I am wondering everyones opinion as to the best eating African animals. I friend of mine has told me that hartebeest and springbok were pretty good. Just curious as to what some of the veteran african hunters think.

Paul C

This topic has been hashed before. However, my vote has got to be bushbuck. It is excellent. I shot one this last June and we ate it every meal almost afterward.

Eland tenderloins are my favorite, followed closely by buffalo tenderloins.

It's all good if you're "in country".

Gemsbuck back straps over mopane wood followed closely by warthog tenderloins in onion gravy

Paul,

Tommie chops, leopard tenderloins and western hartebeest steaks are incredible. Actually everything I've tried has been very good. Generally I think African game is tastier than North American unless we're talking dall sheep that is in a category all by itself.

Mark

I'd have to say gemsbuck tenderloin was my favorite. I will also add that mountain zebra was particularly good.

Limited experience but the best so far has been Gemsbock and Eland tenderloin. Very, very nice!

The only game meat I've ever found to be a bit strong has been Impala. Surprised me.

The best? That's easy.

It will be the next one I have over there.

heres a scenario for you guys ...

take the best angus beef , choose the oldest angus bull you can find and shoot him in the lungs , as he runs off shoot him a few times more for good measure ,then leave him in the field for a minimum of two hours ...then throw him in the back of the truck and drive around about two hours , then skin him and finally gut him , cut out his tenderlions and cook them the same day ...what do you think it will taste like !!

then take an african game animal,choose a nice young bull, shoot him in the head and then get over and cut his throat to bleed him out gut him and remove all the choice cuts , and get them into the cooler in less than an hour ...they will be delicius ..

the best i have ever eaten and do eat is hippo , like the finest grade beef , perhaps also because they are brain shot and then cooled in the water ...

quote:

Originally posted by Fulldraw Outdoor Media:
Eland tenderloins are my favorite, followed closely by buffalo tenderloins.

It's all good if you're "in country".

Never tried buffalo, but Eland backstraps are the best of all I reckon.

Bushbuck and Kudu are good.

The worms I saw come out of my Hartmanns Zebra convinced me, that Mike Kibble was right, NEVER eat Zebra

Whatever Moses cooks. If you've been there, you will agree. Dang best food in the world. Maxim's on the Ruaha!

Ivan,

I agree the brain shot hippo was a real surprise. The back strap was very good and quite tender.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Jorge400:
I'd have to say gemsbuck tenderloin was my favorite. I will also add that mountain zebra was particularly good.

This man knows what he is talking about...
Couldn't agree more.

Judge, I have to agree with you Moses sure can cook up a storm... Loved buf tongue and impala backstrap tenderized cooked slow and seasoned then sliced thin excellent with dinner and cold like candy...

Mike

Just a comparison, but here in the States I will take Pronghorn Antelope over any of our big game. Not that Deer, Elk, Moose, Bear , etc., isn't good, it is. But Pronghorn is in a class all by itself. It can start debates even arguments, but if you know how to process and care for wild game, and can cook reasonably well, I haven't found anything I like better from the US. That aside, the African game I've tasted has been superb. I've had Impala meat pies; Kudu stew, grilled Bushbuck and Nyala tenderloins over the brai. Duiker, country fried Springbok steaks with chutney (fabulous) Ostrich, Blesbok. Didn't eat Lechwe, Warthog, Leopard, Wildebeast, Reedbok, Steenbok, Gemsbok, Hartebeast, Zebra or Waterbuck. But of all of the African game I have eaten, without a doubt the very finest was Bontebok. Slow smoked over the brai. It would melt in your mouth. I look forward to it in June. Our PH's wives in one of our RSA ranches can cook like you wouldn't believe. That makes a difference. Most camps I've been in served domestic food. Excellent, but not wild game. LDK

Tough question. But my favorites in order would have to be:
1. eland
2. gemsbok
3. hartebeest

I can honestly say the only thing I really didn't like was leopard.

I remain addicted to Warthog... just thinking of it makes me salivate.

Impala liver and onions!!

eland liver done chinese style marinated in rice wine and stir fried with ginger and spring onions.

or

Blesbok brains battered in eggwash and oat meal/breadcrumbs deep fried with a sweet thai chilli sauce

or springbok kidney deviled and served with homemade tomato chutney

Black wildebeest curry
'Char siew' warthog haunch
Grilled eland steaks
blesbok stew
kudu potjie
eland and kudu marrow bones done in the oven served with melba toast
impala haunch marinated in red wine and herbs baked till tender

oh god i need to get back to africa and get me some nyama!

#1 Hartebeest
#2 Buffalo
#3 Gazelle

Of course, all accompanied with an ice cold Tusker!

