Best tasting plains game

[Beretta391]

Springbok Carpaccio is simply amazing!!!

 

[mdwest]

zebra is amazing

this...

bar none the finest plains game Ive ever eaten... nothing else comes close..

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Hello everyone, it’s been awhile since I asked a question here. I have some time so I thought I should ask this specific question. I’ve watched plenty of videos of hunting Africa. I’ve always wondered what plains game tasted the best? I would like to base my dream hunt in Namibia based on this. My goal is a nice Sable, but I’m open to other species as well.

I liked bushbuck and nyala, but like others have said, eland is the best. All of those depends on having a cook that knows what they're doing.

 

[Green Chile]

Sable is also good. Doug makes a good point on the quality of prep. Many have said that waterbuck isn't good. Well if you get the musky oil on the meat, of course it's nasty. Careful prep and I bet that you wouldn't be able to guess it was waterbuck.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Sable is also good. Doug makes a good point on the quality of prep. Many have said that waterbuck isn't good. Well if you get the musky oil on the meat, of course it's nasty. Careful prep and I bet that you wouldn't be able to guess it was waterbuck.

I would guess that you are right, but I shot one on my last safari. The only one I've ever killed. The cook there could make anything taste five star, but the PH and she both wanted nothing to do with the meat from the waterbuck. That seems to be the general.consensus. Even Kevin Robertson wrote that waterbuck looked stately on the wall but were "terrible eating." My thought is that they may be like peccary in the Americas. I have never killed or eaten one but a friend of mine in Belize hunts them. He tells me that there are glands on the back that secrete a nasty, oily substance that if great care isn't taken to prevent any contact between the meat and hide the meat is ruined. Waterbuck may be the same.

 

[Green Chile]

I had always heard that waterbuck was terrible and unusable at the table. I was pleased to see something different and in person. I doubt I will see it on the table often but now I know it is definitely edible. I've enjoyed trying all of the various meats from tiny 10 up to elephant. Just don't put monkey or croc on the table. Hah, a PH friend can't stand beets on the table but there are far worse foods than that!

 

[Doug Hamilton]

I had always heard that waterbuck was terrible and unusable at the table. I was pleased to see something different and in person. I doubt I will see it on the table often but now I know it is definitely edible. I've enjoyed trying all of the various meats from tiny 10 up to elephant. Just don't put monkey or croc on the table. Hah, a PH friend can't stand beets on the table but there are far worse foods than that!

I did try croc steak in a restaurant once. It was okay, but I probably won't order it again. I'm with you on the.monkey!

 

[458JCE]

I haven't read all responses - Eland hands down.
But I haven't tried any antelope (exception Waterbuck) or Deer meat that I didn't like.

 

[DLSJR]

The camp cooks in M'Barangandu Tanzania put a whole Hartebeast in a fire pit for 2 days and it was exceptional. Struggled with the Leopard!!! Of course made all the jokes associated with eating "cat"!!

I actually found leopard backstrap to be quite good. We did it grilled simply and it was very close to pork in taste, texture and appearance.

 

[DLSJR]

Sable is also good. Doug makes a good point on the quality of prep. Many have said that waterbuck isn't good. Well if you get the musky oil on the meat, of course it's nasty. Careful prep and I bet that you wouldn't be able to guess it was waterbuck.

@Green Chile You’re ’spot on’ about carefully skinned and properly cared for Waterbuck. It’s actually pretty good. I would not hesitate to enjoy it again as long as it was handled carefully from shot to kitchen.

I’m amused at all the comments raving about how great Zebra is because it reminds me of my first Zebra experience. It was my 1st African hunt, back in 1983. I’d shot a large mare and we had some of it prepared in a nice yellow curry over steamed rice. We were camped in Deka for 24 days and Peter Johnstone was dropping by to check on how things were going. Many of you may not know who Peter Johnstone is, but he’s very well known among Zimbabwe’s PH community. He holds Zimbabwe PH license #1, owned Rosslyn Safaris for many years, had Matetsi 3 for a long time including when I hunted with Roy Vincent and Peter in the ‘80’s. He’s probably more well known now for owning Cawston Ranch near Bulawayo. I’ve enjoyed some great times with Peter back in the day. Anyway, I digress…

Peter showed up in camp along with Bob Nauheim, who was a booking agent mostly known for fishing as Bob owned Fishing International which was a prominent agency back in the 80’s-90’s. Rene Vincent had warned us not to tell Peter they were serving Zebra, as Peter hated Zebra meat. She told us to tell him it was impala. Dinner time arrives and everyone is enjoying our ‘impala’ curry, so much that Peter was raving about it being so good that he had a 2nd helping. Roy decided to have more too, so asked someone to pass the Zebra Curry. Peter stopped mid-bite and just stared at Roy. Everyone around the table cracked up as Peter had really been duped. After he choked down that mouthful, he declared that it was Bloody Awful but tasted quite good when he thought it was Impala.

 

[Duckhunter3000]

I learned one thing from eating African game, that our Venison (white tail) taste like sh*t compared to all the African game I've eaten.

It’s that good?

