Emu, ground, cooked, pan-broiled

Pan-broiling ground emu concentrates its flavor into a browned crumble that works anywhere ground beef or turkey would, in tacos with a squeeze of lime, pasta sauces simmered with tomatoes and herbs, chili with beans, or stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls. Because it is lean, it releases very little fat while cooking, so there is rarely much to drain off the pan afterward, and it can dry out if left over high heat too long once it has browned, so pulling it off the heat as soon as it is cooked through keeps it juicier. Breaking it up into smaller crumbles as it cooks also helps it brown evenly rather than steaming in its own moisture.

Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a sealed container and reheat gently, in a covered pan or with a splash of broth, to avoid drying the meat out further the second time around. A cooked patty (109 g) has 163 calories and 4.65 g of fat, while providing 28.4 g of protein, 57% of the Daily Value, and 28% DV iron, making it a lean ground-meat option for weeknight dishes that call for a browned meat base in place of ground beef, without leaving behind much extra fat to skim off.