Thread: Pukeko question

Originally Posted by Woody

My wife cuts off breast and legs. Pulls sharp sinews from legs. Casserol just as for chicken with a bit of bacon added. Can't tell apart from chicken. Nice.
Incidentally @Barry the hunter I watched a tiny rail very slowly swim around a couple of carex this morning. I've also seen them fly into midst of thick carex heads occaisionally, while waiting for ducks.

okay look up dabchick does that look like it

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

okay look up dabchick does that look like it

if that does not ring bells - look up NZ rails and crakes - could be one of those - these are not common and some are secretive and seldom seen

This is how I breast pukeko:

Place a foot on each leg, so your boot covers the whole leg, bend down and take hold of the bird at the base of each wing as close to the body as possible, then stand up pulling until the breast pulls away with the wings

From the F&G website. https://fishandgame.org.nz/game-bird...rrier%20hawks.

I just cook the breast to a med rare (max) and season to taste with salt & peper. Then I eat it like steak or dice it and throw it in a burger.

I've never bothered with the legs but hank shaw an american chef who specializes in game meat has a pretty good sounding recipe:

https://honest-food.net/cooking-pukeko/

Definately of the rail- crake family. Less than half the size of dabchick and am sure it was'nt banded rail as O've watched these walking on raupo along upper Waikato in the past; that was until MRP got DoC's and WRC blessing to ramp the river several feet at will. Those banded rail have gone noe along with bittern and choronomids, grey warbler and cookoos. I hunt well up a tributary where water level fluctuations and other interferences are far less. I hear the tik tik tik calls and suspect the little bird is a juvenile spotless crake or close relative. I've seen the banded rails and they are much bigger, as are dabchicks. The odd fernbird in there and plenty fantails and swallows and invertebrates, although the system is under threat from siltation coming out of Kaingaroa.

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

if that does not ring bells - look up NZ rails and crakes - could be one of those - these are not common and some are secretive and seldom seen

Steady on Barry, hope you are not suggesting we eat dear little crakes ?

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

cant help myself 308 hope ya dont mind - quick bird classification lesson - all birds in NZ have a classification - pukeko are deemed native to NZ - Native means breeds and exits in NZ but can breed and exist in other countrys as is the case with pukeko - its actually for NZ a classification with not a lot of birds in it really uhmm native classification -grey duck- wax eye - harrier hawk come to mind - all in Aussie as well - for our NZ birds there is a classification above native called endemic - thats means the bird breeds and exists only in NZ so morepork tui fantail kiwi kakapo kaka all endemic - now if a bird arrives in NZ under its own steam its classification would be vagrant - but if breeding pairs make it here they would be given the native status if they started breeding - thats why spur wing plover initially were protected - they arrived and started breeding - once it was realised they were not worthy of protection they were removed from schedule of protected species and just deemed introduced - other classifications well introduced so sparrow blackbird etc - circum polar so albatross - migratory i.e come to breed and go again - vagrant we get birds blown here I have seen a duck called a Northern Shovellor native to PNG in Gisborne - the birds on game bird list different ball game again - can be and are a mix of classification s eg paradise ducks are endemic - grey ducks are native and mallards are introduced

Fair point and my apology

Rather than native what I should have said was that a lot of people I have met are surprised that pukekos exist in other countries and didn't orginate here

You are correct good sir

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Steady on Barry, hope you are not suggesting we eat dear little crakes ?

NO - what on earth made one think that - was just trying to help a member identify a bird he saw- difficult without a photo and some indication of relative size - but I think Woody is on right track - was thinking fern bird but he seems to know what they are - but great to see members with recipes for pukeko and have shared that - when I tried was not good result - alwys good to see people utilize what they shoot

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

NO - what on earth made one think that - was just trying to help a member identify a bird he saw- difficult without a photo and some indication of relative size - but I think Woody is on right track - was thinking fern bird but he seems to know what they are - but great to see members with recipes for pukeko and have shared that - when I tried was not good result - alwys good to see people utilize what they shoot

I have only ever seen one Marsh Crake, size of a song thrush it dove off a willow branch and came up with a whitebait

Just had pukeko, parry, mallard breast for dinner all crumbed and cooked the same the kids preferred the mallard then parry
Wife preferred the pukeko for taste and tenderness then mallard
I preferred the pukeko for taste and tenderness then parry but was tough
Have always preferred pukeko over ducks myself as it has milder flavours hence why I shoot pukeko when I get a chance
I’m a believer that we should be shooting more pukeko as the decimate ducklings ( less pukeko around more ducks)

Every year we shoot a few flying pukekos around the lake where we duck shoot. It seems that the natural selection has paid off as no pukekos we’re flying this year but plenty were walking in the surrounding paddocks.

From my last season, I noticed that everybody just simply took skin off to cook, even those Asian guys, no one enjoy the plucking, the smell in the process I guess.
But by my experience, birds including real free range chicken if with the skin on and then cook it the taste will be much better. I only skin sparrows since it `s too small to work with. Btw, what `s the best legal way to catch sparrows near a town, or in a town if it `s legal or ethical to do by local cultures.

For Pukeko, I think slow cook should be good with the skin on, then you can get a nice soup like this.