Today Americans are buying more venison
(various species of deer and antelope),
buffalo, and other game meats thanks to their
distinctive flavors and leanness. The very low
fat content of game meat causes it to conduct
heat and cook faster than standard meats, and
to dry out more easily. Cooks often shield it
from direct oven heat by “barding” it with a
sheet of fat or fatty bacon, and baste it during
cooking, which cools the meat surface by
evaporation and slows the movement of heat
into the meat (p. 158).
Gaminess True wild game has the appeal of
rich, variable flavor, thanks to its mature age,
free exercise, and mixed diet. Carried to
excess, this interesting wild flavor becomes
“gamy.” In the time of Brillat-Savarin, game
was typically allowed to hang for days or
weeks until it began to rot. This treatment was
called mortification or faisandage (after the
pheasant, faisan), and had two purposes: it