1 - Bushbuck
2 - Eland
3 - Gemsbuck

That is my 3 top ones.
Blue wildebeest boerewors/traditional sausage is also excellent.

All the game we ate was good, but hell the young goat on the Brai was just the best goat/lamb I have ever eaten!!!

FB

I do not know where to start, Eland is very nice, Gemsbok and Springbok backstraps with cheese and mussels, Warthog russians, Kudu potjie and biltong. Don't forget about Blue Wildebeest, Impala and Blesbok. Bushbuck makes fantastic wors.

Some spesialities, brains on toast with course black pepper, Tongue with home made mustard, tripe- num-num, Whole Springbok shins cooked slowly in red wine with veggies.

Iam off I suddenly got hungry

Like all meats care after the kill and preperation are the secerets. The best I have ever had was a beautiful roasted haunch of Mt Reedbuck and likewise the poorest was Mt Reedbuck porgie. Breakfast of eggs and impala or springbok liver is supreme, roasted Eland is great, but the tenderloin of most wild game quickly sauted in butter with a touch of scotch (a good one) and thyme is excellent.

Sable was the best I've had with Eland next and Impala dead last.

1. Impala backstrap
2. Buffalo tail soup
3. Hartebeest
4. Nyasa wildebeest

Bull1

the best tenderloin I ever had was Nyala
--melted like butter in your mouth---fantastic

the next trip over I am going to shoot a giraffe and Eland---both are said to be awesome

Seems these posts always come down to those who still have functioning taste buds and those who don't.

I'll just leave it at that.

I was really impressed by the Blesbok and Gemsbok that our camp cook brewed up. She did, however, marinate both in TAB about 45 minutes before cooking. I don't know how much that had to do with it but, both were superb. I wish that she had use all game meat so that I could taste it. I never had a bad meal the whole time I was there but the best meals were in camp and not at the restaurants, although they were certainly edible.

I really enjoyed Blue Wildebeest Cutlets.

Red Hartebeest was awesome.

Mountain ReedBuck cooked in a Dutch Oven.

I tried Burchell's Zebra - excellent.

A lot has to do with the ability of the cook.

How many steaks that I've had in Texas and Florida that were just aweful!

As long as I have salt I like just about all meat that is tender enough to chew but the very finest wild meat on the planet is dove IMO.

I thought Eland tenderloin was superb!

Blue Wildebeast makes fabulous sausage. Especially dried

I certainly wouldn't turn down any Gemsbok, Kudu or Bush Duiker. Which I also enjoyed.

Eland, followed by Chicken fried Kudu Steaks, warthog, nyala, bushbuck, and impala.

1. Cheetah back straps definately being no. 1

Some other exotic ones which are very good are spring-hare pooitjie, porcupine on a spit or jakal.
We once teased some blokes at a "bring and braai". These guys were always the ones that didn't bring any meat along but ate the most of the stuff other people brought. We decided to teach them a lesson and shot a serval, cut some nice chops on the meat master and willingly shared it with the blokes. Nobody of us ate any but when it was finished we let them in on what they ate. They all puked like hell and needless to say that since that day at least most of them are willing to bring some meat along. One of the guys later on admitted that it wasn't all that bad.

Bushpig is far out on top in a league all of it's own.

Then mountain reedbuck & springbuk tie for second & third place.

Eland, Gemsbuck and Black wildebeest share 4th, 5th and 6th place.

Last year, after having hunted sprinbuck for 48 years I learnt something very worth knowing about sprinbok hunting. I was on a meat / culling hunt for females only. Stalked to wher ei thoughtthey would be and found them chewing the cud & dozing, many lying down and very obviously fast asleep. I selected a big ewe that was lying down slowly chewing the cud with eyes closed and head slowly sagging down - as if she was falling asleep - and then pulled, but not jerked, back up. I had all the time in the world to take a 56 paces shot - wind perfect and no sign of any alarm in the 15 or so animals. I decided that the one with head going up and down was the fattest and biggest. My shot took out her brains just at the bottom of the dip.

I know the truth of what Die Ou Jagter said: Field care is critical, and I did what should be done: Gut, bleed, get in shade, get in cooler ASAP. Upon preparation on my tried and tested method pan-frying the fillet very rare in butter, I found that the meat was not as tender as I expected - it was about twice as tender as I expected! Just unbeleivable! And with a special, well, 'pure' taste. But tender as I've not even had with headshot very young springbuck taken on a cull hunt.

From now on, when I hunt for meat it has to be a sleeping, or at least totally relaxed and unaware animal. Makes for so much more challenge to take such a "trophy female" animal! And the taste..... Hmmmmmmm. I smile as I look forward to my first real meat hunt in a few weeks time.

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren