Mutton Birds

Submitted: Saturday, Apr 08, 2006 at 13:14

ThreadID: 32678 Views:5984 Replies:4 FollowUps:4

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Member - Duke (TAS)

Hi to all.
Thought i would let those that are interested to know that the Mutton Bird season closes tomorrow down here in Tassie after being open for 10 days allowing people who get a license to take 40 birds a day.A mate dropped a dozen around home mid week and i can tell you they were delicious.There is a fair chance a lot of you haven't heard of a Mutton Bird.They say that the name came from the early settlers who caught them in there thousands and salted them down in brine in large wooden kegs and they supplemented there diet through the winter.When i was a kid on the farm i recall the big barrells of birds and by the end of winter one was well and truly sick of them but in those days there were no Engels or Waeco's.
Cheers Duke

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Reply By: awill4x4 - Saturday, Apr 08, 2006 at 16:08

Saturday, Apr 08, 2006 at 16:08

That seems like a good idea to let the other guy do the collecting, there's some big Tiger Snakes down there that like to share those burrows with the Mutton Birds.
Regards Andrew.

AnswerID: 165806

Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (Widgiemooltha) - Sunday, Apr 09, 2006 at 10:55

Sunday, Apr 09, 2006 at 10:55

Apparantly that is evolution at work. tigers can only eat mutton chicks and it is about all they eat but the bigger the tiger the bigger chicke they can eat so the longer their feeding season for the year so the tigers in that part of oz are the biggest and growing!!

FollowupID: 420839

Reply By: Geoff M (Newcastle, NSW) - Saturday, Apr 08, 2006 at 16:31

Saturday, Apr 08, 2006 at 16:31

Hello Duke,
You're a better man than me!
I always reckon Mutton Birds are like Galah's, you cook em both in a camp oven with a lump of quartz.
When the rock goes soft, eat it and throw the birds in the fire!!

Good on you,

Geoff.

Geoff,
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AnswerID: 165807

Follow Up By: bucky - Sunday, Apr 09, 2006 at 09:58

Sunday, Apr 09, 2006 at 09:58

Nothing wrong with mutton birds,, gotta cook them the right way ,,try them on a rotissary in a gas only oven ( and catch the drips ) or a Bar-B-Q, on a rack and sprinkle mixed herbs and onion on them ,, never let them stwe in their own fat..

Nothing better,, non greasy way ...my kids grew up on them !

Love them

Bucky

FollowupID: 420830

Reply By: Jimbo - Sunday, Apr 09, 2006 at 11:12

Sunday, Apr 09, 2006 at 11:12

I'm hoping the answer won't be "a cross between chicken and fish", so here goes.

What does Mutton Bird taste like?

AnswerID: 165927

Follow Up By: Member - Nick (Kununurra) - Sunday, Apr 09, 2006 at 19:39

Sunday, Apr 09, 2006 at 19:39

Nothing like you have had before, and has a taste all of its own, can`t really describe. Definately an aquired taste. Absolutely delicious though, stuffed and baked in the oven, yumo !!

FollowupID: 420923

Reply By: Member - Duke (TAS) - Sunday, Apr 09, 2006 at 20:11

Sunday, Apr 09, 2006 at 20:11

Hi AWILL4X4 Yes mate i have to agree its better to get them off to get the Mutton Birds off a friend.As DAVO(WIDGEMOOLTHA) said in his post there is some big Serpents to be found on the Bass Strait Islands and i am getting too long in the tooth to be crawling around in the Tussocks sticking my hand down burrows.Got a friend in town who used to do the Commercial season for 30 odd years(6wks) and he has been bitten 25 times.His cure was a flagon of plonk and a couple of hours sleep then back into it again.
To GEOFF M, as BUCKY said in his reply if properly cooked they are pretty good Tucka.JIMBO its hard to explain but to me they taste simular to wild Duck but a bit more oil. Old timers down this way swear that if you take a big spoonfull every day you will never catch a cold or the flu.Great for animals as well, it makes there coats real shiny and healthy.DUKE

AnswerID: 166011

Follow Up By: bucky - Monday, Apr 10, 2006 at 05:42

Monday, Apr 10, 2006 at 05:42

G day Duke
We lived on King Island for 5 years, back in the late 70's and yes have eaten hundreds of Mutton Birds. I too heard the tale of the old timers being given the " gurry ", to ward off the flu. Old Ike Williams ( 100% local ) swore by it, as he recons he was given it as a kid, and never had the flu,, bugger that I would never hold it down long enuf ,,,yuk !
As for those bloody tiger snakes ,, yes they are virtually everywhere on the " rookeries " and I was fine till I seen the first one , then I would shiet myself, and go clean for the rest of the day. The Locals would just drag it out of the burrow, kill it , then just keep going . Their philosophy was that is there is no chick down to your elbow, then the hole was empty, as a snake could not strike in a burrow.
I never found out or seen anyone bitten
Loved those days
Cheers Mate
Bucky

FollowupID: 421009