Cooking a Pukeko

katje, Jul 22, 9:11pm
Does anyone have a good recipe for these! And does anyone know if its true you have to skin and pluck them! I wouldnt think so but someone told me you do and I cant find anything on google about it

kirmag, Jul 22, 9:17pm
People eat pukeko!

pickles7, Jul 22, 9:19pm
skin them,
I have a recipe some where but am a bit busy right now to look for it.
good luck.

winnie231, Jul 22, 9:19pm
The breasts are good to eat.
Have a look for 'The Mad Chef's NZ Game & Seafood Cookbook' by Daryl Crimp at your local library . it has some excellent recipes for Pukeko in it.
It looks like this -
http://www.safarisupply.co.nz/shop/Books+%26+DVDs/Game+Cooking/The+Mad+Chefs+NZ+Game++Seafood+Cookbook+by+Daryl+Crimp.html

kirmag, Jul 22, 9:19pm
What does it taste like!chicken!and those who eat it. do they just pluck one off the side of the road!

pericles, Jul 22, 9:20pm
x1
boil in water, with a rock for 4 hours, then take the pukeko out throw away and eat the rock

pickles7, Jul 22, 9:20pm
Only if you like sucking on old leather boots. But yes you can eat them.

katje, Jul 22, 9:20pm
so you do skin them! wow. Unusual that you have to skin a bird

pickles7, Jul 22, 9:26pm
Maybe they rip trying to get the feathers out. I would only cut out the breasts, probably wouldn't even skin it all to do that.

winnie231, Jul 22, 9:27pm
It doesn't taste like chicken - it's a game bird so more like pheasant or wild duck.
The bird can be very tough but the beasts are fine if cooked right.
Have a look at the book I recommended above - delicious recipes.
I had the breasts just cut from the bird - not worth skinning, jointing, etc IMO.

ange164, Jul 22, 9:34pm
It's my understanding they're protected except in duck shooting season when you're allowed them.

katje, Jul 22, 9:40pm

katje, Jul 22, 9:40pm
Thats correct. My partners family has a farm and they are over run with them right now and want to vull a few but id rather they wreen't wasted so we're trying to find a way to eat them if they have to kill some of them. I dontlike waste

andrea210, Jul 22, 9:42pm
I havent tried a pukeko, but with pheasant and peacock, we roast them in an oven bag with a bit of water (or chicken stock if you prefer) kiwifruit and mangos. Cook on low heat and for a long time.or stick in the slow cooker

carriebradshaw, Jul 22, 9:53pm
Wow!First I learnt on here you can eat swans and now pukeko.You learn something new every day!

beaker59, Jul 22, 10:00pm
I casseroled the breasts, and legs in my slow cooker using rosemary bay and thyme onion garlic and a bit of fresh ginger some white wine and chicken stock cooked all day and was very nice just like any other casseroled game bird really.

We skinned them but that was just lazyness really.

shop-a-holic, Jul 22, 10:16pm
I saw a fabulous Takahe last xmas. He was so big and plump, he couldn't walk very fast. I licked my lips. They are related to the Swamp Hen however, highly protected.

Took pics instead :-(
Added: from wiki "In total there were 225 remaining birds, but in July 2008, a Department of Conservation worker shot one on Mana Island, after mistaking it for a pukeko during a cull."

lythande1, Jul 23, 12:19am
It's a bird. So is a chicken, Why is one acceptable and not the other!
You could pluck it, but I'd probably casserole it and therefore in the interests of speed and the fact I wouldn't eat the skin anyway, skin it.
Kirmag.guess you could, there's loads on the side of the motorway, quite a few get squashed and it's not like they're endangered.

kumerakid, Jul 23, 2:17am
aunt daisy's cook book has the recipe - lost my copy of the book

threecheers, Jul 23, 2:23am
Here's the hubby's recipe:Put a pukeko and a rock in a pot a boil.When the rock is soft the pukeko is done.

pussy01, Jul 23, 3:47am
the legs are full of sinews.breast is best.not bad smoked or as jerky

katje, Jul 24, 3:18am
awesome guys.