Small game meat handling

**revo** · October 23rd, 2007, 10:17 AM

In the spirit of the recent squirrel post...

You folks ever soak your small game before cooking?

I read a few places where folks soak squirrel and rabbit in salted water with a pinch or two of baking soda. They say it helps draw some blood out of the meat.

Does this really draw excess blood out of the meat? Is that the purpose of doing this?

Any other tricks anyone hear of?

**knight0334** · October 23rd, 2007, 01:27 PM

I'm not sure why the salt soaking.. my family has done it for generations, my grandpa told me that the salt helps cure it and kill some of the bacteria.

**BradC** · October 23rd, 2007, 02:42 PM

Wouldn't that just be brining, like with many other meats?

http://bbq.about.com/cs/barbecuetips/a/aa112000b.htm

**S&W500Mag** · October 23rd, 2007, 05:07 PM

Most bacteria, except for halophiles, do not survive a salty environment. That is how people used to preserve meat back in the days before refrigerators & freezers. Ever read the "Laura Ingles Wilder" books? There is a description in one of those books of how "Pa" butchered and preserved an animal's meat. So yes, your grandpa is right, saltwater does kill bacteria.

I'm not sure if it's been proven or if its just folklore, but yeah, I think soaking meat in saltwater does help draw out some of the blood. I can't say that it is scientifically proven though; maybe someone else out there knows more. Also, I think the Jews were taught in the Mosaic Law of the Hebrew Bible to preserve meat in salt. The point is, it's not a new practice; it's been around for thousands of years.

I can tell you from a scientific standpoint what salt, or lack thereof, will do to a red blood cell. When a paramedic, nurse, doctor, or whoever, starts an I.V. in your arm, they infuse saline solution which is isotonic to the level of some electrolytes in your blood. In other words it is water with Sodium Chloride (normal table salt) mixed in. If the mixture is too rich it will draw water out of the red blood cells and cause them to shrivel up. If the solution does not have enough salt in it, the sodium and chlorine electrolytes in the red blood cells would soak up the water from the solution, and the cells would swell till they burst. If anyone understands the concept of osmosis, that is how it works. Anyway, maybe by putting the meat in saltwater, the cells shrivel up and are able to pass out of the cappillaries, veins, and arteries, out of the meat, and into the surrounding water more easily. Just a guess though.

I'm not sure about this one either, but I think saltwater might help to tenderize the meat a little bit too. Not truly sure if/how it works though.

**Tomcat088** · October 23rd, 2007, 09:20 PM

My grandfather always used salt to cure meat, but we never used it to "remove blood" from meat. I have never minded "gamey" tasting meat, it's part of what I like about eating the meat that I harvest. I do realize that sometimes animals get excited or something happens so that an animal has too much adrenaline or other chemicals in their blood that can make it less tasty. I always have soaked meat in milk if guests do not prefer the "gamey" taste. Usually I will let it soak for 30 minutes or so, and then drain off all the milk, usually squeezing it to try to get all milk out of the meat. Some of my friends sometimes will rinse it with water even after they have squeezed out all the milk. Either way, I do know for a fact that the milk DOES help remove some of the gamey flavor found in some meat, although I'm not sure if it's because it helps remove some of the blood, etc. This might not be what you want, but for others, it could be. I do know that the milk does change color because of the blood that leaves the meat. Hope this helps.

**righteousbarbarian** · October 24th, 2007, 04:41 AM

Originally Posted by BradC

Wouldn't that just be brining, like with many other meats?

http://bbq.about.com/cs/barbecuetips/a/aa112000b.htm

yes, brining is a good thing. we always brine our thanksgiving turkey. it makes for a juicer, tastier bird. as others have mentioned, i'm sure it kills some bacteria on the surface too.

**revo** · October 24th, 2007, 07:32 AM

Good info.

What would the baking soda do? Is that a tenderizer? I'll grab a can out tonight to check...

Tomcat -- yeah, milk is another one I heard of. I prepped 2 roosters here for frying a few years ago. I was told to soak them in buttermilk. Not sure why, just did it because someone who knew better told me so.

Advice from age and wisdom...a beautiful thing isn't it?