Antelope Marinade

[Hoffmann]

Hey folks,

In September I got my first two antelope ever from Wyoming. Two does. Cooked a few steaks tonight and was blown away!! My new favorite game. I thought I would share the simple marinade and cooking instructions:

1. Cut a backstrap in to steaks. (I used 1 1/2 straps)
2. Place in a big plastic zip bag with one packet of Greek dressing SEASONING mix, not actual dressing. And add some dry red wine to the bag!
3. Marinate for 3 days in the fridge
4. Dry steaks with a paper towel before placing on the grill.8 minutes on one side, 10 minutes on the next over medium heat.

Very tender and delicious!! It had an earthy taste but was sweet. The dry red in a glass paired with this sweet taste was a nice compliment during dinner.
I think next I'll use the same marinade process but will slice in to jerky strips and dehydrate in the smoker..

 

[375H&H]

Sounds good, I will have to try it on some of this year's antelope. Thanks!

 

[JohnCushman]

Why would you ruin antelope steaks with a marinade?

 

[JLS]

Why would you ruin antelope steaks with a marinade?

Amen!

 

[Hoffmann]

Why would you ruin antelope steaks with a marinade?

Amateur move like dipping a cigar in liquor I suppose. Sure tasted good to me though!

 

[50bowhunter]

Antelope recipe = meat + heat (and go light on the heat)

I do use marinades occasionally though to appease the wife.

 

[utahminer]

Reading the replies made remember that recently I listened to a podcast with Hank Shaw and realized that we had been doing a number of things wrong. In the spirit of this forum to help us all imporve our game I thought I would share my three biggest takeaways from Hank:

1) Never slice the steaks before placing them on the grill. Wild game is too lean and its very hard to get to the correct internal temp without over cooking. Instead leave the trimmed backstrap whole in lengths about 6 to 8 inches. We did this a couple of week ago with some deer is turned about much better than anything we have ever grilled before

2) Dry the meat (moisture can cause uneven heating across the meat), thin coat of olive oil and some salt before cooking

3) Don't add a rub or marinade before because it can burn and cause kill flavor. For example black peppercorn becomes very bitter if burnt

https://exomountaingear.com/tag/hank-shaw/

 

[Gr8bawana]

Why would you ruin antelope steaks with a marinade?

I was thinking the same thing. Perhaps some people who don't know how good antelope is might do this or maybe they have been told by someone how nasty antelope tastes would do this.
I'm amazed when I think back before I ever tasted antelope who many people told me they were inedible, that's just crazy.
Oh, and congrats on your first antelopes Hoffman.

 

[MThuntr]

I guess I don't see anything wrong with marinades or spice mixes. Eating things the same way every time is a bit boring. Variety is the spice of life...speaking of spice

[video=youtube;t_X7-Yp5v1M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_X7-Yp5v1M&feature=share[/video]

 

[Hunting Wife]

Antelope recipe = meat + heat (and go light on the heat)

^this is tasty, but gets incredibly boring animal after animal, year after year, so I appreciate marinades or other recipes that keep things interesting

OP, this sounds like an interesting one to try. Thanks for sharing!

 

[375H&H]

I agree with hunting wife. Also, let's be honest there are times when antelope or plains mule deer can be off putting in smell or taste so a good marinade recipe is always handy to have.

 

[Hoffmann]

I was thinking the same thing. Perhaps some people who don't know how good antelope is might do this or maybe they have been told by someone how nasty antelope tastes would do this.
I'm amazed when I think back before I ever tasted antelope who many people told me they were inedible, that's just crazy.
Oh, and congrats on your first antelopes Hoffman.

Thank you.

 

[Hoffmann]

I guess I don't see anything wrong with marinades or spice mixes. Eating things the same way every time is a bit boring. Variety is the spice of life...speaking of spice

[video=youtube;t_X7-Yp5v1M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_X7-Yp5v1M&feature=share[/video]

Awesome video, thanks for sharing! I'm hungry now..

 

[cahunter805]

Another good tip for better steaks on the grill is letting the meat sit out a few hours before grilling. Let them get to room temp before grilling. Cooks way more even this way.
Also nothing is better IMO than a backstrap or loin over a Red Oak open pit fire!!

 

[Hoffmann]

Another good tip for better steaks on the grill is letting the meat sit out a few hours before grilling. Let them get to room temp before grilling. Cooks way more even this way.
Also nothing is better IMO than a backstrap or loin over a Red Oak open pit fire!!

I'm still waiting on the chance to do this.