In Which I Cook The Bird Of Peace

Mourning doves are kind of a controversial bird. In some states they're viewed as a songbird and as such are protected.  In Wisconsin, there is a season for them, and although I have neither the time (nor, honestly, the interest) to hunt most things myself, my brother does, and he also doesn't like doves, so he gifted me the four he shot on my property the other day.

To the right is the result... a few points, since Reddit and Facebook have already brought this up:

1. This is not chicken.  It does not need to be cooked well.
2. Actually, as it's a red meat bird, cooking it well will not do it justice.
3. My camera is actually kind of terrible, so it's not as raw as it looks.

Now that we've got that behind us, I have to make a confession here:  I don't think I've ever thought poultry was ever as delicious as this meal was.  It tasted a lot like steak.  I cannot wait until I get my  hands on some more of them.

This particular batch was just baked in a convection oven at about 400 degrees for a half an hour before being cut off the bone and presented (I added the rosemary because it was already pretty).  There was a dollop of coconut oil on the top, and it was seasoned with salt and pepper.

Next time I make it, I will be pan-frying the whole body first to caramelize it before baking it in the same manner.