Best tasting game meat!
General Topic
Contributors to this thread:
Ucsdryder's Link
Check out the video...blind taste test.
Antelope! Elk a close second but good antelope is unbeatable.
I think I could at least tell the difference between antelope and deer if I was gnawing on a properly cooked steak or loin. Not surprised it was harder to tell on burger though. If nothing else, I'd suggest the guy move his grill away from that wall a bit!
Just goes to show you that if taken care of properly all game meat is good!!!
Lol and it also goes to show bowsite and reading don’t go hand in hand! ;)
I've always advocated what they found. All these species are pretty much the same thus should taste pretty much the same. Differences in taste can be because of how they were taken care of or how they were processed more than what species. Different species have different textures so they did it right...burger. I know my taste buds aren't keen enough to take that test and identify them any better than those folks did!
You guys throwing in "unlike" species are cheating on the test! I'm pretty sure we all could tell the difference between ground elk and ground chicken LOL.
UCS, I'd like to think I could do better, but would probably be in the same boat as the contestants...
Elk...fresh off the carcass over an open fire.
All I know is I've served Costco Tri Tip alongside Elk.....and that elk was the favorite with myself and a couple of non hunting friends
Ground chicken (or any bird) should not be included in this conversation. Birds are not made to be burger or sausage.
moose. That would be the underwater weed eating ones. I heard in some parts they eat mostly twigs and the meat is not as good. Elk stew is also A++++++
Mountain lion. The other white meat.
Moose tenderloin cooked in camp in the Yukon!!! The very best (and most expensive) steak I've ever eaten. It was so worth it!!!!!
Moose, late summer caribou and elk in that order
I’m partial to the short skirted clam myself. Not that all the other game meat isn’t tasty too
The moose I shot was pretty chewy but tasted good. Caribou is number one for me. Never had antelope but I would like to try it.
The moose from the past couple years has been my favourite wild meat for sure. I've had elk, deer, bear, rabbits, birds, etc.
Bison then oryx. I heard Mountain lion is amazing but have not tried it. One elk I got was unbelievable but i am not sure why. Truly stood out over every other elk I took.
Quebec lab caribou, late August. Iowa beef. Moose. In that order. God I love caribou.
Dall and Stone sheep are the best, elk, caribou, Coues deer, antelope, Bighorn and bison are close behind in steak meat. For burger meat, elk, moose, bison are the best.
Don’t think that burger is the best test. A 2” square piece of steak 3/4” thick might be better. Same cut off the hind quarters on each.
Antelope is #1 in my opinion
North American game, I’d say moose, but a couple of the plains game meats we had in Africa were probably the best game meat I’ve ever eaten. Not certain which two they were, though. Gemsbok and possibly Eland, I think.
Pretty funny results! My favorite is bison.
Pheasant and a young bear..(not a cub)
antelope bobcat bear 1 2 3
Zebra & Moose... or Bison. Prepared properly they are all good. Except armidillo, just the thought of it didn't sit good with me.
Moose...Nothing is as good that I have had...
Dove. Marinade wrapped in bacon on grill.
I've said it for years. Time of year, whether it was broke down and cooled quickly or drug out whole with hide on, how long it hangs, etc.... decide the quality of ungulate you eat. Not the species.
Dall sheep, followed by antelope or coues.
My Favorites:
Saturdays - moose
Sundays - elk
Mondays - antelope
Tuesdays - WT
Wednesdays - MD
Thursdays - Leftovers
Fridays - Leftovers
The reason DAll is so good is that after 8-10 days on granola, Mt House and dried stuff, gopher would taste fantastic.
The worst tasting, gamiest meat I ever forced down my throat was my first antelope, a buck ( I ate all of it anyway), and the best meat I ever had was the 4th one, a doe. Very little comes close to dry cow elk though. I killed two of those, and can't wait for a third.
Mountain caribou might be my last choice. Moose is great, mtn lion is exotic, bison is over rated, sheep is right up there.
Not a fan of my first moose. Need to kill another one I guess...
Sheep -n- Elk for me.
Good luck, Robb
"Lol and it also goes to show bowsite and reading don’t go hand in hand! ;)"
LOL....yep!
