By David Draper

You picked it. I ate it. Last month, I asked Wild Chef readers to vote on how I should prepare the heart from my Nebraska antelope. For awhile, pickling was well in the lead and, truth be told, I was kind of looking forward to trying that. At the end, frying won out, which I was okay with too. So here it is, chicken-fried antelope heart with mashed potatoes and white gravy. As a side, I also had some fried heart fingers with a friend’s homemade spicy barbecue sauce.

I trimmed the heart of all the sinew and fat, then butterflied it open. We had a hippie friend over and neither she nor my girlfriend, T. Rebel, were up for a full steak, which is why I sliced a bunch of fingers to fry. I did leave one slice steak sized for me. All of it got marinated in condensed milk for an hour or so while our friend regaled us with tales from her recent trip to French Guiana. This meal probably wouldn’t compete with some of the French food she had there, but she’s no stranger to good down-home country cooking either and was game to try the heart. 

I admit to getting lost in all her crazy stories and forgot to pound the steak and fingers before they went in the flour. From there, they were egg-washed and crumb-coated, then went for a swim in some hot oil. Again, the conversation got the better of me and they might have got a little overcooked but it was nothing some of T. Rebel’s homemade gravy couldn’t make better. As much as I would have liked to try pickled heart, I thank Wild Chef readers for voting the Fry ticket. The meal wouldn’t have been half as memorable had the heart not been it.

Comments (4)

from blevenson wrote 32 weeks 5 days ago

Looks delicious Draper. I'll have to give it a go with a deer heart since we lack antelope in MN.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Levi Banks wrote 32 weeks 5 days ago

Did your hippie friend have to use the side door?

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from thequam wrote 32 weeks 5 days ago

This does sound terrific!! Although pickled would have seriously intrigued me! I am hoping that with some extra time in the woods I will be able to try this with a deer heart this year.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from MaxPower wrote 32 weeks 4 days ago

Looks amazing. I could eat whats in the picture 2 or 3 times over.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

from Levi Banks wrote 32 weeks 5 days ago

Did your hippie friend have to use the side door?

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from blevenson wrote 32 weeks 5 days ago

Looks delicious Draper. I'll have to give it a go with a deer heart since we lack antelope in MN.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from thequam wrote 32 weeks 5 days ago

This does sound terrific!! Although pickled would have seriously intrigued me! I am hoping that with some extra time in the woods I will be able to try this with a deer heart this year.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from MaxPower wrote 32 weeks 4 days ago

Looks amazing. I could eat whats in the picture 2 or 3 times over.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.