Hunting wolves is a common hobby in the United States, despite the fact that it is only legal in four states. Unless you’re hunting in Alaska, Montana, Idaho, or Wyoming, grey wolf hunting is illegal.
However, if you are in these states and are wondering whether you can cook and eat the wolves that you hunt, we have you covered. The simple answer is yes, you can eat wolf meat.
There is little information online about this, and some people consider wolf meat inedible. However, the general consensus is that this answer is incorrect and some people just say that because wolf meat is an acquired taste.
Just because something tastes strange, doesn’t mean that it cannot be eaten. Today we are going to be looking at how to prepare and cook wolf meat so that you can enjoy it to its full potential.
Why don’t more people eat wolf meat?
Many people consider wolf meat to be inedible because lots of people have cemented that rule in their heads, and it has been passed down through generations. However, wolf meat is in fact edible and it can be cooked and prepared to be enjoyable.
Humans are actually the biggest threat to wolves, as they are one of the top predators in the ecosystem. There aren’t many animals that can kill a wolf other than a human.
So, you’ve hunted and successfully killed a wolf. It doesn’t make sense to leave perfectly good meat out in the elements for other animals to profit off of it when you could take it back and get a decent amount of meat off of the carcass.
Many adventurers eat wolf meat for survival reasons, and people also eat wolf meat when other food sources are scarce. Wolf meat is a good source of protein and it can also provide insulation through the fat content, making it a beneficial food to eat during winter.
With this all being said, you do still need to be careful when eating meat. As with any meat, there are a few concerns that people have when it comes to preparing it properly.
Wolves eat almost anything they can find in the wild, and if they ingest something poisonous to humans that isn’t detrimental to their health, they might be perfectly healthy before you hunt them. However, you can get seriously ill from eating their meat due to the poison still being in their system.
Many people don’t know that wolves return to their kill multiple times, meaning that they eat decomposing corpses and rotten meat. This can contain harmful parasites and bacteria, which can be passed onto humans if they don’t cook the wolf meat correctly before eating it.
What does wolf meat taste like?
The taste of wolf meat can vary greatly depending on the age of the wolf and the animal’s diet. Some people have likened the meat of a young wolf to chicken, but more mature wolves taste like pork.
Wolves found in cooler climates offer more tender meat that tastes better. However, some people online have also said that their wolf meat tasted bitter, strange, and simply undesirable.
This vast range of reviews might be down to the latter group of people eating meat from wolves with poor diets or who died when they were almost at the end of their lifecycle.
Another reason why the taste of the wolf meat differs so much is due to the way that the meat is prepared and cooked. You also need to store the meat properly as well to avoid it being spoiled too quickly.
Does wolf meat hold any nutritional value?
Raw wolf meat has little nutritional value, but cooking it will add some value. If you were to cook the meat on a campfire for a short while, the nutritional value would be much higher. Wolf meat is mostly made from muscle from a carnivore.
Therefore the meat is going to be very tough and flavorsome. A 119-gram piece of wolf meat will have around 30 grams of protein and only 0.6 grams of fat. The cholesterol content will be 70.2 milligrams, which is a little high for a normal human’s diet.
Wolf meat contains no carbohydrates, so this would be good meat for people watching their diets if it was more widely available.
How do you prepare and cook wolf meat?
There is not much online on how to prepare and cook wolf meat properly, but the limited knowledge we’ve found shows that you should marinate the meat beforehand to get the best flavor.
Below is an example recipe ingredients list of a beer and wine marinade that I found online:
- Half dark beer, half strong red wine
- Rock salt
- Black pepper
- A handful of juniper berries
- Rosemary
- Bay leaves
Make your marinade with these ingredients and leave your wolf meat in it for one week, ensuring that all of the meat is covered while it is still on the bone. You can use this liquid later for a sauce by reducing it over medium heat.
Another option is a whiskey marinade, using a regular malt or blended whiskey with vodka. Leave the meat in this marinade for 24 hours.
Both of these marinades will remove some of the gaminess of the meat. Now you can debone and slice the meat into medallions. Pan fry each piece for around 10 minutes or until it is thoroughly cooked but not too tough.
Serve with whatever you like, such as vegetables and potatoes. A good drink to pair with wolf meat is a strong red wine such as a Cabernet or Shiraz.
Can you buy wolf meat?
If you’re wanting to try wolf meat for yourself, your best bet is to hunt it down yourself. There are a few stores where you can purchase it, but these are very difficult to find. If you do find it in stores; however, you’ll have to be prepared to spend a lot of money on it. Wolf meat is considered an exotic delicacy that is rare in almost every country.
