wouldn't take her coat off for 15 minutes though because the house was so cold after having the doors and windows wide open. 

I like Canada Goose just fine with a normal brine. Mallards, too. These sea ducks though - PHEW! Good thing I ain't starving, because I'd kill myself if that is all I had to eat. 

(but as I say, the buffy didn't seem that bad. I need a clean palate to render a final verdict on buffleheads, but I think it was OK. Maybe it was wishful thinking. I dunno. At least I'll have something to look forward to next season - try a recipe for buffies! )

Oh, BTW, a friend took me out again yesterday for the last day of coastal...and I shot another brant! It was banded, too. My second band ever! When I reported it, it said the bird was at least 6 years old and was from Coral Harbour, NU, Canada - 1700 miles away. All I keep thinking is - "that thing has been eating a lot of fish from here to there and back again for 6 years!" It's brining right now in my fridge, but after today I'm afraid to cook it!

  

 

Edited January 28, 2019 by mazzgolf

[rgw]

You are a gluten for punishment

[Buck154]

Think you better buy some roses for your wife to make sure things are good and before you think about cooking any more of those fish ducks

Edited January 28, 2019 by Buck154

[TouchofGrey]

You made my weekend!! You need your own TV show. Been married a long time. When we were looking for a house my father in law took me aside and explained living with my MIl. First, get detached garage.. Escape room. Second get outside grill. Cook all fish and game that stinks outside. Keep booze in grill to help cook stinky food!! Get a cast iron pan, great for anything that needs to be cooked outdoors! Hope to hear from you soon.

[stratocaster]

49 minutes ago, mazzgolf said:

No wifely wrath. Phew. I managed to remove enough of the stank so it was bearable to breathe. She wouldn't take her coat off for 15 minutes though because the house was so cold after having the doors and windows wide open. 

I like Canada Goose just fine with a normal brine. Mallards, too. These sea ducks though - PHEW! Good thing I ain't starving, because I'd kill myself if that is all I had to eat. 

(but as I say, the buffy didn't seem that bad. I need a clean palate to render a final verdict on buffleheads, but I think it was OK. Maybe it was wishful thinking. I dunno. At least I'll have something to look forward to next season - try a recipe for buffies! )

Oh, BTW, a friend took me out again yesterday for the last day of coastal...and I shot another brant! It was banded, too. My second band ever! When I reported it, it said the bird was at least 6 years old and was from Coral Harbour, NU, Canada - 1700 miles away. All I keep thinking is - "that thing has been eating a lot of fish from here to there and back again for 6 years!" It's brining right now in my fridge, but after today I'm afraid to cook it!

  

 

It is amazing that they travel so far so many times and survive.  2x per year x 1700 miles x 6 years is a lot of miles for a bird. 

[Hitemnasty]

We always cooked the brant for the dogs. Breasted out and boiled. I actually kinda liked the smell of them cooked that way but my dad would never let me try it because he knew!! Fun to decoy and shoot but unless you have dogs to feed them to there’s no reason to shoot them. Buffies aren’t half bad, they make the perfect size for bacon wrapped poppers. 

[archer36]

Cook it outside.