From a hunting standpoint, Wyoming’s pronghorn (aka antelope) are plentiful and can be more accessible than deer or elk, plus the hunting seasons for them open earlier.
It’s not unusual for hunters to fill their antelope tags first every year. However, when it comes to filling freezers, ovens and frying pans, antelope doesn’t generate a lot of excitement.
Antelope meat has a reputation for being tough and excessively “gamey," or having a strong flavor that might not please every palate. But that reputation might not be fair, a biologist and a chef say.
The secret to good antelope on the plate can start with how they’re hunted in Wyoming's vast badlands and prairies.
Chef Ric Schuyler recalled hunters shooting antelope on his family’s ranch while he was growing up.
The meat was just plain gross if it came from animals that were shot during the heat of the day, especially after running a great distance, he told Cowboy State Daily.
“It pumps all that adrenaline into their meat, and it just tastes horrible,” said Schuyler, owner of the renowned Pokey’s BBQ in Gillette, which serves all manner of wild game.
In such cases, the best choice would be “to just take the guts, eat the guts and let the coyotes have the rest of the antelope,” he said, jokingly.
Kings Of The Sage
The perception that antelope meat is gamey because they gorge themselves on sage is inaccurate, wildlife biologist and pronghorn conservation advocate Rich Guenzel of Laramie told Cowboy State Daily.
After all, mule deer eat many of the same things, such as sagebrush and bitter brush, and don’t have a reputation for tasting bad, he said.
And pronghorns’ diet can vary according to season and location, he added. Antelope don’t eat just brush; they’ll dine on a variety of grasses and forbs.
Guenzel said the taste of antelope meat depends much more on how the animal is hunted, and how the carcass is handled after the kill, than what the critter ate.
Granted, antelope are typically much leaner than deer and elk, he said. And certainly won’t have the fat-marbled meat that beef cattle produce.
“These guys typically are not going to be dripping in fat throughout the meat and muscle,” he said.
No matter what, some people might not like antelope as much as they enjoy dining on venison, Guenzel said.
“It comes down to personal preference. Some people just don’t care for it. For others, it’s fine,” he said.
Keep It Cool
Since antelope hunting seasons open early, the weather can be hot, making proper treatment of the carcass vital, Guenzel added.
“Do you just gut it out, take the carcass, put it in the back of your pickup and drive around all day, rather than getting it on ice?” he said.
If so, it’s likely the meat won’t be on par with that from deer or elk that were shot during cooler weather, he said.
Schuyler’s advice to hunters was to take the time to cut the meat away from the bone as soon as possible after killing an antelope.
Then, it should be properly aged in a cool place, he added.
“Get that meat off the bone. Get it into Ziploc bags and put it in your fridge for a couple of weeks,” he said.
That will ensure the meat is tender and more pleasantly flavorful, he said.
Smoking Make Antelope Tasty
As with any animals, the prime cuts from antelope include the tenderloins and the backstraps (meat from the muscles running on either side of the spine), Schuyler said.
That might make the best steaks, he said.
Other popular ways to prepare antelope include slow-cooked stew, burger, sausage or taco meat.
Schuyler said that in his opinion, smoking is the best way to prepare antelope.
The meat can be prepared with herb and spice rubs and is best smoked until it’s done medium, he said.
He said cherry wood smoke produces the best results.
“I don’t really know, why. It just imparts a different flavor on that really dark, red, lean meat,” he said.
The result is delicious, enough to make some people re-think their aversion to antelope meat, Schuyler said.
“I smoke a lot of it for hunters, who have been coming back for it for years,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
