Unlike Yglesias, I have sadly not had the opportunity to sample moose. I’ve eaten venison – the Goode Company Taqueria has an excellent venison sausage on its menu – and thanks to my father-in-law and his Alaskan hunting trips, I’ve had caribou. (I should have Tiffany, who was living with her parents before we got married, tell the story about returning from a pre-wedding event to see her dad, who was just back from one of those trips, in the kitchen wrestling with a caribou leg and a meat grinder. Good times.) Caribou makes an excellent base for chili, in case you’re curious. I haven’t tried it in a stew, but I bet it would be yummy. To answer the commenter in Yglesias’ thread, game meat like caribou tastes rather like very lean beef. You really have to either marinade caribou meat for the grill, or use it in something like chili, lest it be too dry and tough to enjoy. I presume the same is true for moose, but alas, cannot speak from experience. Done right, it’s really tasty. Anyone out there testify to this?
This is probably as good a time as any to talk about moose, by the way, because Sarah Palin is headed back to Alaska for awhile, where she won’t be talking to the media except maybe for some appearances on lighter, fluffier television shows. She also won’t be talking about TrooperGate, not if her handlers can help it. So moose it is.
I haven’t eaten moose either, but I also have an inappropriate slaughter story.
A few years ago, we flew up to St. Louis to visit the 90% of my dad’s family that still lives in the area. We were staying with my aunt, who lives in a town south of StL. Now, her husband/my uncle is a park ranger and my nephew works for the fish and game dept. in…a state I don’t remember. My nephew and uncle had gone hunting the weekend before, and we drove up to the house as he was dressing the kill in the garage. As he pulled into the driveway in this fairly affluent neighborhood, he emerged, carrying a large knife and bloody up to his elbows.
I’ve never seen kids clear out of a cul-de-sac that fast.
I’ve had moose, in ground form. It generally doesn’t have enough fat to hold together as burgers, but works well in spaghetti sauce and ‘chili’. Taste was pretty neutral–other than the texture, you’d probably assume it was beef.
Rare, about 5 minutes on each side for medium, or to the desired doneness. Omar Hunting