This one comes from Lee Pribble, in the Ashland Presbyterian Church 105th Anniversary Cookbook, 1979.
Ingredients
1 elephant
2 cups salt
2 cups pepper
Directions
Cut elephant into one inch cubes (allow approximately 72 days for this procedure) frequently adding pinches of salt and pepper. Cook over Kerosene fire about four weeks at 465 degrees.
If more than 3,800 guests are expected for dinner, two (2) rabbits may be added. Caution: Do this only if necessary, as most people do not like to find hare in their stew.
Lee didn’t specify African or Asian elephant, and I’m not sure which one was more easily available in Ashland, Ohio in the late 70’s. If you’ve ever made this dish, please let me know in the comments which I should choose.
17 Comments
I think the flavor would be improved by searing the meat first, then deglaze the pan after with a barrel or two of red wine. After that, of course, the instructions sound good, and I can’t wait to see the photos.
How can they suggest cooking this without nutmeg?
Nutmeg+elephant=sublime
Oh. Oh, dude. Dude. Ow. It hurts real bad.
Plus I had to share and my girlfriend hit me. Heh.
If somebody says ‘Oh, elephant! Tastes like chicken!’, I am going to die. (Actually, I don’t think I want to know what elephant tastes like…..)
We had the same recipe in our school cookbook in 1982. I think there were a few parents that tried to figure out where they could get an elephant…..
Mike, I thougt the same thing. But maybe the meat already has a … shall we say “adventurous” flavor, and searing it would make it a bit much? That’s why I’d like to find someone who’d tried this before to get some tips.
Kitchenhacker, since nutmeg is indigenous to Moluccas, Indonesia, I’d expect that combination with Asian elephant. Do you know if African has the same flavor profile?
Bob, if it hurts you might have dropped it on your toe.
Amy, I would suspect it’s more like rhino.
Stephanie, my in-laws say they saw this a lot in the 70s when church and school cookbooks were a big fad.
I’d add more salt. 2 cups for an entire elephant? No way is that right.
And if this is a grass-fed elephant I’d lower the temperature a bit.
Riddle from the joke book I stole in the 3rd grade:
How do you get 4 elephants in a car?
-2 in the front seat, 2 in the back.
My suggestion If the clan and clans around you are large in number use the African Elephant. We ran out when we used Asian, not enough meat. Rosemary and sage was excellent as a rub for the meat, too
I loved this.
Mojo, that’s what I thought about the salt. But maybe to adapt to savannah conditions they retain more salt than the livestock we’re used to working with.
Rebekah, rosemary and sage is great in the crock pot. I usually don’t use them in stew though. Do you mince the rosemary, or put in whole stems and fish them out after cooking?
Personally, I’d use twice as much salt as pepper and throw in some garlic! I like to sear the meat first, too.
Sally
Elephant is a dish best served simply. The key seems to be “seasoning as you go.” Adding the salt and pepper a bit at a time helps show off the meat to its best advantage.
Unforgettable
uh, ive just had elephant jerky… tasted a lot like beef until i started thinking about the elephant
jon from south africa
So Jon, what did it taste like after you started thinking about the elephant?
"Blogger Stephanie said…
We had the same recipe in our school cookbook in 1982. I think there were a few parents that tried to figure out where they could get an elephant….."
I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I do know there is an elephant reserve right outside of Nashville, TN…..
Christy, when you were younger, did your friends' parents describe you as "a bad influence"?
oh my fing god
why on earth would you eat elephant!
Sam, my guess would be: Because you’re hungry.