Yup, Eland by far the best I had in Africa. Cape buff was also excellent, but very robust, rich, firm, and a lot of it...Delicious over open wood fire grill. Here, I've had great moose, and I've had so-so moose, and bad moose. And the two caribou I got (pre-velvet shed, were both average, tasted kind of bland compared to elk. I suspect a diet of lichen as producing average tasting meat. I tried a sage grouse I shot once. Tasted like sagebrush... And I shot a hen merganser on the Madison River, and committed myself to eating it since I shot it. I couldn't get past the first bite. Tasted like fish... bad fish.
Caribou, elk, wild hog, whitetail, antelope, mule deer. However I like them all!
Lee
Moose, elk, caribou, bison, deer, bear, had antelope in the rut could not eat straight sage. Good beef steak is good too.
I’ve had oryx once and it was phenomenal. August antelope is hard to beat along with a young elk.
Put me down for Dall Sheep as being the best!
All sheep but the Rocky the best
I've taken archery Buffalo, Elk, Caribou, Antelope, Whitetail, Mule Deer, wild Hog, Black Bear & a few Exotic Deer. Quebec Caribou was the ONLY animal we did not share. Next for me is Buffalo then Elk. Everything has been good.
Was Stone sheep, now it is Musk Ox.
Whitetail and ruffed grouse. Haven't had much moose, elk, mule deer, pronghorn, or caribou. Did have some caribou chops and moose hamburgers and both were very good.
Farm-Land Antelope are tough to top.
I'm surprised no one said squirrel, I don't eat much of them and can't say its my favorite, but many guys seem to swear by them when mentioned.
If you have to wrap it in bacon to eat it, it doesn’t deserve a mention on this thread. Sure bacon makes some things better but good meat doesn’t need bacon. I’m limited here but I’ll say elk. If we are talking steaks I doubt much can’t beat some home grown angus, of course it’s not game.
Possum? Granny Clampett says “possum innards is just as good warmed up”
My all time favorite is bear ribs . Boil with spices until tender. Add a little barbeque sauce and brown on grill. Had people over last Sunday , deer meat and pork ribs were left . Bear ribs were cleaned up. Everyone was pleasantly surprised .
Reading Wvmoutainer post I have to agree!
I didn’t consider game birds when I made my original post. Guess I should have. Fried turkey breast goes to the top if including them....having some tonight! Yum!!!
corn fed mallard stuffed with Apple orange & onions with a shot of red wine inside & covered with orange marmalade thinned with red wine & roasted. approx 30 minutes @ 350. omg you will start growling over who gets the last peice
Duck? Your favorite?! HELLLLLLL NO!
My Desert Ram was the best eating animal I’ve ever had. 10 1/2 years old and tender.
I haven’t been fortunate enough to taste a lot of the great big game meat y’all have mentioned. I’ve eaten bison, oryx, bear, barbery sheep, antelope, elk, mule deer and whitetail deer. And liked them all. Toss up between elk and oryx for me
Dall sheep by far, we feed the camp dogs the sirloin steaks (beef) that was brought along, still salivating when thinking about it.
Funny how many say oryx. I wasn't that impressed with the one that I had. It had a very rubbery texture. Clean and very mild, but didn't care for the texture.
My Dall and Mt. Caribou were some of the best, but can not complain about the majority of elk, whitetail, mule deer, Coues deer, bison, pronghorn, axis, blackbuck, mouflon, fallow, feral hog, mountain lion, and black bear that I have brought home. I have had a few mule deer that we couldn't eat though. My red stag from Argentina was not very good eating. I have killed a few aoudad that had good flavor but were tough. My mountain goat was very good but also fairly chewy.
For the most part, it is all yummy!
Stone sheep over any else, and that includes bison, mnt. lion, elk, antelope, whitetail, or bear.
Surprised at the lack of Bison posts? Antelope is not that good. My favorite NA species would have to be ELK. Zebra loins are definitely a tie for #1 even though I had to be talked into eating "horse" when in Africa.
The oryx I ate was a broken horn my brother shot.
I was with him and did the gutless method. Had it all in a cooler on ice in about 30 minutes.
Cooked the tenderloins over a fire that evening and, although mild, it was very chewy. We ended up grinding all the hams and shoulders and just chunked the back straps.
The burger was good but the back straps were still rubbery. Maybe I’ll get lucky and draw one someday that will be better!
Best ever fawn antelope. 2nd calf elk.
Antelope, no contest baby.
I've only had a select few such as deer, Turkey, moose, and wild boar. My favorite by far is moose with boar being close behind. On another note as long as it's taken care of properly and fixed right I haven't had a bad piece of wild meat
I ate antelope 1x and vowed to never hunt one because I wouldn't eat it. Gator is probably my favorite
Eland springbok sable mountain lion any kind of venison in that order for me.
rabbit and porcupine oh and opossum !!!!!
Just got back from a wild hog hunt last week and it is by far my favorite meat yet of anything I have killed.
Oryx--only my youngest son Enoch had a tag(try to say that five times in a row--Enoch's Oryx!) in our hunting years, but sad when the last steaks were gone , antelope is now our family favorite! Hope to one day have bighorn, dall sheep, stone sheep, or moose in my freezer if I can draw a tag or afford a Yukon hunt! We grew up on mule deer and still prefer it over elk! I know that is ABNormal! Least favorite was mountain lion--my wife had to disguise it in a pork pasoli dish for our kids to eat it! Seemed strange to eat a cat but we ate it all--at least it seemed our stalking abilities were enhanced upon consumption!
My last elk, which was an older really big 6x6 was hung for 35 days. Most tender meat i've eaten from any animal. The longer that you hang it the better the meat will be. About five years ago this question was asked. At least 7-8 people that had eaten many animals said that cougar was the best. Hands down. I know one person that has killed Mulies WT, Elk, Moose and Caribou also said Cougar.
Come on man who doesn't like cougar :-)
Antelope is very good but not as much flavor as Elk. I would choose Elk, Antelope and whitetail in that order. Shawn
Elk I've killed have been all over the place as far as chewability....All good flavor, but 2 or 3 were jaw lockers for sure. No obvious reason (age, location, etc)
Favorite? Yukon moose, then Canola fed, early season Alberta Mulies.
Young Squirrel in the spring when they have been eating mulberries. IMO they can’t be beat. I have never had Zebra or Mountain Lion, and I eat way more deer meat than anything else, but that’s because I can kill 6 a year in Oklahoma.
Josh nailed it...your squirrels fried with gravey and fresh biscuits...you can hurt yourself...
Sheep and antelope for me.
Right now in Colorado it should be cougar.
good video. My Mom's pan fried squirrel and then bear steak, can't believe no ones mentioning bear.
What's amazing is that no one has said or mentioned deer, which is by far the most eaten of wild game meat. Also goose and duck which I'm sure are right up there as well.
Moose tenderloin is the best meat I've had.
For the most consistently good and widely available meat I'd have to say elk. Although I still have no idea why, the best elk I have ever eaten was my son's 9-10 year old, 373" bull? This goes against all perceptions and I have tried to discredit it but every time I eat it it is great. Better than 1.5 year old cows on the same feed.
Zebra was surprisingly good and was my favorite of all the plains game in Africa.
Squirrel. Simmer until its fork tender then coat with Frying Magic or your favorite breading and fry in oil until golden brown. Remove from oil, drain on a paper towel, and then coat pieces with your favorite sauce like Buffalo, Garlic Parmesan, BBQ, or whatever suits your fancy. Serve with celery sticks and Ranch or Blue cheese dressing. If you are a real wild man, you will never eat chicken wings again!
put black bear in there and it'd blow the results up IMO
I've heard moose/caribou are fantastic, never had them
I agree with Oldreb, but you also need to make gravy. Squirrel makes the best gravy.
I have eaten just about every wild game there is. The best in my opinion is Eland. I could have guessed everyone of the meat on his BBQ. I don't like Antelope. Right now I have a freezer full of Bison, Moose and Mountain Lion. I have not tried Coues but I would like to. In this order for North American animals: Bison Caribou Sheep Whitetail Elk Moose Mtn. Lion Cotton Tails Hog Turkey Mule Deer Antelope Bear
1st=grouse,2nd=moose, Last place=deer/bison.... Grind em or cut em into stew meat.
Axis Deer, Dall Sheep (Thanks Matt!), Coues and the list goes on...
any wild game that frequents the alfalfa fields.
worst meat any wild game that browses on juniper brush.
oz
yes I'm amazed that I'm the only one that said duck some of the most expensive plates in the finest restaurants in the world is duck. & ill also 2nd squirrel. gravy & biscuits
Its a toss up between Spotted Owl and California Condor.
