Recipes for wild caught rabbits?

[Wolf-Kim]

How do ya'll cook those rabbits eating your garden?

I'm curious to find out. I've seen plenty of ways to snare, trap, and shoot, and even how to dress, but none how to cook.

How do you catch them? Do they taste different if they are shot or snared?

Do people not eat wild rabbits? Does it have a really strong taste? A bitter taste? LOL As you can tell I have never had wild rabbit, come to think of it, I have never had any kind of rabbit.

-Kim

 

[Josie]

My old Joy of Cooking cookbook has recipes for

Smothered Rabbit with onions
Sauteed Rabbit
Roast Rabbit
Fricassee of Rabbit
and Rabbit Civet

The cookbook also says you can substitute rabbit in many recipes that call for chicken. and to use`moist heat (boiling, pressure cooking, simmering, steaming....) for older rabbits.

If you want any of these, let me know.
(I love this cookbook it has squirrel, bear, Raccoon, opossum, woodchuck, beaver, peccary, wild boar, and venison recipes. I haven't had opportunity tried any of these yet.)

 

[MissPrissy]

Once clean, I soak them in a salt water brine - not only to tenderize the meat but draw out the blood - overnight. Wash recheck, etc. I then cook the pieces in my pressure cooker for about 20 -25 minutes. Take them out, dunk them in buttermilk, roll in seasoned flour, fry quick in hot oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with biscuits, gravy, grits and cold sliced 'mators.

 

[SterlingAcres]

Quote:
OMG that sounds fantastic...

MP, you're amazing

 

[MissPrissy]

I grew up on a little farm in Ga. Daddy raised beef cattle, hunting dogs and had his own hunting club. We ate most wild game and our own beef growing up. You learn alot when you have to help in the kitchen every day.

 

[miss_thenorth]

The key to cooking wild rabbit is that you need to cook it a long time. since you don't know how old the rabbit is, it is basically like cooking an old hen past her laying days. I have many many recipes, it all depends on what you like.

 

[dacjohns]

With apple cider in the crock pot.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Okay. Awesome! I honestly didn't expect to get this many replies and so quickly too!

We have rabbits that sneak into the garden. Last year I stepped on a baby and almost had an emotional breakdown because the poor thing screamed and cried and thrashed around on the ground. It rendered me useless for the day, Adam had to go get the bushaxe and finish it off. Nothing like the screams of a rabbit to get your hair on end and get you freaked out. Anyway... They are back again this year(like I expected them to leave

)

Since we have been eating our own chickens, I have this strange sense to butcher and eat other things. Is that something I should be worried about? I have almost 100 quail hatching right now and I got to eyeballing those rabbits. They are pretty bold, coming out at sunset, thinking I don't see them. I was laughing today because I watched the rooster follow them around like they were chickens. Ugh, I went down another rabbit trail. LOL. To get back on topic..

I'll have to look into buying me one of those cook books. From everything I have read on this site, I'm going to have to abandon my current cookbook and find me an antique cookbook to be my kitchen bible. Funny thing about the squirrel and bears and whatnot, I had been wondering just how many people eat squirrel these days.. I know my family in law shoots them and traps them in an attempt to save their pecans..

Does the meat taste any different between snaring and shooting rabbits?

I think I would prefer to snare, but I could break out the .22 if need be.

MissPrissy, that recipe made me mad, I didn't grab those rabbits tonight and have them for dinner right now.. LOL Did you just throw the whole dressed rabbit in or did you cut the meat off the bones?

I read somewhere that you shouldn't eat rabbits in the summer, what is that all about? Is this something I should be worried about? Do you let it bother you?

I have a very "citified" family, Dad's from San Diego, CA and his girlfriend is from the Bronx. His girlfriend didn't quite know what to think of my homeraised roasted roo. LOL. I'll have to inform her what she eats afterwards.

-Kim

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
What is the information for the book? What is the year of your's? I'm wondering if I can track one down for myself, because it sounds like something I would love to cook with and display(to freak my cityfied family out).

I was born to the wrong family! LOL My dad was from San Diego, his girlfriend from the Bronx, my mother grew up on a dairy farm in MI, but she loathes everything that reminds her of her childhood. Then there is me, ha!, I only desire to live further away from people and experience all things country.. Even grabbed me a redneck man who loves to "targetpractice" when he is bored.

I'm the oddball of the family.. My younger brother wants to be a mechanic working on the "pimped out" cars and my sister had wanted to be a fashion model(I think she outgrew that one

)..

-Kim

 

[MissPrissy]

I cut them into pieces - hind quarters and front leg quarters with ribs. I don't debone small game. You loose too much tender meat at the bones.