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.

 

[Philip Glass]

@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.

It is neat to see that many of the folks over there have serious meat rooms and coolers. Years ago after an extensive trip to Namibia I wrote a short article about their "meat culture". I thought yall might enjoy it.

Meat Culture


There is a saying in Southern Africa among stock farmers and it goes something like this: “We eat our vegetables, we just feed them to the chicken and the pig first!”. One finds out quickly when arriving in this part of the world that meats of many kinds are on the menu every day. Lamb and venison are top of the list because this is what they raise primarily and what they love to cook and eat. Beef is next in popularity and pork and chicken are last and then come the veggies.

Afrikaans people make a jerky style dried meat that they call biltong. It is typically made from venison which in Southern Africa can be from several different antelope species but most commonly Kudu and Gemsbok. It is cut into good sized long pieces and seasoned and marinated in apple cider vinegar overnight then hung to dry naturally in a clean screened in area. After it is completely dry it is chopped with a biltong chopper into bite sized pieces. Biltong is served most anytime of the day for a snack or can even make a light meal. Similarly they take lean venison and blend it with lamb fat and spices and fill natural sheep casings with it to make a dried sausage called droewors or dry sausage. These are very long and hang over a large horizontal pipe in the meat room that many farmers have in Africa. After the sausages are dry they are easily broken into smaller pieces for serving. Droewors are absolutely delicious despite the fact that to some they may not look so appetizing. These sausages vary in flavor based on the lamb and venison used to make them as well as the spices. Each person has their own way of preparing food as we all know so some personality goes into each batch. There are commercial spice blends available at virtually every store for both biltong and droewors because it is such a part of the culture. The main flavor that comes to mind is coriander which is one of the main ingredients in most spice blends. In my experience biltong and droewors are foundation on which their meat culture is based upon.

I recall a hunting trip in Namibia a couple years ago where we sitting down to a very nice meal and the owner Danene asked us if there was anything we could not eat. I mentioned a few vegetables that I unfortunately could not eat because of food allergies and she said not to worry “we mostly eat meat here”. I was so enjoying this place with wonderful food and atmosphere.

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

they can all taste good
all depends on the cut u choose and the preparations
our chef knows how to cook game meat and its always top notch
there are a few i wouldnt bother trying to cook, but other may enjoy them

waterbuck if very good meat, had it many times

 

[Betterinthebush]

It is neat to see that many of the folks over there have serious meat rooms and coolers. Years ago after an extensive trip to Namibia I wrote a short article about their "meat culture". I thought yall might enjoy it.

Meat Culture


There is a saying in Southern Africa among stock farmers and it goes something like this: “We eat our vegetables, we just feed them to the chicken and the pig first!”. One finds out quickly when arriving in this part of the world that meats of many kinds are on the menu every day. Lamb and venison are top of the list because this is what they raise primarily and what they love to cook and eat. Beef is next in popularity and pork and chicken are last and then come the veggies.

Afrikaans people make a jerky style dried meat that they call biltong. It is typically made from venison which in Southern Africa can be from several different antelope species but most commonly Kudu and Gemsbok. It is cut into good sized long pieces and seasoned and marinated in apple cider vinegar overnight then hung to dry naturally in a clean screened in area. After it is completely dry it is chopped with a biltong chopper into bite sized pieces. Biltong is served most anytime of the day for a snack or can even make a light meal. Similarly they take lean venison and blend it with lamb fat and spices and fill natural sheep casings with it to make a dried sausage called droewors or dry sausage. These are very long and hang over a large horizontal pipe in the meat room that many farmers have in Africa. After the sausages are dry they are easily broken into smaller pieces for serving. Droewors are absolutely delicious despite the fact that to some they may not look so appetizing. These sausages vary in flavor based on the lamb and venison used to make them as well as the spices. Each person has their own way of preparing food as we all know so some personality goes into each batch. There are commercial spice blends available at virtually every store for both biltong and droewors because it is such a part of the culture. The main flavor that comes to mind is coriander which is one of the main ingredients in most spice blends. In my experience biltong and droewors are foundation on which their meat culture is based upon.

I recall a hunting trip in Namibia a couple years ago where we sitting down to a very nice meal and the owner Danene asked us if there was anything we could not eat. I mentioned a few vegetables that I unfortunately could not eat because of food allergies and she said not to worry “we mostly eat meat here”. I was so enjoying this place with wonderful food and atmosphere.

Very cool article.

I was casually texting my PH about sausage outlets, biltong vendors, and types of treats to experience that are off the beaten path we might come across during our safari weeks ago. There was this one shop in particular that is well known and I said “We have to stop there” (theyve been on YouTube and everything, so their product has to be good, right?) “oh, no, Jim” he replied “I knew the original owners. The new product is awful. I have the original recipe. I’m going to email it to you now.” Hint: evidently the secret to traditional biltong is to NOT use apple cider vinegar.

I’ve got to slaughter a 2yo jersey bull next week. Jersey meat is wonderful on grass, not so big on it fed corn silage and grain (changes the fat taste in a vain attempt to marble a dairy breed) so I’m going to strip the pichanna muscles off the sirloin, strip the briskets and top round run them though the vacuum tumbler in his recipe and have Namibian biltong for life.

It is indeed a meat culture. Probably more than Argentina. And I didn’t think any country was as dedicated to a thrice daily dealing of red meat as the Argentinians.

 

[Sarg]

Very cool article.

I was casually texting my PH about sausage outlets, biltong vendors, and types of treats to experience that are off the beaten path we might come across during our safari weeks ago. There was this one shop in particular that is well known and I said “We have to stop there” (theyve been on YouTube and everything, so their product has to be good, right?) “oh, no, Jim” he replied “I knew the original owners. The new product is awful. I have the original recipe. I’m going to email it to you now.” Hint: evidently the secret to traditional biltong is to NOT use apple cider vinegar.

I’ve got to slaughter a 2yo jersey bull next week. Jersey meat is wonderful on grass, not so big on it fed corn silage and grain (changes the fat taste in a vain attempt to marble a dairy breed) so I’m going to strip the pichanna muscles off the sirloin, strip the briskets and top round run them though the vacuum tumbler in his recipe and have Namibian biltong for life.

It is indeed a meat culture. Probably more than Argentina. And I didn’t think any country was as dedicated to a thrice daily dealing of red meat as the Argentinians.

The issue with Jersey Cattle/Beef is the yellow fat, if I sold one it was down graded a LOT just because of that fat !

I can’t remember if that effected the taste, I don’t think it did ?

Zebra has (on the animals/species I’ve seen) yellow fat to, Donkey & normal Horse are tasty as well !

 

[Betterinthebush]

The issue with Jersey Cattle/Beef is the yellow fat, if I sold one it was down graded a LOT just because of that fat !

I can’t remember if that effected the taste, I don’t think it did ?

Zebra has (on the animals/species I’ve seen) yellow fat to, Donkey & normal Horse are tasty as well !

All jerseys, regardless of their diet, have a buttery yellow tint o their fat. Especially along the “liquid gold” interior line along the tenderloin and kidneys that is used for rendered oil for gourmet frying.

The outside “cap fat” loses (IMO) value for sautéing because dairy breeds simply will not marble (relatively speaking) compared to beef/beef and dairy crosses. Extra sugar and carbs are parked in bones and fat, and a grain fed dairy animal don’t have enough good flesh yield to drop fat waste in the inedible barrel during processing due to bitter fat taste.

Now, that said, a hot cross that I use for milk fed/grass finished veal is a Hereford bull X Jersey heifer (first calf) absolutely the best fleshed pasture veal I ever crossed.