If it's recipes you're searching for, I would encourage you to approach the task cut-by-cut. Generally speaking red meat from one antlered critter or another can be treated the same as beef, although venison is better than beef. The good news is M
oose is the best of venison, it's mellow and loose in contrast to deer and elk, but before you get cooking, you'll be best served if you make a few critical considerations:
- Muscles that get used more & have more connective tissue will be tougher, but more flavorful. These are better off cooked slower and lower in braises, crock-pots or roasts.
- Tender muscles like backstrap, tenderloin lack fat and will dry out when you take them past medium. Ideal temps are easier to achieve when you leave tender cuts in larger chunks rather than steaking them out or worse yet butterflying.
I'm a big fan of butchering and packaging whole muscles or "
sub-primals" mostly because it's easy to break down later. You can't un-cut meat, and again it is much easier to get a perfect medium-rare on a backstrap for a couple people if you sear off a 6-8"-long loin as opposed to 1" steaks.
All that said, moose is beautifully suited for classic preparations for you to impress family and friends, and since it's a moose, you'll have plenty to experiment with. Staples in our house are Moose Wellington, Stew with carrots and wild mushrooms, big roasts with veggies and tartare. Also, every hunter should read Hank Shaw's book "
Buck Buck Moose" most of the recipes are on his
website and they're all great.