Game Mince Recipes: 5 South African Weeknight Dinners

Game mince is the easiest way into wild meat. It cooks fast, it takes spice well and it swaps one for one into almost any beef mince recipe. The only thing that changes is how you handle the heat and the moisture. Get that right and a pan of game mince is richer and cleaner tasting than the usual supermarket pack.

Every recipe below feeds four and uses 1 kg of mince, which is the size of our Game Mince pack.

Why lean venison mince dries out, and the fix

Game animals carry very little fat compared with feedlot beef. Fat is what keeps a burger or a meatball juicy, so when it is missing, the meat firms up and turns crumbly the moment it overcooks. USDA data lists raw ground deer meat at about 7 g of fat per 100 g, and cuts of antelope are leaner still. Five habits fix almost every dry result:

• Add moisture. Grated onion, grated carrot, soaked bread or a splash of stock all hold water in the meat while it cooks.
• Add a little fat. A spoon of oil in the pan, a few finely chopped streaky bacon rashers or a knob of butter in the mix is enough.
• Do not overwork it. Mix patties and frikkadels until just combined. Squeezing and kneading makes them tough.
• Brown in batches. A crowded pan steams the mince grey instead of browning it. Use a hot pan and give it room.
• Do not cook past the safe temperature. Pull it off the heat once it is done, not ten minutes later.

Game mince recipes for South African weeknights

1. Game mince bobotie

The Cape classic. The egg custard on top seals in moisture, which suits lean mince perfectly.

• 1 kg game mince
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 slices white bread, soaked in 250 ml milk
• 2 tbsp medium curry powder
• 1 tbsp apricot jam and 2 tbsp fruit chutney
• 1 tbsp vinegar, 50 g raisins, salt to taste
• 2 tbsp oil
• Topping: 2 eggs beaten with 250 ml milk, and 4 bay leaves

1. Fry the onions in the oil for 8 minutes until soft. Add the curry powder and stir for 1 minute.
2. Add the mince and brown for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking it up.
3. Squeeze the milk from the bread and keep the milk. Mash the bread into the mince with the jam, chutney, vinegar, raisins and salt.
4. Press into a greased dish. Beat the saved milk with the eggs and pour over. Push in the bay leaves.
5. Bake at 180°C for 30 to 35 minutes until the custard is set and golden. Serve with yellow rice and sambals.

2. Game mince bolognese

• 1 kg game mince
• 2 tbsp olive oil and 4 rashers streaky bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stick, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tins (400 g each) chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup red wine or stock
• 2 tsp dried oregano, salt and pepper

1. Fry the bacon in the oil until the fat runs. Add the diced vegetables and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute, then brown the mince in two batches.
3. Pour in the wine, tomatoes and oregano. Simmer gently, lid half on, for 45 minutes.
4. Season and serve over spaghetti. Leftovers reheat well, and the sauce freezes.

3. Game mince cottage pie

• 1 kg game mince, 2 tbsp oil
• 1 onion and 2 carrots, diced
• 2 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 500 ml beef stock and 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1.2 kg potatoes, boiled and mashed with butter and milk

1. Brown the mince in the oil in batches. Set aside.
2. Soften the onion and carrots for 8 minutes. Stir in the flour, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Return the mince, add the stock and simmer for 25 minutes until thick. Stir in the peas.
4. Spoon into a dish, top with mash and rough it up with a fork.
5. Bake at 200°C for 25 minutes until the top is golden.

4. Game frikkadels

Frikkadels are the best test of lean mince, because they dry out fast. Soaked bread and grated onion do the work here. If you want a quicker version, our ready-made Patties take care of the shaping for you.

• 1 kg game mince
• 2 slices bread, soaked in 150 ml milk and squeezed
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp nutmeg
• Salt, pepper and 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp oil for frying

1. Mix everything except the oil gently with your hands until just combined.
2. Shape into 16 balls, or 8 flat patties for burgers.
3. Fry in a medium-hot pan for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until the centre reads 71°C on a thermometer.
4. Serve with chutney, pap or on a roll.

5. Game mince for vetkoek

• 1 kg game mince, 2 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tin (400 g) chopped tomatoes
• 1 grated carrot
• Salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon

1. Soften the onion in the oil. Add the spices for 1 minute.
2. Add the mince and brown it well, about 8 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and carrot. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes until thick and not watery.
4. Season with salt, pepper and lemon. Split warm vetkoek and fill generously.

How to cook venison mince safely

Ground meat needs more care than a whole steak, because any bacteria on the surface get mixed through the middle. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists ground meats at 160°F, which is 71°C, and says a food thermometer is the only reliable check because colour and texture can mislead. Use that figure for game mince too. Push the probe into the thickest part of a patty or frikkadel, or into the middle of a pan of loose mince.

Because game is lean, the gap between safe and dry is small. Reach 71°C, then take the pan off the heat. Mince that finishes in a sauce, like bolognese or bobotie, forgives a few extra minutes. Patties do not.

Cooking tips that work with game mince

• Season early. Salt the onions, not just the finished dish.
• Add bold flavours. Curry spices, smoked paprika, rosemary, juniper and a little Worcestershire sauce all suit game.
• Use wet cooking for big batches. Bolognese, cottage pie and mince for vetkoek hide any dryness.
• Defrost in the fridge overnight, not on the counter.

Looking for more? Our guide to venison and what it is explains the difference between game and farmed meat, and the one on ostrich mince recipes covers the other lean mince you can swap in.

Our game mince comes from free-roaming South African game, cut to order by hand and vacuum sealed before it ships in a sealed cold box. You can find it in the shop as Game Mince 1 kg.