Back in 1981 while stationed at Ft. Hood, TX., my army shooting buddy and I took a week to go hunt on his one uncle’s ranch located in North West Oklahoma for pronghorn. I ate some of are kills, but it had been so long that I forgot what pronghorn tastes like. Can any of you folk give me a comparison between pronghorn, deer, and beef. Just curious.
Pronghorn flavor
- Thread starter PRR1957
- Start date
redrockranger
Silver $$ Contributor
Somewhere between groundhog and possum. I'll take beef.
jepp2
Gold $$ Contributor
My personal opinion is most of the hate that antelope receive is due to the season being in the warm weather and the animals not being properly cared for. I shoot and eat a lot of antelope (4 this year). And my method is to skin and quarter them where they hit the ground. Meat goes in a game bag and into a cooler with 20 pounds of ice under and another 20 pounds on top. This cools the meat very quickly.
I have cooked antelope beside deer and cannot tell the difference between the two on the dinner plate. And that is the same if the antelope were eating sage brush or alfalfa.
That said, this is order preference on wild game:
moose
elk
deer, antelope
STOMP442
Gold $$ Contributor
In my experience, it's hit or miss, either very gamey or just downright delicious. The first goat I killed was 10 years ago in Northern Utah. I killed him out of a giant alfalfa field and was expecting him to taste great. Wrong. He was so gamey you couldn't even cook him indoors it was awful. My wife just killed a nice goat in New Mexico this past August out in the sage flats and he's the best eating game meat we have ever had. We don't even have to add a marinade like we do the deer just throw it on the grill and enjoy. I prefer it over the Elk I have in the freezer even.
swd
Silver $$ Contributor
I find it to have a little more flavor than really good deer but in a good way. Never cook it more than medium rare or the taste flips like a light switch to gamey. A small doe that’s been feeding on alfalfa incredible. And only cook what you’ll eat at one setting, it doesn’t taste good the next day as left overs. My favorite recipe, olive oil a very small amount of your favorite seasoned salt or rub then take yellow onions slice them 1/4” or so and rub heavily with olive oil and salt and pepper them, put the onions on the top rack of your BBQ and let them cook until they’re nice and soft. Grill the antelope until it’s just medium rare and enjoy!
100% agree with this guy. I have never disliked an animal that was properly cared for.
We gut all animals as soon as it is located and have it skinned within the hour. Since we live in west Texas temps in December can be between 10F-90F but we get it in a cooler ASAP.
I have had the opportunity to go on several guided hunts. Both hunting and fishing, where the guides are blown away by our willingness to gut and clean our bounty.
Oh and NEVER throw out the heart. That’s the best part!
Joe S.
We gut all animals as soon as it is located and have it skinned within the hour. Since we live in west Texas temps in December can be between 10F-90F but we get it in a cooler ASAP.
I have had the opportunity to go on several guided hunts. Both hunting and fishing, where the guides are blown away by our willingness to gut and clean our bounty.
Oh and NEVER throw out the heart. That’s the best part!
Joe S.
Any of you guys ever tried cooking game meat with the sous vide system? I you are not familiar with it, check it out on the internet. Unbelieveable temperature control while cooking. It is the ideal way to cook meat to the perfect doneness. You just have to figure out a good way to finish the meat after cooking. Check it out.
BTW- Some friends had us over for dinner back in '73 as we were getting ready to move to Georgis, and they served an Antelope roast done sorta like pot roast. It was great, and almost indistinguishable from a lean beef roast.
BTW- Some friends had us over for dinner back in '73 as we were getting ready to move to Georgis, and they served an Antelope roast done sorta like pot roast. It was great, and almost indistinguishable from a lean beef roast.
Yep, turns out excellent. Sear after the sous vide either on a screaming hot grill or a cast iron skillet heated to about 10 degrees below starting to melt, lol. This is a venison roast, sous vide at 130 degrees for about 8 hours, seared in the cast iron skillet with just a touch of olive oil.
I've only been lucky enough to draw 2 ND antelope tags, both in SW ND and sage fed. In both cases, DRT and dressed & on ice withing 1/2 hour. The only better wild game I've had would be Morning Dove & yearling Elk.
As has been said, Medium rare. By the time it hits medium, it's overdone.
Allen
As has been said, Medium rare. By the time it hits medium, it's overdone.
Allen
I like the taste of Antelope. The only caveat is if you shoot an old goat, he will taste like an old goat. Older antelope meat literally can smell like sage and have a bit of a sage taste. But old animals rarely taste as good as the younger ones. If available, get a doe tag with your buck tag and shoot a young doe. Yum.
The trick is to skin, hang and cool Pronghorn as soon as possible after it hits the ground. If you do this and cool ( in a locker) and age it for at least 10 days ( my opinion) it will be good eating, with mild flavor on the order of a lamb roast.
too may people wait too long to skin and cool or drive all over showing it off to folks and in doing so, cause the meat to become strong and lose it's flavor.
too may people wait too long to skin and cool or drive all over showing it off to folks and in doing so, cause the meat to become strong and lose it's flavor.
linebaugh
Silver $$ Contributor
I have shot and ate perhaps 20 antelope over the years. After the first experience I was hooked and would rate them as good as any wild venison out there and better than many. The key, as stated above, is to get them field dressed and on ice asap. If you can't get this done or are just a lazy hunter I wouod suggest you find a new species to hunt and would also say you are really missing some good eats.
Also as stated above there is probably some influence based on environment and food source. I personally have not found a bad one including two in the 80" range which should have probably been old and stronger in taste but I will aknowledge they could get gamey due to food source. I have had mule deer like this so I know it's reality.
Also as stated above there is probably some influence based on environment and food source. I personally have not found a bad one including two in the 80" range which should have probably been old and stronger in taste but I will aknowledge they could get gamey due to food source. I have had mule deer like this so I know it's reality.
I’ve heard the same thing. Being a fan of neither liver nor gamey meat, the antelope are safe from me.
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