Cleaning Grouse After A Hunt
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Once you’re home from grouse hunting, you will have to clean your harvest before bringing it into the kitchen. Plucking the feathers is a common way to clean the bird, but if you step on both wings at the same time and give a gentle tug upwards on both legs, the breast meat will come out cleanly. Although some people find the legs to be a bit tendon-y, don’t discount them if you haven’t tried them before – particularly on a larger grouse, there is enough meat on them to make them worth saving.
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Prior To Cooking
As a small upland game bird, it takes a few birds to add up to a full meal. Depending on how successful your hunt has been, you may need to put a couple in the freezer until you have the chance to get a few more on your next outing – if doing so, it is worth using a vacuum sealer to preserve the quality of the meat.
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Ruffed grouse have fairly light meat and are mild flavoured, whereas spruce grouse have a dark meat and can tend to taste a bit gamey (this is a matter of personal preference; they both are delicious!) If you are looking to tame down the stronger flavour of the spruce grouse, soak the meat in a bowl of milk overnight.
What To Make With Grouse
One of the best characteristics of grouse meat is that it is versatile – whether you want to simply pan fry some meat for a quick snack, or make a more complex dish, you will never be disappointed by the final product. Pop the whole birds into the oven for roast grouse or carve the breast meat off the bone and cut into bite sized pieces; you could then use the meat for grouse fajitas, sweet and sour grouse or dredged with egg and flour and pan fried. The opportunities are endless and really only limited by your imagination.