 

[Anbessa Gedai]

Hello everyone, it’s been awhile since I asked a question here. I have some time so I thought I should ask this specific question. I’ve watched plenty of videos of hunting Africa. I’ve always wondered what plains game tasted the best? I would like to base my dream hunt in Namibia based on this. My goal is a nice Sable, but I’m open to other species as well.

For me Gerenuk is hands down the finest African game meat (but you won't find those in Namibia).
Dik-Dik, also very good . . . eat an entire hind leg by yourself!
Also speaking as someone who doesn't normally eat liver, I find gazelle liver excellent.

 

[Duckhunter3000]

Sounds like I’ll have to add eland to the list of my dream hunt.

 

[Duckhunter3000]

Most African wild game are good to eat, as long as it is cooked properly. Some of the best are eland (as long as bulls are not in the rut) and their steaks rival the finest beef. Kudu is pretty first class as well. Also desert type game like gemsbok and hartebeest are excellent. Sable meat is good also. Of the smaller animals, most are good to eat… particularly impala & reedbuck. Nyala are also good. A lot depends on the condition of the animal, and if it is shot well and not wounded before killing (which tends to produce “Sour” tasting meat due to the release of adrenaline in the animal’s flesh). The marbling of giraffe steaks also makes them a delicacy fit for a king.

My non-Muslim family members & friends are perhaps the most fond of bush pigs which have been shot during their depredations in the corn fields & macadamia nut plantations. I have assisted in the butchering & cooking of countless of these animals. The meat is akin to Berkshire pork in terms of quality.

My favorite African wild game offal dish, is actually flame grilled Impala liver. Among game birds, I absolutely find a bowl of guinea fowl potjie to be heaven on earth.

The only African game which I absolutely disgust... are spurwing goose & waterbuck. A waterbuck, particularly an old one, has a very oily substance that gets in the hairs of the skin. When skinning the animal, great care must be taken to avoid getting the hair or oil on the meat. An old trophy bull does taste a bit strong, but a young waterbuck tastes quite fine. The only palatable way to prepare the meat, is to make a strongly spiced vindaloo out of it. Or a Tikka Masala with lots of heavy cream.

Cape buffalo is coarser than bison and tougher. However, the tenderloin (or fillet) are excellent when seasoned simply with coarse grained salt and grilled over the open camp fire to a maximum doneness of medium rare with a healthy squeeze of lemon juice on top. Especially with an ice cold African Castle Lager to wash it all down with. I never did like Cape buffalo tail unlike one camp cook in Tanzania prepared a dish with it which was fit for a king. The underbelly of a hippopotamus is quite delectable when ground up and prepared as a ragout for use with pastas. Elephant trunk makes an excellent component in a stew if prepared correctly. Elephant fat is also excellent and may be spread over slices of bread, like butter. It is quite white and may be prepared like sheep tail fat. However, their meat is quite coarse & tough.

One observation about impala. The venison of a younger meat ram (with small horns) tastes absolutely first class (like baby camel). But the venison of an older trophy ram, can be rather tough.

What is a potjie, it sounds good. I’m all for the bird recipes. I duck hunt for the most of hunting season.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

What is a potjie, it sounds good. I’m all for the bird recipes. I duck hunt for the most of hunting season.

It really is good ! It’s a meat & beer stew that originated from the Dutch Boers. I was first introduced to it during my safari to Kenya in 1974. Unfortunately, it appears to have lost favor amongst younger generations of gourmands.

 

[Tex .416]

Has anyone eaten hippo?

They look like they would make some super sized pork ribs.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Has anyone eaten hippo?

They look like they would make some super sized pork ribs.

Oh, yes. One of my favorites. The underbelly is excellent, ground up as a ragout to use in pastas. One camp cook in Tanzania made a magnificent lasagna with it.

 

[Rare Breed]

My first trip to the Eastern Cape with Game-4-Africa, I asked Wik what they use to cook their venison. To my surprise, he said we only use Olive Oil, and that's it. Wik, said that he wanted his clients to taste the venison, and not the condiments, and the differences in taste from the different animals. I was shocked and surprised of that response, and after thinking a bit about it, it made perfect sense to me.

I’ve eaten with them…they do trim all excess fat off which makes a difference

 

[Doug Hamilton]

It’s that good?

Pretty much all game meat is either good or bad depending on how it's been cared for from the shot until.it's served. On my first safari I ate some roast from a reedbuck that I shot. The lady that cooked it was nice, but clearly not a great cook. Very well done and dry. Not good. On my last trip, everything that the native lady cook made was excellent.in the US my cousin told me that pronghorns weren't fit to feed to a dog. When I got to make a hunt with a buddy I killed a big old buck and a fawn. My friend killed a young buck and a mature doe. He had worked for a few years in a slaughter house then many years as a meat cutter. He handled all of the animals from the time they were shot, and I might have thought he was a surgeon. Not a single hair on any of the meat which was all boned and chilled before the end of the night fall. My wife still asks why I don't go kill another pronghorn, "at least they're good to eat." She also liked the.moose I killed. Another guy I knew that lived in Alaska said that he didn't like moose but did.like caribou. The only time I ate caribou was when a friend brought some meat back from Canada. I didn't think was good at all. So it all depends.

 

[Field28]

zebra is amazing

I think that Zebra is one of the meats that really surprises people the first time they try it.