doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Cooking Quail question..........

And who would know more about cooking poultry...

Than the "Colonel"?

He ain't Popeye's, but he be tough to beat!

Good tips on cooking quail. I prefer pan cooking as suggested in olive oil, fileted breasts; thigh and leg bones in, but separated from backbone. Medium rare; cooked hot and fast. Whole birds are troublesome for me to cook. Too easy to overcook and dry out.

Well put.

+1 And always, ALWAYS, served with grits.

SRH

First: In a well seasoned black iron skillet. If it can rust with water sitting in it, it isn't properly seasoned, don't use it until it is properly seasoned, otherwise it will impart a not so nice iron oxide taste. Easy enough to season, you can find proper 'how to' on the internet.

That aside, I oft still wipe a skillet with a tiny bit of lard on a paper towel as a mater of habit, just enough so that it shines. I do not add a good olive oil until the skillet is hot; by that I mean that the miniscule surface 'shine' has started to 'pool' or there is a liquid appearance on the skillet's surface. If it starts to smoke, you have it too hot & are about to get a burn or start a grease fire. Get the skillet hot first and then add the olive oil, the end product will always taste better and the olive oil retains its original flavor. We are talking cooking quickly here & paying attention, not a time to walk off or get distracted. The boned birds should be cooked just as mentioned above, 'hot & fast' & if you do go over centre the birds will both toughen and dry. They are dry enough naturally and you do not want to push that further by over cooking them and you will if you do. I prefer a small glaze of Marsala & sometimes use a splash of cream sherry as well, deglazing immediately afterwards and rice, but as Stan says, grits if you are east of the Mississippi and south of the Mason Dixon line.

A varient would be to ever so slightly 'bread' the birds and cook until the breading is golden brown. You can use flour, salt & pepper or add a bit of sage, if you like or a mixture of flour & corm meal seasoned to your own taste. Perdiz is oft cooked in that manner in Uruguay on black iron skillets and the birds are boned and flattened and sometimes pounded like a veal scalapini(sp?) first and then cooked with a fire brick holding them flat to the skillet over a wood burning stove. I've had them prepared that manner at several dif estancias over the years and they eat quite well, remaining fairly tender & moist, but also cooked 'well' if that is your pref. or if Drew's remarks leave you with concerns about rare to med rare. In between 'hot & fast' and 'well' is the 'tough zone' & well means dry if the bird is not somehow protected in the cooking process.

FWIW, I like quails prepared in the former hot & fast method the best.

edit/adendum: when doing mushrooms as a side, I prefer cooking them in a Madeira w/garlic, butter & olive oil. I do not like the taste of Califorina Madeira's for consumption or cooking, much preferring that originating from Madiera, but each to their own. Guns are not unlike wines in that regard. Tastes differ.

Here's another easy recipe that is very good. Tie whole quail legs together with cooking string and place in oven safe pan. Preheat oven to 425.

Mix 11 oz fig preserve, 1/2 cup (1/2-1cup depending on desired taste) red whine, 1 tablespoon country Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste in a pot and bring to a boil while mixing well. Drop temp back to a simmer and simmer until desired thickness. Separate mixture in half.

Place quail in oven and cook for 10 minutes. Cut heat to 350 and continue to cook till done (I use an instant thermometer so as not to overcook) basting regulary with 1/2 of sauce. Serve quail anyway you'd like using remaining sauce for dipping.

Easy recipe that tastes great.

If you are going to cook them in an iron skillet or on a cast iron griddle (great addition to any BBQ), try brushing both sides with honey before you lay them on the cooking surface that has been prepped with a bit of olive oil. The honey adds a hint of flavor, but also caramelizes to a nice brown color before the meat gets dried out. You eat with your eyes.

Some really great suggestions guys!

Thanks!

Maybe we should do a DoubleGun BBS Game Cookbook?

Great recipes and advise!

An easy recipe by Alain Senderens that I have tried with whole "local" California quail specifies butter and oil in a skillet. When the butter starts lo lightly brown you put the quail in 2 minutes per side plus 1 minute on the breast in order to brown them evenly and then 3 more minutes in a pre-heated oven to 430�.

After de-greasing the skillet you deglaze it with port, reduce to a 1/4 add some raisins and cream and reduce until you have an "unctuous" consistency. Serve on bread slices fried in butter with the sauce around them.

JC

Through good fortune, and fine dog workI find myself with an good number of quail here as the season winds down, and I am always looking for new culinary methods.
I tried a small variation on tw's above excellent ideas. I was working with skinned breast only (legs had been reserved for a game soup). I flattened each breast with a cooking mallet and used a very hot iron skillet with olive oil as directed...
I agree on the Marsala glaze but thickened and enriched the deglaze with a bit of heavy cream.....Saut�ed asparagus , and mushrooms in madeira and butter were the accompaniment.
A fine '08 Oregon Pinot Noir was the perfect companion when combined with my Valentine.....She agreed that the birds were great, just past rare, yet still as moist as possible when using skinless quail.