But how does it taste?

[baxterb]

Our pallets must be different! I would have to say game meat (other than bear and pork) HAS to be cooked rare to medium rare OR braised and cooked slowly.
I will always cook bear and wild pig slowly and cooked completely through to erase any chance of trichinosis.

We are saying the same thing. When I say “very little meat is good medium rare” I mean the quantity cut from the animal. A medium rare piece of tenderloin is a thing of beauty, a medium rare shoulder is…not. But give that shoulder 3-4 hours and it’s a whole different thing.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Our pallets must be different! I would have to say game meat (other than bear and pork) HAS to be cooked rare to medium rare OR braised and cooked slowly.
I will always cook bear and wild pig slowly and cooked completely through to erase any chance of trichinosis.

I agree. I do not like overly rare red meat at all. However a perfect med-rare does wild game (pork and pig aside) the most justice. The worst is overcooked waterfowl.

Most of what we had in Africa was cooked perfectly med-rare to medium.

 

[bashaw]

I’ve searched the forums. If I missed this subject, I do apologize.

Hunters I’ve spent a lot time of time with that have hunted Africa are unanimous. Waterbuck is not tasty meat, gorgeous trophy, but unpleasant fare at the table. Unanimous to a man. I could never get an accurate description of the flavor. Just revulsion.

Ok, I’m not soon hunting waterbuck. As an owner of an abattoir and custom processing plant (VERY SMALL) I’m thinking “ok, how is that possible?” I have some experience in both controlled confined kill and game killed meat. Mule deer tastes nothing like whitetail deer. Elk always seems somewhat uniform. Moose seems to differ in tase by shot placement (high shoulder vs. boiler room) to me but always still good. Bear.. I won’t eat a bear killed in Pa, but one of the best roasts I’ve ever had was a black bear from the Brooks Range.

I’m new here. Is this true, or just common lore? What, as a new African hunter, if successful should I prepare my tastebuds for? I hope to enjoy Kudu, Gemsbok, Springbok, whatever the bush provides. I’m not picky (I have dreams, but I’m a realistic hunter, not a shopper) but do Impala taste so wildly different from a Duiker that I should prepare my palate for disappointment? A master guide I worked for told me one that “Cape Buffalo ain’t beef. It ain’t even buffalo. The only way to eat it is well-done. Tried to eat it medium-rare. Huge mistake”

What did you all enjoy? What would you sooner run from than put one piece in your mouth again?

Gemsbok very good, Zebra is excellent but tough chewing, Elephant Heart best meat EVER!!!!

 

[bashaw]

As said repeatedly here. Great care must be taken to keep animal hair and especially the hair on glands. Off of the meat.
A rutted up bull moose, elk, smells like piss. And if you touch that hair then the meat. Or get that hair on the meat. That entire portion will taste like a pissy rutted up animal.

The best game meat I’ve had in Africa was from a leftover carcass from a previous hunt to ours. Usually, you are fed your animal a day or two after it was killed. Game needs much longer to relax the fibers. If it’s only been hanging a day or two.

It’s got to be cooked rare. Or for hours. Similar to leg shanks and Oso Bucco. Cooked all day in a Dutch oven.

I think that was the problem with the Zebra I ate it only hung one day

 

[bashaw]

Worst was my Water Buffalo Bull, one backstrap we corned it was ok but tough but the cold sandwiches with corned Buffalo we chewed got the flavor out and spit the meat ate the bread, the other Backstrap we tried to grind it to mix with wild pig for sausage we burned the grinder up too TOUGH

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

What I always enjoy is when the PHs grill up an assortment and they know which each is but let you decide what you think is best.
This was Zebra, Blue Wildebeast and Buffalo cow. I found I like Zebra and Blue wildebeest more than many others.

 

[KuduKiller]

I have had waterbuck once and it was pretty good. I had always heard the stories of proper preparation and care while skinning. I love zebra and the best meal I had was 2 trips ago,, chicken fried giraffe tail with white gravy! I felt like I was at Cracker Barrel!

Steenbok was very, very good as well but obviously not much to it.

 

[bakerb]

Best thing was hot off the braai interior filets from an eland. Medium rare and perfect. Dang that was good.

 

[Fatback]

I’ve never had a bad meal in African safari camp and have always enjoyed the wild game. I will say my favorite game animal I’ve ever eaten African or North American was Eland. Zebra was also surprisingly good to me. I also enjoyed the hippo I had. Obviously how the animal is treated from the time the trigger breaks until it’s eaten makes such a difference in taste.

