Thread: Anyone hunted and eaten wild peacock?

Originally Posted by Flyblown

I’ve eaten them several different ways from slow cooked hot curry, steaming, roasting, stir fried, minced. If the meat is fresh and un-aged / unhung then generally speaking it will be bland and tough compared to a supermarket chicken. The curry works well but I really had to cook the hell out of it, steaming was basically a disaster, roasting was kinda meh but doable. The stirfry I didn’t cook and the pheasant was one of several different meats in the dish and it didn’t really stand out.

I like the mince option the best - I had a GameBird Burger a little while ago that was a mix of peacock, pheasant, turkey and feral chickens. They were well prepared and aged in the fridge, and prepped with generous seasoning. It was really REALLY good. My buddy that makes these burgers often adds minced rabbit as well. After that experience that’s what I have decided we are going to do with our next peacock cull, plus there’s gazillions of pheasants around here so a few of them too. I will dry age the meat in my soon-to-be-constructed game fridge for a week before mincing. (I’ve got the fridge and just need the wire racks and the fan now.)

For roasting, you really should hang the birds for at least a week in the chiller then its much better. 8°C or close to, not too cold. I have not eaten pheasant or peacock has been hung in warm air until it starts to rot - that’s for mediaeval peasants. Not brave enough for that. That particular line in the sand comes from growing up in the country in Sussex and kicking around with my grandpa’s elderly mates who were mostly fairly disgusting and revelled in eating very smelly gamebirds, complete with a side of lead shot. (And, notably, the occasional roadkill roast.)

@dannyb @Marty Henry ya'll aint wrong with them being danger adverse. Took my son out for a walk and struggled to get within 100m of them before they buggered off. Probs doesn't help that there is a falcon circling overhead too

@Flybrown wonder how it would fare being pressure cooked? Last year the wife and I did a mid winter Christmas dinner and pressure cooker then air fried a whole turkey. We brined it for 3 days and it was the best tasting turkey I've ever had. Super moist and full of flavor. Albeit a store bought turkey...

they can run 30kmph to avoid being squashed under front of fert truck !!!!!! surprised me how quick they can go...looked funny as hell,like a road runner cartoon.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

they can run 30kmph to avoid being squashed under front of fert truck !!!!!! surprised me how quick they can go...looked funny as hell,like a road runner cartoon.

Really...

Originally Posted by outlander

Really...

really........funny as heck it was,I did button off so it could go sideways and escape.

Turkeys and peacock can be great eating. My two favourite was is as schnitzel, and as burger patties. With the patties as you mince them add about 10% bacon and then once minced chuck in your favourite mixed herbs etc.
You will do that once and then you will be looking for an excuse to go get more.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

there was eposide of hunting with tui.....the ywere with guy culling them up north and using feathers ,sold them all over the place,even exporting I believe.... method of dispatch was .22lr up trees with spotlight.....too easy.

They move deceptively fast and duck into scrub as well, you can use a dog to flush them and then shotgun time but finding the roosting tree and spotlighting is easier. Tried the stalking them with a 22 but too hard to get in range. The super can't be arsed being sneaky 22 (223) works well but not for meat recovery.

Used to hunt them regular for a guy who had problems due to numbers, switch on real quick plus hard on bird dogs on retrieve if not dead, made my Lab very hard mouthed, no good for ducks after peacocks. Hunted them in lot of fern country, great with the shotgun.

When it comes to toughmess the problem is that you don't know the age of the bird. It could be young and tender, or old and chewy. That's where mincing them for patties is great. I have been lucky using breasts for schnitzel and stirfry though. But that was because I'm pretty sure they were young birds. The same applies to wild turkeys. When peacocks get switched onto hunting it's like hunting wary deer. I couldn't believe how stealthy and hard to see they are when you bush stalk them... And how they scare the crap out of you when you're sneaking along in the bush in silent mode and they burst out of the tree above you...

You can understand why they are so wary, their home territory has plenty to eat them.
We saw a tiger in Nepal and the deer barking and the peacocks squawking is a pretty good indicator.

We used to eat semi wild peacock for xmas dinner and it was excellent. This method works for peacock, turkey, goose and is from Heston Blumenthal :
Youngish bird, light brine overnight in 20ltr bucket. Drain and dry off. Brown in pan with a mix of clarified butter and olive oil until golden and crispy skin. Cook in oven bag on bed of Kumara slices or in the case of a goose, on a cake rack to let grease drain away. Cook slow 4-5 hours. Very good, will not disappoint

I really enjoy hunting them over dogs, just like Pheasants.

A few of our pheasant blocks are starting to turn up Peacocks, I look forward to them more than the Pheasants sometimes!

I have found they hold tight and flush really well.

Not bad eating either, normally breast them out and use in stir frys, drumsticks with the thigh left on go alright too

Originally Posted by makka

I really enjoy hunting them over dogs, just like Pheasants.

A few of our pheasant blocks are starting to turn up Peacocks, I look forward to them more than the Pheasants sometimes!

I have found they hold tight and flush really well.

Not bad eating either, normally breast them out and use in stir frys, drumsticks with the thigh left on go alright too

They are great fun over a pointing dog.