Boyfriend killed his first rabbit....now what... (((no pics)))

[Nikki28]

Justin went out this morning on his first hunting trip (with a buddy who could show him the ropes) He shot and killed a buck Jack Rabbit at about 9am this morning. The boys dressed him out nicely and I put him in a tub of salt water at about 11:30am.
So if I leave him in there until 4pm and then stew him for a few hours should he come out okay? I've never done this before and really don't want to mess up his first kill. Thanks!

 

[Opa]

For rabbits of undetermined age slow cooking is always the answer. Remove it from the bones, cut into bite sized pieces, simmer in a can of mushroom soup and adds some egg noodles, salt and pepper to taste.

 

[Nikki28]

Sounds great! So that should be enough time after the kill for him to cook okay? I have heard people say to leave them in the salt water for a day or more. This guy will have only been in it for 5 hours.

 

[Opa]

The primary purpose is to remove blood from the carcass. If the rabbit was killed with a shotgun be sure to look it over real well. Any dark red spots may contain shot. Use twizzers to remove and even slice that area open because shot will push hair into the meat. Seems like a lot of work but it is well worth the effort.

 

[Nikki28]

No he did it with a .22LR I have seen picks of shot gun killed rabbits and I am glad that I don't have to do that this time. It looks fine to me now so hopefully after the slow cooking he comes out tasty. Thank you so much! He is ready to go hunting again already so I'm sure I will get a method down soon enough.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Here's a very traditional (think: French comfort food) and delicious French recipe I learned from my former host mom. This is about how she taught me, too - French recipes are inexact.

Cut up rabbit into smallish pieces (2-3 oz each). Leave bones in.

In a large Dutch oven (I use my massive Le Creuset pot!), brown pieces in 1/2 stick of butter, remove from pan.

Cook 1/2 chopped large onion in the butter until transluscent. Add in 2-3 cloves of minced garlic at the very end.

Add 2-3 tablespoons good dijon mustard and stir well. Add about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 t pepper.

Add enough flour (~3 tablespoons) to the butter & flour to make a thick paste. Cook until browned, about 1-2 mins.

Pour in about 1-2 cups of dry white wine, stiir until mixed well.

Put browned meat back into the pot, then cover with water or chicken broth. Cook for a couple of hours on low. About an hour before you plan to serve the rabbit, add roughly chopped veggies to the liquid: potatoes, celery, parsnips, carrots, etc. Cook until it's all done. Serve with a crusty bread to soak up every last bit of the delicious juice, which should be nice and thick.

-----------
This is one of my fav meals. I omit potatoes from the cooking and instead make a gratin dauphinois, my other favorite French dish.

 

[Hopefully]

Great, now I'm hungry.

Let's see if there's anything in the kitchen...

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

wow I'm gone for a few days, and suddenly everyone is posting great recipes.! I gotta try both of those. we grill rabbit and baste with honey mustard for the last few minutes - very good . . . but maybe not as good as the ones posted before!