 

[DLSJR]

I have had waterbuck once and it was pretty good. I had always heard the stories of proper preparation and care while skinning. I love zebra and the best meal I had was 2 trips ago,, chicken fried giraffe tail with white gravy! I felt like I was at Cracker Barrel!

Steenbok was very, very good as well but obviously not much to it.

If the best meal you ever had reminded you of Cracker Barrel, I feel really bad for you!

 

[Philip Glass]

I’ve searched the forums. If I missed this subject, I do apologize.

Hunters I’ve spent a lot time of time with that have hunted Africa are unanimous. Waterbuck is not tasty meat, gorgeous trophy, but unpleasant fare at the table. Unanimous to a man. I could never get an accurate description of the flavor. Just revulsion.

Ok, I’m not soon hunting waterbuck. As an owner of an abattoir and custom processing plant (VERY SMALL) I’m thinking “ok, how is that possible?” I have some experience in both controlled confined kill and game killed meat. Mule deer tastes nothing like whitetail deer. Elk always seems somewhat uniform. Moose seems to differ in tase by shot placement (high shoulder vs. boiler room) to me but always still good. Bear.. I won’t eat a bear killed in Pa, but one of the best roasts I’ve ever had was a black bear from the Brooks Range.

I’m new here. Is this true, or just common lore? What, as a new African hunter, if successful should I prepare my tastebuds for? I hope to enjoy Kudu, Gemsbok, Springbok, whatever the bush provides. I’m not picky (I have dreams, but I’m a realistic hunter, not a shopper) but do Impala taste so wildly different from a Duiker that I should prepare my palate for disappointment? A master guide I worked for told me one that “Cape Buffalo ain’t beef. It ain’t even buffalo. The only way to eat it is well-done. Tried to eat it medium-rare. Huge mistake”

What did you all enjoy? What would you sooner run from than put one piece in your mouth again?

Like you I kill and process my own animals here at home. Deer, antelope, lamb, and beef. I find most African venison good. The only great venison I've had in Southern Africa was Eland. The Gerenuk and Lesser Kudu were truly great in Tanzania. I don't find a huge difference between most of the common game. I would have to say Kudu and Springbuck have been quite good. I do not recall eating Waterbuck but I may have.
I believe that meat prep is likely more important than the animal. They don't have the same cleanliness that we do nor do they hang the carcasses for a week for tenderness like I do.
All this rambling aside I look forward to and enjoy most African game.

 

[AZDAVE]

Interesting thread. I have also had family and friends ask about the taste of the animals we have shot in africa. They always say it tastes like chicken right

As many have pointed out, the care taken in the field and skinning process contributes in a big way to the taste of the meat.

In africa we have tried most of the meats we hunted of them Eland, Sable and Buffalo are our favorite.
The water buck and zebra we had in Moz last year was first rate.

The only ones we didn't get a chance to try was Giraffe, Hippo, Croc, the small predators.

The most interesting was Lion and leopard. Lion was like a slightly gamey elk. The leopard was ground in a lasagna and heavily spiced. I would eat both again.

 

[Betterinthebush]

@Philip Glass “..same cleanliness ..hang the carcasses for a week for tenderness like I do.”

I talked with the outfitter/PH on this issue specifically. I asked how he kept the flies off the carcasses and cooling control before he sent them off to process. He sent me pictures of his skinning room and rails into his cooler for aging. I was impressed. 1) it was immaculate and 2) that he felt it was important enough to address the issue with pictures and simple details for me

The man knows his business and meat science.

 

[archer36]

I've eaten black, blue and golden wildebeest, blesbok, gemsbok, kudu, and sable. Personal palate.....I liked blesbok the least, but kudu and sable were the best. The sable backstrap tasted (to me) like filet mignon. My PH seasoned it with a South African spice blend called Flekka Lekka.

I looked up the spice. It's actually called Flippen Lekka.

 

[112Savage]

@Philip Glass is right. I wonder if some of the animals we ate would not have been better if they had hung longer. I had no real complaints, but since we were the first hunters there in over a year due to COVID closures, it wasn’t like their refrigerator had a ton of hanging carcasses. I really like at least 24 hours hang time and better yet 7-21 days depending on species of NA and domestic animal.