For 16 years chef Ken Canavan has served a list of tantalizing game meat to Calgary restaurant goers who are looking for western charm and properly cooked dishes.
As head chef at the Calgary restaurant Cilantro, he has experimented with game meat from operations such as the Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch.
Owned by Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts, the ranch supplies elk and bison to the company’s restaurants, hotels and resorts in Alberta, providing guests with genuine Canadian fare.
Those visiting the establishments are willing to try pheasant, guinea fowl and elk, but Canavan said bison remains the most popular.
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For the last two years the public has been invited to the ranch, less than a half hour drive south of Calgary, to taste the meat and visit the operation, where bison, elk and reindeer move about large pens on open rangeland in the foothills.
For a once-a-year event event called Flavour of the Foothills, Canavan dished up braised elk and bison wieners to more than 400 guests who wanted a different lunch treat and a chance to tour a working ranch.
The idea promotes farm direct meat sales as well as the resort chain, said ranch manager Terry Church. The concept of opening the ranch to the public is new, and he and his staff are still learning about the entertainment value of a farm as carloads of city people with Canadian, British and German accents wander about the place.
“There is no good framework for agriculture tourism,” said Church, who enjoys visitors but was reluctant to charge admission because this was his home and he did not see the tourism value.
“People love coming out to the country.”
Visitors also enjoyed talking to Canavan, who was able to offer cooking tips for game meat and provide nutrition information to the lineup for braised elk and barbecued hotdogs.
He prepared 175 pounds of elk for the day. The roasts were marinated on Wednesday, cooked Thursday and braised on Friday. The wieners were made locally.
The restaurant offers a full selection of game meat that includes meat loaf, bison ribeyes, short ribs and a roasted elk salad. The roasted elk is marinated for five days and has become a particular favourite among female patrons.
Bison was ordered rare to medium rare.
Carcasses are cut at the restaurant and staff grinds the meat for sausages, burgers and other prepared items. Wild mushrooms or dried fruits such as black currents may be added as a special flavour or garnish.
“A lot of fruit goes well with the game,” Canavan said
While game meat is becoming easier to find in large grocery stores, consumers still shy away because they think it is too exotic for the average cook who may have tried venison caught in the wild and was disappointed because it was tough or tasted odd.
“People are afraid of it. They think it is going to be that strong game flavour,” Canavan said. “There is a world of difference between wild and farm raised.”
He offered tips for those cooking game meat for the first time.
“Start off with the burger and then go to roasts and then go to your primals like ribeye,” he said.
Also, take the time to experiment with marinades that bring out the full flavour of the meat.
