One of my favorite things about hunting is the little bits of memories we hold onto. Well that and recipes like antelope kabobs. Anyway, those little moments that stick in your head for years and each time you think about it or share it with someone else a little smile crosses your face. Spending time outdoors by ourselves, with our dogs, or our friends and family always results in these little moments.. For the most part, although there are definitely exceptions, we don’t make those memories while scanning our phones or watching television, but head outside and the little stories write themselves.  This is a little anecdote about antelope, cantaloupe, and pumpkin pie.

Antelope, Cantaloupe, and Pumpkin Pie

My father-in-law is probably the best sport I know.  We drag him everywhere, and while he never says much I am pretty sure he doesn’t always wants to go.  I can usually tell by the look on his face. When we point to a ridgeline 500 feet up and say, “I am pretty sure the deer are up there.”  I can always tell he is less than thrilled. But he never says it. He just starts walking.

We basically forced him into putting in for the limited entry pronghorn hunt.  He is a deer hunter through and through, and pronghorn hunting did not appear to be on his list.  But he put in for the draw and of course pulled a tag. His face said “Now what?”

My face was much more excited.  My pronghorn hunt was one of the most memorable hunts I had ever been on.  Pronghorn are actually fascinating animals. Those doe eyed, white rumped animals have a closer relationship to giraffes than the other North American animals that surround them, like deer and elk.  And they are fast. Faster than you can imagine. Fast like you have to see it to really understand what people say when they call pronghorn fast.

Pronghorns are second in speed only to cheetahs, but can maintain a faster speed for a longer distance.  For example, pronghorns have been clocked at 35 miles per hour and held that for over a distance of four miles.  They can reach max speeds of 55 miles per hour!

Why are pronghorns so fast?  There isn’t much to run from at those kinds of speeds out in the flats of the desert.  The theory, which is one of my favorite little tidbits on pronghorns, is North America used to have its own cheetah, which is now obviously extinct, and this is what the pronghorn is running from.

Anyway, back to my story. So my father-in-law is gearing up for his pronghorn hunt and all I can do is tell him stories of speed and the dust left behind by the racing pronghorns. At that point I can tell he was developing an interest in hunting the old “speed goat.”

We spent a few weeks prior to the hunt heading to the desert and scoping out bucks.  We found several possibilities and by the morning of the hunt, I could tell my father-in-law had changed his mind about pronghorn hunting.  He was maybe even a little excited.

By the break of light on opening morning, we had drove out to the desert and settled in to a good hiding spot.  The sun peeked over the mountain tops and as it started to slowly illuminate the landscape around us, we could see this buck about 100 yards out.  He is just standing there and staring at us. A few does are also with him. They catch our scent and bolt, but he continues to just stare.

“So, um, what should I do?” my father-in-law said.

“I guess shoot.”

“But he’s just standing there,” he replied.

“I don’t know.  I guess shoot.”

Normally a clean, clear, safe shot is every hunter’s dream, but I think all the previous hype about the astounding speed and flying bullets of pronghorn hunts past, had made harvesting one just staring at you just plain weird.

My father-in-law stood up, and took a few steps forward.  Still nothing.

“Maybe he’s fake!” I said.

He took a few more steps.  The pronghorn didn’t even blink.

So, after a drawn out stand-off, my father-in-law took the shot and filled his tag.  The hunt was over in about fifteen minutes. Our boots were barely even dirty.

As we cleaned the animal, my father-in-law said he would really like some “antelope, cantaloupe, and pumpkin pie.”  Besides the fun little rhyme, it sounded like the most awful combination I could imagine. But I liked the way it rolled off my tongue, and my father-in-law said it enough times that it became somewhat of a song you can’t get out of your head for me.  

Antelope, cantaloupe, and pumpkin pie became a personal challenge for me.  I have spent the entire fall season trying to figure out how to create something that was edible yet true to the mantra.  I hope this antelope kabob recipe fits the bill.

Antelope Kabobs

Kabobs are a great meal.  They are simple, quick, and allow you to mix foods you maybe normally wouldn’t, like pronghorn and cantaloupe.  While they are easy, they are also a great chance for developing some wonderful flavors. Marinades offer a perfect opportunity to play with herbs, spices, and other flavor enhancing devices.

To start your antelope kabobs, cut your pronghorn into bite size pieces.  I used a little bit of the backstrap for this meal, since the meat is tender and doesn’t need to be slow cooked.  In a large bowl, add a can of pineapple juice, ⅓ cup honey, ⅓ cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce if you can’t find the aminos), three tablespoons apple cider vinegar, two teaspoons ground garlic powder, and two teaspoons ground ginger.  Give it all a good stir, add the pronghorn, cover, and let sit in the fridge for at least two hours.

When I started working on how to pair pronghorn with cantaloupe, I knew I would  have to get creative. I decided the best way to make a relationship exist, that clearly was not there between the two, was to marinade the pronghorn in something a bit sweet.  

While the antelope kabobs meat is doing its thing in the fridge, prepare the dipping sauce. I will be honest, this is definitely an odd dipping sauce, but putting pumpkin pie on an antelope kabob did not seem to be something I could do.  So, I figured I would dip the antelope kabobs in the pumpkin pie!

To a small saucepan over medium heat add a tablespoon of olive oil.  Saute two cloves of minced garlic in oil, taking care to not let them to over cook and turn brown.  Add three tablespoons of dijon mustard and mix well. Pour in a can of pumpkin, a tablespoon of minced fresh rosemary, salt and pepper to taste, and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.  Remove from the heat and add ¼ cup of mayonnaise. To finish it off, add a teaspoon of allspice to give it a pumpkin pie finish.

Once the meat is done marinating, it is time to grill!  Heat the grill to a medium high heat. Thread the antelope kabobs onto their own sticks.  Do the same for the cantaloupe and onion. It isn’t nearly as fun or pretty, but I always thread each kabob ingredient on its own stick.  Cantaloupe takes longer to cook than antelope, and onions take even longer. If you thread everything on one pretty stick you end up with either overcooked meat or undercooked onion.

Cook the pronghorn for three minutes per side.  Cook the cantaloupe for four to five minutes per side.  The onion needs ten minutes.

To eat your antelope, cantaloupe, and pumpkin pie I would suggest dipping only the antelope kabobs in the pumpkin dipping sauce as the cantaloupe did not blend well with pumpkin. Well, I hope you enjoy this fun twist on antelope kabobs. I had a really great time working with the flavors and coming up with the idea.

If you like this recipe for antelope kabobs, you might also check out this one for Pronghorn Carne Asada. It is another great use of pronghorn meat.

Happy Hunting!