How do I cook this cut?
Wild game is lean, and the right method depends far more on the cut than the recipe. Pick the animal and the part you have, and get the cooking method, a safe internal temperature and the reasoning - so a prime backstrap and a tough shank each get treated right.
Internal temperatures here follow standard USDA-style food-safety guidance and are the safe minimums - use a meat thermometer, and cook boar, bear and small game thoroughly because of parasite risk. This is cooking guidance, not medical advice.
Sources: the FDA's safe minimum internal temperatures (steaks, chops and roasts 145°F with a 3-minute rest, ground meat 160°F, all poultry 165°F - the chart has no separate line for game) and the CDC's report on a 2022 trichinellosis outbreak from bear meat (cook wild game to at least 165°F; freezing may not kill the parasite). Read on 10 October 2026.
Gear for the game kitchen
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