archer wapiti
Member
Has anybody experienced this before? I killed my first Javelina last weekend and it's mostly delicious, but occasionally I get a hint of a slight ammonia smell and taste.
I've eaten the tenderloins (no ammonia), backstrap (ditto), shoulder (ammonia) and head cheese (ammonia).
I can't figure it out. I don't have any ammonia-based products in the house, and the pieces were all handled the same way - skinned in the field, cooled as fast as temps allowed at 60 degrees in the shade of a creosote bush, and hauled off the mountain in the same game bag (so it wasn't that some pieces were in one bag and others in another). The head was not skinned in the field, but still has the slight flavor/smell in some bites. I'm wondering if it's not in the fascia and some sort of plant secondary compound that is causing this, but it's all speculation at this point. I noticed it when I was browning a shoulder in oil before I braised it, and I thought maybe the oil was contaminated, but the head had the same odor.
I've not shared it with anyone to see if others notice, will do that at work tomorrow, but wondering if anyone else has experienced this in Javelina or another animal. And yes, I was careful to make sure that it was not contaminated by the gland on the back. It's nothing like the smell of the gland anyhow.
Thanks for sharing any similar experiences.
I've eaten the tenderloins (no ammonia), backstrap (ditto), shoulder (ammonia) and head cheese (ammonia).
I can't figure it out. I don't have any ammonia-based products in the house, and the pieces were all handled the same way - skinned in the field, cooled as fast as temps allowed at 60 degrees in the shade of a creosote bush, and hauled off the mountain in the same game bag (so it wasn't that some pieces were in one bag and others in another). The head was not skinned in the field, but still has the slight flavor/smell in some bites. I'm wondering if it's not in the fascia and some sort of plant secondary compound that is causing this, but it's all speculation at this point. I noticed it when I was browning a shoulder in oil before I braised it, and I thought maybe the oil was contaminated, but the head had the same odor.
I've not shared it with anyone to see if others notice, will do that at work tomorrow, but wondering if anyone else has experienced this in Javelina or another animal. And yes, I was careful to make sure that it was not contaminated by the gland on the back. It's nothing like the smell of the gland anyhow.
Thanks for sharing any similar experiences.