Philip Karbus - Game & Fish from the Kamado Grill

If you want to grill game, you don’t necessarily have to be a hunter yourself (although a similar trend to that seen in recreational fishing is evident here as well: There are now 467,682 hunters in Germany—a new record and a 42 percent increase compared to three decades ago. Experiencing nature, active conservation, and healthy meat are among the most important reasons for obtaining a hunting license). 

Good places to buy game meat are:

Hunters from the region

This is often the most direct and transparent source. If you don’t know anyone, you can find suppliers in your region through portals such as Wild-auf-Wild.de from the German Hunting Association or the Waldfleisch app. However, it’s important to check whether the hunter is certified to market game meat that’s already cut and ready to cook. Under EU law, this is only permitted under certain conditions: special facilities are required, and the hunter must be registered as a food business operator.

However, even without this registration, hunters are allowed to sell whole animals with their hides intact to the end consumer. It might therefore be worth learning how to butcher game yourself. There are numerous seminars and YouTube videos on the subject. A whole roe deer or wild boar, cut into ready-to-cook pieces and vacuum-sealed, can be frozen without any loss of quality and will provide the family with meat for weeks or even months.

Forest Districts and Forest Operations

Many regional forestry operations sell game from sustainable hunting directly to consumers. These operations are generally certified and offer finely cut cuts as well as whole animals.

Specialized Online Stores

Suppliers like Wildling Food ship game meat specialties—such as game bratwurst—directly to your home. Note: It’s especially worth checking the ingredient list for game sausage specialties. Many suppliers mix their sausage with pork fat. This is generally allowed and can certainly be delicious—but if you’re expecting 100% game, you should take a closer look.

Retail

Here, too, caution is advised. Discount stores, in particular, have been known in the past to sell meat from domestic pigs released into the wild in Texas as “wild game goulash.” Anyone looking for locally sourced game from sustainable hunting should take a very close look here. Even when it comes to red deer, the frozen food sections of large supermarkets often carry meat from New Zealand pens. Consequently, this is not wild game, and it certainly isn’t regional. The quality doesn’t have to be bad, though. However, anyone who prefers wild-caught and regional game should do their research accordingly.

As a rule of thumb, game is much more sensitive to heat and doneness than other types of meat. Due to its fine-grained texture and low intramuscular fat content, game is much less forgiving of mistakes. Therefore, the most important thing is:

• Use high heat only briefly to sear the food and bring out roasted flavors—no more than 3 minutes per side, or less if possible.
• Cook at low temperatures—no higher than 140 degrees, and preferably lower.
• Check the doneness using a meat thermometer.

When it comes to cooking temperatures, beef is a good guide—for example, 54 °C for medium rare.
Perfect for grilling game: the MONOLITH Smart Grid System , which features both direct and indirect heat zones. One side is for searing, the other for cooking.

Please note: Consumer protection agencies recommend always cooking game meat thoroughly, in part because—unlike meat from a slaughterhouse—it does not undergo a standard veterinary inspection, and a residual risk of certain pathogens remains. Pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and people who are ill or vulnerable should take this into account.

The author’s personal opinion: A saddle of venison with a core temperature of 80°C is inedible. Anyone who is healthy and pays attention to hygiene and optimal meat aging can enjoy game just like any other meat. In fact, frozen game offers an additional advantage here: Meat that has been frozen at –18 °C for at least 3 weeks poses a significantly reduced risk of certain parasites. Thaw it gently, cook it quickly, and enjoy.

Grilling Fish: Heat and Doneness Are Everything

Just like game, fish is sensitive to heat and the point at which it is fully cooked. Too much heat dries out fish, as does overcooking. It’s important to note that the point at which fish is fully cooked—when the proteins begin to coagulate—is well below that of meat, occurring at around 40 to 50 °C. Many types of fish taste best when they are just barely cooked and still slightly translucent at the center. Depending on the type of fish, this is typically the case at a core temperature of about 48 to 52°C.

1. Constant medium heat

Ideal for whole fish, fillets with skin, or delicate species such as trout, char, or walleye. The fish cooks evenly and stays juicy.

2. Sear briefly over high heat, then finish cooking gently

Great for thicker fillets, tuna, salmon, or fish steaks. The outside develops a roasted flavor, while the inside stays juicy. The MONOLITH fire plate makes cooking fish especially convenient. The 8 mm-thick plate transforms the kamado into a teppanyaki-style grilling surface and creates different temperature zones. This is ideal for searing fish until the skin is crispy while simultaneously cooking vegetables, potatoes, or sauce bases.