Oryx Bull Meat

[Short Track Hunter]

I'm eating my Oryx from the range. Got an old broken horn bull. Very mature war torn bull. Double broken horns. I am not impressed with the meat. It is not as tender as everyone says. Maybe it's the oldness of the animal. But it's certainly not tender. Just ate backstraps. I tried various cuts of steaks, rounds, etc. Nothing that impressed me enough that I'd shoot another one.......

anyone experience this?

 

[dfanonymous]

what temps do you cook it too, and how did you cook it?

 

[Rifleman97]

Have you tried cooking it sous vide? bit more time and effort but turns out nice and tender regardless of age. Flavor is gonna be different with an older animal though, if you want to lessen the gaminess cook sous vide with a bit of applesauce in the baggie with it, it cuts the game flavor down.

 

[Outdrmn]

How many days did you let it hang? I've found the older elk I've taken have needed a minimum of a week and a half to make get em edible. Some have been so tough it went to stew and sausage.

 

[FEENIX]

I'm eating my Oryx from the range. Got an old broken horn bull. Very mature war torn bull. Double broken horns. I am not impressed with the meat. It is not as tender as everyone says. Maybe it's the oldness of the animal. But it's certainly not tender. Just ate backstraps. I tried various cuts of steaks, rounds, etc. Nothing that impressed me enough that I'd shoot another one.......

anyone experience this?

No negative experience with Oryx, https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/oryx-steak-its-whats-for-lunch.211475/

 

[Short Track Hunter]

This 1 didn't hang. We got it on the range, back to camp. boned it out, and drove 29 hours home on ice. Then butchered locally. So it did sit on ice... 1/2 frozen.

 

[WapitiBob]

I leave my game meat in the cooler for a week +, temps stabilize after about 1-1/2 days and the ice quits melting.

 

[arturo1113]

I'm eating my Oryx from the range. Got an old broken horn bull. Very mature war torn bull. Double broken horns. I am not impressed with the meat. It is not as tender as everyone says. Maybe it's the oldness of the animal. But it's certainly not tender. Just ate backstraps. I tried various cuts of steaks, rounds, etc. Nothing that impressed me enough that I'd shoot another one.......

anyone experience this?

I have taken a lot of animals in my 66 years. I can only think of two, during that entire time, that were so tough that they had to be made into burger and sausage. I think there are just some animals, and only a small percentage in any species grouping, that have flesh that is very tough and stringy no matter what you do to it. Sausage and burger fixes the problem but its always a little disappointing when you try that first steak and your expectations are not realized. Both were elk.

 

[FullCurl8]

I leave my game meat in the cooler for a week +, temps stabilize after about 1-1/2 days and the ice quits melting.

Really, in your cooler for that long? Isn't it water soaked at that point and no ice left?

 

[Short Track Hunter]

I think I just have bad luck. I got a very mature Cow Moose. Aged at 12-14 years or something like that. They said it was the biggest cow moose taken in that area of Newfoundland. Meat was just ok. But no one puts Cows in the record books.
This oryx very tough. All my Elk were good, except the round steaks. I usually marinate steaks for 3-4 days in olive oil.

 

[Dr. Vette]

Have you tried cooking it sous vide? bit more time and effort but turns out nice and tender regardless of age.

Did this yesterday with a whitetail backstrap.

I find that deer meat can go an hour max before it gets mushy.
Elk can go a couple of hours, much more like beef in that regard.

The only tough animal I ever had was a quartered antelope that sat in ice and got water in it before we cut it up. Both of the animals we harvested were the toughest ever. If you ever have to haul one home with ice, I've learned to open the drain on the cooler, and I'll often keep the ice in its plastic bags.

 

[Rifleman97]

Did this yesterday with a whitetail backstrap.

I find that deer meat can go an hour max before it gets mushy.
Elk can go a couple of hours, much more like beef in that regard.

The only tough animal I ever had was a quartered antelope that sat in ice and got water in it before we cut it up. Both of the animals we harvested were the toughest ever. If you ever have to haul one home with ice, I've learned to open the drain on the cooler, and I'll often keep the ice in its plastic bags.

Yes I don't really like sous vide for deer as well, however if the complaint is that a meat is too tough, sous vide can fix that. Good to know for antelope I'll be hunting them next fall for the first time

 

[FullCurl8]

Did this yesterday with a whitetail backstrap.

I find that deer meat can go an hour max before it gets mushy.
Elk can go a couple of hours, much more like beef in that regard.

The only tough animal I ever had was a quartered antelope that sat in ice and got water in it before we cut it up. Both of the animals we harvested were the toughest ever. If you ever have to haul one home with ice, I've learned to open the drain on the cooler, and I'll often keep the ice in its plastic bags.

Dry ice sure is nice to have as well.

 

[Plinker147]

I have killed old Oryx too and they are tougher so nothing to do with your handling just some old ones are tougher just like any North America game.

That bull could be 10-12 plus years old so only stands to reason it would be tough.

Marinate/ brine overnight will help as well as running through a meat tenderizer