When it comes to summer, nothing beats firing up the grill and indulging in delicious, mouthwatering meals. While traditional options like beef, chicken, and fish are often the go-to choices, have you ever considered adding ostrich meat to your culinary repertoire? Ostrich meat is lean, flavorful, and packed with nutrients, making it an excellent alternative for summer grilling. It is also Alpha-gal safe due to it being a red meat that is also a poultry. In this blog post, we'll explore four ostrich meat recipes that are perfect for the summer season. So, get ready to excite your taste buds and impress your friends and family with these delectable dishes!
1. CLASSIC GRILLED OSTRICH BURGER
Ingredients:
- 1 pound gourmet ground ostrich steak (defrost first)
- 2 tbsp AOF burger seasoning
- ¼ cup yellow onion, minced
- buns
- toppings of choice (lettuce, tomato, etc.)
Preparation:
1) Thaw out 1 pound of ground ostrich and pat with a paper towel to absorb any extra moisture
2) Place ostrich into a mixing bowl and add 2 tbsp of AOF burger seasoning and minced onion
3) Mix the ingredients together well and form into your desired sized patties -- remember, a 1/4 pound ostrich burger will eat like a 1/3 pound beef burger because our burgers don't shrink!
4) Heat grill to medium-high, lightly baste your patties with olive oil, and place them on the grill
5) Cook to your desired temperature. Remember, ostrich will cook more quickly than beef due to the low-fat content. And great news: ostrich can be eaten at lower temperatures than beef (including medium-rare) because it's safer and easy on your digestive system.
6) Toast your bun, stack on all the fresh veggies you like, melt your cheese, and enjoy this awesome burger
Visit the Ground Ostrich Steak product page to stock up
2. GRILLED KEBABS
Ingredients
- 8 oz Ostrich Stew Meat or Ostrich Tip (defrost first)
- ½ yellow bell pepper
- ½ red onion
- 3 ounces mushrooms
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic
Special Kitchen Tools
Skewers - if using wooden skewers, soak in water 30 minutes to avoid burning on the grill. Stainless skewers are a good investment; you won't regret.
Preparation
1) Preheat your grill to medium heat.
2) If using an ostrich tip roast, cut it into 2" cubes. Cut your desired veggies such as onions, mushrooms, and peppers, to approximately the same size as the cubed ostrich.
3) Skewer meat and veggies in any order you choose.
4) Mix your seasonings together until fully blended.
5) Lightly oil and season kebobs with your spice mix, and place on a hot grill.
6) Allow to cook 2-3 minutes per side.
7) Cook to your desired doneness and enjoy.
3. SHREDDED OSTRICH NECK TACOS: SLOW COOKED
Ingredients
- 4 pounds defrosted ostrich neck
- 1 whole yellow onion, chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
- garlic powder
- salt
Preparation
1) Place half of an onion and one red bell pepper on bottom of crockpot.
2) Season the ostrich with garlic powder and salt on all sides, then place atop the onion and bell pepper.
3) Top with the remaining onion and peppers and cook on high for 6-7 hours or until meat shreds easily. It should fall off the bone like pulled pork.
4) Shred meat and discard bones (or save to make bone broth).
5) Heat the tortillas and top with meat. *PRO TIP* to prevent soggy tortillas use a strainer to strain meat.
6) Season meat with a pinch of salt and top with your favorite taco toppings.
4. PALEO OSTRICH NACHOS
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground ostrich steak, defrost first.
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 salt
- 1/4 black pepper
- 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- guacamole
- salsa
- sweet potato chips:
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- salt
Preparation
1) To make the sweet potato chips, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Thinly slice the sweet potatoes using a mandolin or knife.
3) Place sliced potatoes in a bowl and toss with oil and season with salt.
4) Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway. Watch carefully during the last 10 minutes to make sure they don't burn.
*You can always skip the above steps and buy paleo friendly chips at the store*
5) While the sweet potato chips are baking, prepare the ostrich. Heat oil in stovetop pan.
6) Add onion and cook until softened 3-4 minutes.
7) Add ground ostrich and cook 4-5 minutes.
8) Add garlic, diced tomatoes and spices and mix to combine. Bring to a simmer and turn the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally 15-20 minutes.
9) Adjust seasoning and remove from heat.
10) Place chips on plate and top with the ostrich mixture, guacamole, salsa and sliced green onions.
