can i still eat these partridges?!

sjaypink

hi, just a quickie question please! :A

got some partridges that were shot on friday, skinned and gutted them sunday night, put them in salt water in the fridge with the intention of cooking them for mondays tea...

...however, with one thing and another going on (and not being very os organised ), they are still there- are they well gone now? i was just about to chuck them out, but felt a bit guilty, so thought i'd check with you guys first! maybe just worth cooking them for the cat?

also, just general pointers on how long to keep pheasants/ rabbits/ mackerel, and how best to store (freezing?) would be good, as we get a lot of it from friends and family, but i worry that i really have no idea about how long to keep things unless it has a supermarket 'use by' label! :cool:

thanks in advance! :beer:

Mrs_Thrify

sjaypink wrote: »

hi, just a quickie question please! :A

got some partridges that were shot on friday, skinned and gutted them sunday night, put them in salt water in the fridge with the intention of cooking them for mondays tea...

...however, with one thing and another going on (and not being very os organised ), they are still there- are they well gone now? i was just about to chuck them out, but felt a bit guilty, so thought i'd check with you guys first! maybe just worth cooking them for the cat?

also, just general pointers on how long to keep pheasants/ rabbits/ mackerel, and how best to store (freezing?) would be good, as we get a lot of it from friends and family, but i worry that i really have no idea about how long to keep things unless it has a supermarket 'use by' label! :cool:

thanks in advance! :beer:

HI, I don't get fresh game but as it is now 5 days old, I would consider the smell and look.I would think supermarket meat is kept for much longer.

Nomoneymummy_2

Hi,

Im not a big game eater but if they've been in salt water and in the fridge surely they'd be fine.... I too would go by the smell and look though, I buy all my meat from the butchers so no use by dates but I've kept meat in the fridge for up to 6 days and am still here to tell the tale, didn't get sick either btw....

sjaypink

julie_d wrote: »

HI, I don't get fresh game but as it is now 5 days old, I would consider the smell and look.I would think supermarket meat is kept for much longer.

that was quick! thankyou! yes, they smell ok, but then its hard to tell now because they've been in salt water.... so even if they were ok they will probably taste horrid!

i think i will chuck them this time. i think supermrket meat has a life of 7-10 adys, but is presumably stored much more safely than how most would process and store at home?

Nomoneymummy wrote: »

Hi,

Im not a big game eater but if they've been in salt water and in the fridge surely they'd be fine.... I too would go by the smell and look though, I buy all my meat from the butchers so no use by dates but I've kept meat in the fridge for up to 6 days and am still here to tell the tale, didn't get sick either btw....

ooh dilemma! maybe i will cook them and just judge by how they smell whilst cooking- i know i can always smell how fresh beef is by how it smells whilst in the oven

Nomoneymummy_2

Even if they smell odd while cooking they could always go in the cat

valk_scot

sjaypink wrote: »

. i think supermrket meat has a life of 7-10 adys, but is presumably stored much more safely than how most would process and store at home?

Just to point out that even supermarket meat will have been hung to tenderise it before it every goes anywhere near the supermarket shelves. I seem to recall up to 21 days for good quality beef? Also, game meats should be hung for a while after killing...either you eat them straight away, or you allow the meat to mature a bit. it's when you eat t in the middle period that it's as tough as old boots.

Here's the BBC cookery pages on hanging game.

What I don't get though is the salt water bit. Why do you do this?

sjaypink

valk_scot wrote: »

Just to point out that even supermarket meat will have been hung to tenderise it before it every goes anywhere near the supermarket shelves. I seem to recall up to 21 days for good quality beef? Also, game meats should be hung for a while after killing...either you eat them straight away, or you allow the meat to mature a bit. it's when you eat t in the middle period that it's as tough as old boots.

Here's the BBC cookery pages on hanging game.

What I don't get though is the salt water bit. Why do you do this?

i don't know really! when we first started getting them i asked my mate (who gets them) what to do with them. he said skin and gut them, put them in salt water overnight, then cook them? so just always done it that way. never thought to check any other methods

i will research further i think, thanks for the link! :A

MrsE_2

sjaypink wrote: »

got some partridges that were shot on friday, skinned and gutted them sunday night, put them in salt water in the fridge with the intention of cooking them for mondays tea...

I'm well impressed, very exotic:D

I'm having mince tonight:rotfl:

sjaypink

MrsE wrote: »

I'm well impressed, very exotic:D

I'm having mince tonight:rotfl:

old skool !!!!!!!!!!


eta: incase anyone is interested, or later searches for such info, these links (as well as valk scots above) are useful

http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/how-to-pluck-and-draw-game-a-partridge-or-pheasant-157

http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/hunting/2007/09/how-prepare-game-birds

neither mention salt water though!

Ballymackeonan

In the old days, pheasants and partridges were hung in an outhouse by their tail feathersfor several days before being prepared. My grandmother, who had been a cook in the early 1900s, said that some people then would only take them once they had fallen off the tail feathers (after at least 10 days, so part-rotted) as they had more flavour that way....!

greenbee

Ballymackeonan wrote: »

In the old days, pheasants and partridges were hung in an outhouse by their tail feathersfor several days before being prepared. My grandmother, who had been a cook in the early 1900s, said that some people then would only take them once they had fallen off the tail feathers (after at least 10 days, so part-rotted) as they had more flavour that way....!

My godfather still hangs his by one foot... and reckons they're ready when they drop... :eek:

I don't like mine quite that high (I can't deal with preparing them, and they sometimes have maggots under the skin ), and it's been quite warm so I'd have thought they'd only need hanging for a couple of days at the moment. When it gets colder they may need a little longer (and if it's really cold, then yes, it might be 10 days). When I lived in London we used to hang them over the shower rail in the (cold) bathroom for a couple of days.

I've never heard of the salt water thing, but I'd guess after 5 days in it they might be a bit icky. Next time, when they're ready, skin/pluck & draw them, and then bung them whole into a freezer bag and chuck them in the freezer. You can then defrost and roast them whole (my dad's idea of a ready-meal... hot for supper then cold for lunch the next day, and the carcasses make fantastic stock).

All game freezes well... I still have quite a bit of last year's to use up (thanks for the reminder... I have wild goose, pheasant, mallard, teal, pigeon) before this year's starts arriving!

If you only use the breasts, don't bother skinning/drawing, just cut the meat off and use/freeze straight away. Partridge is great in salads and stir-fries (as is pheasant) or roasted/casseroled on colder days.