# What are the tastiest birds and beasts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [April 2, 2023, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021 "2023-04-02T12:05:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2023, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/41 "2023-04-02T22:53:08Z")
Sorry, i don’t. I would have tried for something that doesn’t have too much pepper in it (bell pepper or hot pepper) because i dislike pepper. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/42 "2023-04-03T02:52:12Z")
Oryx (Gemsbok) is the best meat I have ever had. As much as I think elk is better than beef, oryx is that much better than elk. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/43 "2023-04-03T03:12:48Z")
I will have to look for it. I greatly enjoyed the antelope meat i was able to try. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/44 "2023-04-03T13:12:04Z")
My favorite is chicken followed by beef then turkey. I tried both ground venison and bison before. They were OK. But I would NOT go out of my way to try them. I liked Lamb a lot when I tried but I can’t justify buying it with how much it costs. NOT a fan of pork. Not regular pork. Or the infamous “long pork” /s. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/45 "2023-04-03T16:57:52Z")
For anyone reading this thread looking for suggestions on unusual things to try, here’s a word of warning: If you ever cook python or other large snake, be prepared for your house to be filled with that distinctive ammonia-pee smell. I learned this the hard way, as the recipes I was using didn’t mention this little fact. The meat wasn’t very good, either. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/46 "2023-04-03T17:25:39Z")
Bullwinkle. I’ve BBQd moose ribs for parties and made countless batches of moose chili. Delicious! ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/47 "2023-04-03T17:46:15Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > BBQd moose ribs for parties Jeebus, those things must be _enormous_! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/48 "2023-04-03T18:19:41Z")
Oh, one I haven’t seen mentioned is abalone. Big ole’ sea snails. The meat is tough as fuck, so you have to pound the shit out of them. But once they have been sufficiently tenderized they have a very delicate flavor. Like a tastier calamari. I was surprised how much I liked them when I was first introduced to fresh abalone as a young kid. Haven’t had any in many a year. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/49 "2023-04-03T18:28:49Z")
Hey, take it to the other thread > [@What are the tastiest creatures of the sea?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-creatures-of-the-sea/982082): > > Since @puzzlegal elected to only go with birds and mammals in this thread: I thought I’d create a thread that is only about fish and shellfish. And ‘creatures of the sea’ isn’t hard and fast-- it can mean freshwater too. I know there are sustainablity issues, which I try to follow these days, but let’s say this thread is about tastiest of all time- even if you abstain now. My all-time favorite seafood is crab. King, Dungeness, Snow, Blue, probably in that order. I don’t get any kind of crab … 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/50 "2023-04-03T18:31:26Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Hey, take it to the other thread . Oh, yeah - right. I kinda forgot the thread parameters 😉. I mean it’s a whole day old! ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/51 "2023-04-03T18:36:01Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Oh, yeah - right. I kinda forgot the thread parameters 😉. Ah, baloney 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/52 "2023-04-04T11:20:39Z")
When I was a kid we would go down to the Rio Grande Valley for family reunions. McAllen was really close to the border, and my uncles would go over to Mexico and bring back fresh cabrito, and bake it in the ground. It was so good! One day they told me what it was (baby goat) and I never ate it again. I had a tender heart at that age. I’ve eaten alligator tail, chunked and fried. It’s just meh. Exotic birds? Quail and dove, mostly. I might have eaten duck once, but I’ve never had a duck breast with crispy skin like I see on the cooking shows. I had an ostrich meat burger at a burger place once - it was dryyyyyyyyy. I love venison sausage. And backstrap cooked as chicken fried steak is fabulous! I’ve had frog legs a couple of times. I’m not a big turkey person - once a year is fine with me. So - chicken, beef and pork in that order are my favorites ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/53 "2023-04-04T11:33:34Z")
A guy I know hunts with a bird dog at a game preserve. He gets three or four pheasants each trip. He dresses them, but his family (including him) will not eat them. He gives them to me. I wrap each bird in a couple strips of bacon, cover them with canned cream of mushroom soup, and put them in the oven. Delicious! Ostrich. I cooked a roast in my crockpot for a SuperBowl party 30 years ago. Everyone knew it was ostrich, but one couple didn’t tell their 8 year old son what he was eating until afterwards. The kid freaked the fuck out, vomiting repeatedly. He blamed me for some reason. If I ran into him today, I’m pretty sure he’d still be pissed off. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/54 "2023-04-04T11:55:41Z")
Ah, there is a plethora of culinary delights running, flying, swimming, and even slithering about, but my vote is for the chicken because chickens are plentiful and can be prepared in any number of different ways. It also provides another very popular food source that can also be prepared in many ways, eggs! ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2023, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/55 "2023-04-06T06:10:31Z")
So I hunt game birds, mostly dove and quail. My cat just loves the dove meat. Just sliced up and served raw. And I mean he just goes crazy for it, far more than anything else we feed him. If I had a way to farm doves on a large scale, I could start a cat food empire. I don’t think he equates the meat I serve him on a plate with the birds in the yard. We have so many dove in our yard that he could gorge himself all day. I suppose it’s because I serve it without a mouthful of feathers. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/56 "2023-04-07T01:47:06Z")
I’m with jinglmassiv. I smoke my own ribs and they are pretty awesome. I love beef brisket but haven’t taken that step just yet. Maybe this summer. Burnt ends? I never heard of them until I got into smoking. Now, I try them anywhere I see them. Which isn’t too often in New Jersey and that’s a shame. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/57 "2023-04-07T15:20:03Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > I love beef brisket but haven’t taken that step just yet. Maybe this summer. If and when you’re ready to try a brisket, may I humbly submit a post of mine from last year, in which I closely followed the directions of a ‘Cook’s Country’ video for BBQing a whole brisket on a kettle-style grill. The results were amazing. > [@Barbecued Beef Brisket!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbecued-beef-brisket/965672): > > So I’ve BBQed beef brisket many times before in my smoker, but only flats, because a whole brisket is too large for my bullet-style smoker. I’ve been wanting to try this ATK / Cook’s Country technique for cooking a whole brisket in a kettle grill using the snake coal method (as seen in video below) for awhile now, and when doing some shopping today found whole briskets at the grocery store for 1/2 off. So I knew that this weekend is finally the time. Going to rub down the brisket soon (simple s… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/58 "2023-04-07T20:19:54Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Ostrich is tough and dry. You’ve had terrible ostrich, then. Or ostrich cooked terribly, that is. It doesn’t have to be very rare (although that’s good), it works in a nice goulash or [potjie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potjiekos) as well. And makes the best [biltong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biltong). I eat ostrich at least twice a week. It is the tastiest meat I eat regularly (springbok is the tastiest overall, I’d say). It’s generally replaced beef in our diet, other than the odd fillet. I’ve eaten lots of different antelope (kudu, gemsbok, eland, wilderbeest), but they tend to be pretty much of a muchness - like springbok but less tender. GAzelle is pretty much the same as springbok. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/59 "2023-04-07T20:24:18Z")
Hmm, ostrich biltong sounds good, actually. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021/60 "2023-04-07T22:11:44Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Hmm, ostrich biltong sounds good, actually. Questions of authenticity aside, [orderable from Texas it seems](https://ostrifarms.com/products/ostrich-biltong-dried-ostrich-meat-8oz). I rather like dried meat and am slightly intrigued. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-tastiest-birds-and-beasts/982021.md?page=4)