Thread: Peacock

We have a tonne of peacocks down the back of the farm. They are breeding like crazy. Some old guy told us you can eat them and that their pretty good.
I asked on a cooking group and got crucified about it. But seriously has anyone cooked and eaten peacock? I’m not going out of my way to do it but would like to know if it can be done and how best to cook it. I’m a pretty good cook so open to trying everything.

I've been told you can breast them and winter months are better for harvesting them?

Yes I've eaten them, there ok. Just breast them out give them a singe in the pan with olive oil to seal in the flavour then 12 mins in the oven at 220.
Oh and if you can get them to fly they are good sport. Oh don't gut and pluck it's really bad

ok, but tend to be a bit on the dry side, best to put a few knobs of garlic butter under the skin, wrap the meat up in fatty bacon then roast

Easy to shoot and good eating.
Just take the breasts off and cook like pheasant (don't let them dry out)

Just a giant blue chicken I don't know why some people would have a bleat about it, let us know what they are like.

Before turkeys were introduced to europe the most common big bird eaten was peacock. Treat them the same way as wild turkey. As duckdog said they do tend to be dry so butter, cream, bacon are your friends. I reckon they have much more flavour than turkey.

Thanks for the advice guys, just wondering are they only good being done in winter?

same months as turkeys i was told. Also was told they are not bad as sausages but if you add enough sauce any sausages taste good.
Got a few running around at work they're pretty cunning know how to go to ground. Get the old one camping up with the turkeys.

Yeah if they’re eating crickets in summer they’ll be pretty rank same as turkeys

yup, nothing is as bad as cricket......ohhh you mean the insect

Any dry fleshed game birds are best cooked in oven bags. The slight pressure inside a tied bag forces moisture in rather than letting it boil out of the meat. Don't tie the bag tight enough to be totally sealed or it may split. The only problem with cooking in a bag is that there is no colour on the bird. To get around this roll the bird around in a hot frypan with some clarified butter an oil to colour up first. With Breast fillets pluck before breasting then place them skin side down in the pan to colour them before oven bag cooking. As a reference, a duck needs three hours in a bag at 140 /50 with an apple up his bum.

They can live to be 20 plus so try a young one first, as has been said treat it like a pheasant, legs are good too ( the thigh bit ).

Hens are better than male to eat I have been told.

Originally Posted by duckdog

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Nice dog!