Gettin my apocylapse prep on! made pigeon last night

[anothernewb]

kind of fell into this one. I always like to try new and different things, and this one certainly qualifies.(for me)
Was at the gun range earlier in the week, and the topic turned to hunting with the group that was there. One of the members was showing off a picture of the batch of pigeons he and another person shot, helping a farmer rid himself of pests in his granary. Not knowing they were edible, I commented about it being a possible waste of meat. To which started a debate as such things inevitably do.

Long story short, a small wager was placed on the degree of edibility, and shortly thereafter large bag of breast meat was delivered. I set to work on them yesterday. Figured I could alter a pheasant recipe with some success.

The result was outstanding if I do say so myself. They turned out very tender and extremely mild tasting. Everyone invited had seconds - at the least. I hope to be on the next trip out to get some more!
and yes - I won the bet.

 

[short barrel]

I got into the same scenario, but it involved groundhogs. I lost. Yuck.

 

[anothernewb]

well, they were corn fed birds - probably made all the difference.

 

[shiftyer1]

Pigeon aka rock dove aka squab is very often raised for meat

Although grandpa never said so while we were shooting them out of the silo. I'm from central MN and that was one of my favorite pass times when I was a kid

 

[scramasax]

Pigeon is a normal meat over the pond. You can use any good dove recipe and a nice wine.

 

[readyeddy]

There was an episode of Bizarre Foods where an urban chef was serving up food harvested in the city limits and pigeon was on the menu. He hunted them with rocks. Andrew Zimmern loved the urban squab.

 

[armedwalleye]

A breast in yin foil with salt, pepper and a big blob of butter, then wrapped and tossed into the campfire is pretty tasty.
It really does taste like chicken....

 

[Bezoar]

call it squab and the yuppies will flock to your restaurant in droves and pay 30 dollars a plate.

and sell them 20 dollar a bowl "polenta" ie GRITS. and youll sell even more.

 

[Ranger Roberts]

There is a Morcccan restaurant in Warminster PA that serves Rock Dove. I've tried it there and was pleasantly surprised from what I remember. In the spirit of full disclosure, there were belly dancers, so there was a chance I was paying very close attention to the food...

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

I remember reading something written by Hemingway about his early years in Paris where he would occasionally kill a pigeon in the park to eat.
Yep, calling it squab makes it food, calling it a "rat with wings" doesn't...

 

[Trent]

I walked past a homeless guy / beggar in Chicago once who had a cardboard sign "too slow to catch squirrel, tired of eating pidgeon", with a cup in front of him.

Somehow relevant to the thread, I'm sure.

 

[Captcurt]

Mighty Fine.

Raised them when I was a teen. Great eating. The squab that is served in the high dollar yuppie joints are usually 6 week old birds. Tender and juicy!!

 

[X-Rap]

A breast in yin foil with salt, pepper and a big blob of butter, then wrapped and tossed into the campfire is pretty tasty.
It really does taste like chicken....

Beat me to it, I've done everything from grouse to rabbit by this method. Grain feed pigeon is good eats.

 

[mquail]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUhUEMIUqE4

Squab is an excellent meal.

 

[mnhntr]

I shoot a lot of pigeons in the same area you are from. They make an excellent pot pie.

 

[anothernewb]

The whole thing was new to me. I did mine in the crock pot. browned them in butter and flour, then added mushrooms, onions, bacon, wild rice, sour cream, mushroom soup, and cranberries. kind of a pigeon wild rice hot dish.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Pigeon "hot dish"...
Take that to the next church pot luck dinner.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I got into the same scenario, but it involved groundhogs. I lost. Yuck.

Yup, I've "seen that movie too" 'cept with muskrat.

I don't care what some Lake Woebegone Scandahovian tells you... that's some nasty eating.

Not cooking it correctly? Go tell that to the denizens of the Lutheran Church basements scarfin' down pot-luck lutefisk like their lives depended on it!

Me, I'll be over there eating the jello with shaved carrots and hot-dish covered with french onion soup and a can of French Fried Onions.

Pigeon? They're just urban Quail in the case of no Quail.

Todd.

 

[redneck2]

For dove breast, we'd season, then wrap up in a piece of bacon. Finish by putting between two halves of red spiced apple and tie on with white cotton twine. Bake in the oven.

 

[Tony k]

Yup, I've "seen that movie too" 'cept with muskrat.

I don't care what some Lake Woebegone Scandahovian tells you... that's some nasty eating.

Not cooking it correctly? Go tell that to the denizens of the Lutheran Church basements scarfin' down pot-luck lutefisk like their lives depended on it!

Me, I'll be over there eating the jello with shaved carrots and hot-dish covered with french onion soup and a can of French Fried Onions.

Pigeon? They're just urban Quail in the case of no Quail.

Todd.

Hilarious! As one of the denizens of the Lutheran Church basement, you really hit the nail on the head. Throw in some ridiculously weak coffee and you paint the whole picture. Question is are they called "hot dishes" or "Casseroles." We call em Casseroles, but I'm from eastern South Dakota, not Minnesota.

When I was a kid we were all required to read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. I tried eating most of the stuff she had to eat, including black birds and robins. The robin was pretty gamey. We also had a large covered silage pit that I spent a lot of time shooting pigeons in. Grandma cooked some up a couple times. I liked them better than mourning doves.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

^^^ It's "casserole" here in Kansas at our Lutheran church as well and you got the coffee part right too.
Don't get me started on what they think is "chili" tho...

 

[Garrobo]

Breast meat

Don't try it with crows. My cat wouldn't even eat that.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

^^^ It's "casserole" here in Kansas at our Lutheran church as well and you got the coffee part right too.
Don't get me started on what they think is "chili" tho...

Sure it's "casserole" if you're some high bred Lutheran puttin' on airs. "Casserole" eaters are notorious burners of other Lutheran's mouths by serving them coffee that's too hot (which is to say hotter that a day old thermos) and casserole eaters are also known for showing off by using hot sauce instead of the devout's use of too much pepper.

Proper Lutherans know to not be exhibitionists by offering correctly tepid (and as noted, watery) coffee, not overstate their food with condiments let alone *gasp* herbs and we know our pyrex to contain an item called Hot-dish... as was eternally intended.

Redneck up above is crakin' me up with his bacon. Hell, bacon'll make an axe handle palatable if the wood's soft enough to avoid splinters.

All birds are just alternative chickens; quail, pheasant, dove, pigeon, spotted owl - all of them.... except - as noted by Garraobo - the crow. They're just bad to eat and bad luck to even try. Could be OK "prepper" fare though (direct OP content) as the assumption can be made that the "prepper" already ran out of food and luck.

Todd.

 

[rszwieg]

Todd you crack me up. We have hot dish here. Maybe for Lent I can.......never mind.

As a kid I ate so many pigeons they only look good over the barrel of my 870.

 

[Officers'Wife]

For dove breast, we'd season, then wrap up in a piece of bacon. Finish by putting between two halves of red spiced apple and tie on with white cotton twine. Bake in the oven.

Funny, I use my standard "pot pie" recipe for "field rations" during harvest season. I have to leave the kids at the house for fear one of them will lose a hand in the stampede.