Another vote for antelope. I did a side-by-side comparison with multiple family members, cooking up back strap platters of Elk, Antelope, Mule deer, and Whitetail. The winner was definitely antelope, just edging out elk by a narrow margin.
My strongly supported scientific experiment of course;)
I can't take anyone's opinion seriously that puts deer at or near the top of their list lol
The top of my list is Elk, Caribou, Moose, Antelope, (young) turkey.
It should be noted that if you're killing game only for food, the females taste much better than the males. A 1.5 year old doe/cow killed before the rut is about as good as it gets within that species. Add to that the bonus of killing one located in agriculture country and it gets even better.
A young female antelope that's been feeding on winter wheat and alfalfa is really hard to beat.
Muskox, Dall/Stones Sheep
Elk Roast Embroche
Elk Roast Embroche
For my taste is Elk, The best was a September bull (Rifle kill) that was plump and undamaged. Took this elk in middle-fork (River of No Return Wilderness) and it hung in a tree for 4 days before the packer took it in to processer in Challis, Idaho. The quarters cured another 10+ days before they shipped the meat ($) to my Brother and I. By far the best table fair to date! Most disappointing was my 2017 December cow harvested on the Mescalero Res. We took good care of the meat IMHO. The cow got hung whole in the walk in cooler for 4 days, quartered up and Iced down for transit with the plug out of the 2 large coolers. Then another two days in my local guy's cooler before processing for a total of 8 days. I find the round steaks are surprisingly tough. Flavor is very good, and I'm glad I opted for a bunch of ground meat. LaGriz
Which ever I have a stash of at any given time :^)
My wife likes the taste of a 2-3 year old black bear, then venison. The deer that we get in the U.P. Mich. in late fall, by the potato fields, can't be beat. The meat is almost sweet.
Anything that is wrapped in bacon is out of the running. —I could wrap a coyote in bacon and it’d be good. My first choice for four-legged animals is moose. Admittedly, haven’t ever ate any African game that I recall.
Birds: Ruffed grouse and Hungarian Partridge.
For North American I’m partial to bighorn and Forbe fed antelope, and maybe a prime coues or young elk; otherwise several African antelope are simply awesome eating IMO. Spiral horns, gemsbok, and even cape buff are the bomb!
Tough question for me, while I haven't been blessed to try African game. I love wild boar over pork any day of the week. Antelope if cared for properly is out of this world! Fresh elk steaks on an open fire... No comparison. I think it just depends. I have had dog and cat, and it was cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious!!! (Don't Be A Hater, You have no idea of the situation nor circumstances) I would love to try Mtn. Lion, but haven't had the chance. Duck and quail if cooked properly are a delicacy! Moose is also wonderful if it's a water weed eater, and bear roasts are insanely good! YEP, They are all favorites! BTW, javelina burritos with cilantro are very delicious! It's all in how the meat is handled, cleaned, prepared and delivered to the plate! I would actually eat anything that I knew was cared for properly, and I have eaten some pretty interesting stuff. Raw and cooked. The best tasting flesh in my opinion is fresh caught western yellow tail or Yellowfin tune, filleted while still alive and eaten warm with a little soy sauce and mild wasabi! MMMMMM! Now I Am Hungry!
Young elk aged about 2 weeks is my go to, but I haven't had the chance to eat any of the African game mentioned. It's all great if taken care of properly. Love those grouse also.
Tomorrow night the crew is doing this same taste test again, but this time they are using backstrap from different animals, rather than burger they did in this video. Wish I could be there to help them, but I'm up to my ears skinning muskrats. They are filming the entire thing once again and we will post the results in another video on our YouTube channel.
Tree stand food. I will take a thin wheat, peanut butter, peach jelly, raisin sandwich any day.
Tree stand food. I will take a thin wheat, peanut butter, peach jelly, raisin sandwich any day.
Randy, like at a wine tasting party, have them munch on a few crackers (or something to neutralize the taste buds) in between samples.
While I do like elk, hard to beat Coues tenderloins med rare. my best, Paul
Sable with a grass of red wine...
interior grizzly? Like maybe Wyoming interior?