I've got Antelope steaks & roasts

Any prep and cook suggestions are truly, truly welcome.

I remember my first antelope.    My scout master was an avid hunter and Threw an antelope roast each labor day.  It would spend the entire day slow ccoking on a spit over a pit of coals,  It was mopped with a zesty/sweet sauce.  It was a very small doe.  With antelope the older anomals they get almost too gamey to eat. Its been said that even the dogs wouldnt eat it! Their diet consits of sage brush and a bunch of strong grasses on the plains and imparts a strong flavor to the meat.  If you cook it past MR it will get tough and the taste will be stroner-also dont cook it with onions as it really brings out the game taste.
Cooking with pronghorn meat is a difficult task. People differ on what the causes of taste of the meat is. Most people say that it has to do with the pronghorn's diet of sagebrush that gives it's meat that "gamey" taste. Some say that it's the adrenaline in the system of a "spooked" pronghorn, and that they need to be shot while at rest - either standing or bedding.

Various "fixes" to the gamey taste of antelope meat is to soak it in a variety of fluids like salted water, tomato sauce, milk and lots of others. Most people have their antelope made into sausage or jerky, because the combinations of spices works with or counteracts the natural sage. Antelope hamburger works well in dishes like spaghetti, stir fry, or on home-made pizza, or other heavily seasoned dishes.
For a roast I would suggest a tenderizing marinade over nite as its not a fatty animal and some cuts are a bit chewy.  You have to remember these critters run all day long.  Ive never seen one walk! Even the saddle should be larded to prevent it drying out.  It is an aqquired taste.  Ive never known anybody loving it on the first bite.  Even if you are used to the taste of deer and elk it will tell you right out that its wld game you are eating~
britt

and i've got a recipe!

Antelope roast with carrot-rosemary sauce
good too!

3 to 4 pound boneless Antelope roast, trimmed of fat

1 cup dry red wine

1-1/4 cups water

3 garlic cloves, crushed

6 medium carrots, cut in 1-inch pieces

2 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. Place the roast, 1 cup water, and garlic in a big plastic bag, fasted the bag firmly, and lay it in a glass baking dish. Marinate the roast in the bag, refrigerated and turning occasionally, for 4 days.
2. Drain the marinade into a slow cooker. Preheat the broiler. Brown the roast on all sides under the broiler for about 20-30 minutes. Transfer it to the slow cooker and add the carrots, celery, onion, rosemary, cumin, and bay leaves. Turn the slow cooker to low and cook for 10 hours, or until the roast is fork-tender.
3. Remove the roast and keep it warm in a pre-heated 150ºF oven. Transfer the cooking liquid to a medium saucepan; add the lemon juice, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the bay leaves. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup water and add to the cooking liquid. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens. Cut the meat into serving portions and ladle a generous amount of sauce over each serving.

 

<message edited by tiki on Sat, 05/9/09 2:09 AM>

Thank you brittneal and tiki.

Looks like the prep is a bit more complicated than just "steaks on the barbe".

RedJim64


Any prep and cook suggestions are truly, truly welcome.

If the animal was properly field dressed and cooled then your meat should be fine, requiring no treatment for what many people call gaminess. Just be sure to remove all visible fat, and never cook the meat, regardless of method, past medium rare. Game cooked beyond that will be tough and tasteless.
 
When it comes to pronghorn steaks, I like to keep it simple. I brush both sides with canola oil and then salt and pepper each side. Then, for a one-inch thick steak, I'll grill it over coals for about three minutes per side, turning just once. If I'm cooking them inside I'll usually do them in a gril pan, and for the same amount of time.
 
But here's a roast recipe I've made often:
 
Roasted Pronghorn with Sweet Onion Sauce
 
Ingredients
 
1 boneless loin of pronghorn (3 to 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 sweet onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry red wine
2-1/2 cups beef stock, veal stock, or game stock
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
 
Directions
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a heavy, ovenproof roasting pan over medium high heat. Season the roast with salt and pepper and sear on all sides in oil. Remove the roast from the pan. Add onions, carrot, celery, and garlic to pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat and place the roast on top of vegetables. Place pan in preheated oven and roast to medium-rare, 10 to 12 minutes.
 
Remove the roast from pan and keep warm in foil. Place roasting pan over high heat on stove top, add wine, and deglaze pan. Reduce to a medium sauce consistency. Add stock and reduce by half. Strain into a saucepan, discard vegetables, and reheat sauce. Reduce further, if necessary. Whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Cut the meat into serving portions, and spoon sauce over the top.
 
 
 

Thanks, Michael. This is getting interesting...

First site I visited for advice on cooking this gift, was a Colorado ag site that was pretty negative.  

RedJim64


Thanks, Michael. This is getting interesting...

First site I visited for advice on cooking this gift, was a Colorado ag site that was pretty negative.  

That seems odd. It's just venison, so I can't imagine why there'd be anything negative about it -- especially considering that Colorado does a pretty big business in pronghorn hunting permits at over $300 per permit for non-residents.

Growing up in rural Colrado in the 60's we had more than our fair share of hunters and venison was common at BBQ's.  I didnt mean to say that antelope is unedible by my negative comments-only to offer a fair warming of what to expect.  With vennison there can be so many variables.  Hang time.  How long in the filed before proper dresing and bleeding.  Proper butchering without punturing any organs.  Just so many things left in up in the air.  Ive eaten antelope a number of times and have to say that edible was the best I ever had.  There is no accounting for personal taste but I still stand by the statemant that somebody who has limited experience wwith wild game and had never eaten antelope before could be a bit disappointed.  Before cooking its looks wonderful.   still remember my first time waiting all day with the antelope roasting over the coals and my mouth just watering from the smell.  I was almost shocked when i took my first bite.  I really expected something different