Exotic Meats

Do you want to spice up your dinner parties? 

Are you looking for meat that's lower in calories but higher in nutrients?

Have you ever looked at a photo of an ostrich running about the savannah and thought, "I'd love to eat that"?

If so, then A Cut Above Meats can help you out! We have a variety of exotic meats for sale that are sure to excite your tastebuds.

Exotic meats offer a unique culinary experience, with distinct flavours and textures that are sure to spice up any meal. Many of these meats also have unique health benefits, being low in calories, cholesterol and fat, and not containing environmental toxins, antibiotics, growth hormones and fillers associated with traditional, factory-farmed meat.

Here, we will give a rundown of the various types of exotic meat we offer, and why you might want to take a walk on the wild side and give them a try.

Elk

Pound for pound, elk meat contains about half the calories of ground beef and has significantly less fast. It's also higher in protein and has more critical vitamins and minerals like iron, selenium, phosphorus and zinc.

Compared to beef, elk meat is leaner, possessing a distinct flavour that is described as slightly sweet and not "gamey" tasting as one might expect. The tastiness of this meat can also be attributed to a lack of chemicals, hormones and other additives added to it, as we see with traditional beef.

It's not the cheapest meat on the market, but it's well worth the taste!

Buffalo

These great beasts were nearly hunted to extinction in the late 19th century, with their numbers in North America dwindling from over 50 million in 1800 to just 7 million in 1872. Thankfully, conservation efforts have boosted their numbers back to sustainable levels.

This meat has a slightly sweet and rich flavour, with many reporting it also tastes more tender and flavourful than beef. Bison meat is also low in calories; 100 grams of bison meat contains just 146 calories, while a 100-gram serving of lean beef contains 176 calories, and a similar portion of pork has 218 calories. Additionally, bison meat is non-allergenic, making it much easier to consume for those with diet sensitivities.

We get our bison meat from Blanbrook Bison Farms, located near St. Mary's. These buffalo are fed a diet of grass, hay and grains, as well as the necessary salt and minerals. They are not fed any kind of growth hormones. For this reason, bison meat is great if you're looking to improve your health.

Goat

While goat meat is traditionally consumed in Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East, it has recently started gaining traction in the west. Goat meat is considered to be one of the healthier red meats out there, as it is lower in saturated fat and cholesterol and higher in iron than other meats.

Because goat meat is gamier, it's lower in calories than many other types of meat. People often describe goat meat as having a strong, gamey flavour. But cooking it at low temperatures for a long time can help bring out its tenderness and flavour. Try out a few different cooking methods and see what works best!

Boar

Boars are native to Europe, but were brought to North America for hunting purposes in the 19th century. Some of these animals managed to escape and breed with domestic pigs that had been brought to the country previously by Spanish explorers. The end result was the wild boar, a 700-pound animal with a fearsome reputation for destroying agricultural crops and natural vegetation, damaging water quality, killing young livestock, and even coming into conflict with humans and pets.

Wild boars supply meat that is darker than normal pork and has a unique taste, often described as rich, nutty and slightly sweet. The meat is quite lean due to the animals' fat being concentrated in a single layer under the skin, instead of being marbled throughout the meat. So while boar meat is high in fat, it can easily be trimmed if so desired.

Like other wild game, boars are raised in a free-range environment and are thus free of environmental impurities and hormones found in factory meat. We get our boar meat from Peth Pig Products, which has been raising the animals since 1992. These boars are fed a diet of black walnuts, which gives their coats a wonderful shine.

Rabbit

Due to their abundance and ease of capture, rabbits have been an important source of food for humans for thousands of years.

Rabbit meat is known for being low in fat and calories when compared to beef, pork and lamb. Instead, rabbit meat is extremely rich in protein, containing almost double the amount of amino acids when compared to chicken or beef. Better yet, rabbit meat has the highest level of iron of all types of meat, and huge amounts of Vitamin B12 when compared to beef and chicken.

Rabbits are also a highly sustainable source of meat, requiring little land, water and feed compared to other livestock.

Duck

Duck meat is particularly prominent in Chinese cuisine, but has been growing in popularity in the west. The flavour of duck meat has been described as slightly sweet and with a gamey undertone. Duck meat contained high amounts of both protein and fat, and is an excellent source of iron and zinc.

We get our duck meat supplied by King Cole Ducks, located out of Stouffville, which has operated for more than 65 years. The ducks on this farm are raised free-run, meaning they have large spacious barns with plenty of fresh air ventilation, unlimited water and natural feed. The barns are bedded with fresh wood shavings and washed out daily to ensure maximum sanitary conditions.

Try out a box!

If any of these products interest you, we encourage you to inquire about exotic cuts of meat. Why not indulge in the unexpected?

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