-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Best way to cook rabbits flesh??
- Thread starter EDGE!
- Start date
Here's a good recipe for snowshoe hare.
I like to bake mine. Clean the rabbit carefully, removing the entrails, skin,head, and paws. Now you have to cover in a casing. Bear dung works good for this. Coat the rabbit in bear dung to about 1/2" thick.
Dig a hole and build a fire in the hole and allow to burn until you have a nice bead of coals. Now,lay the snowshoe on the coals, cover with dirt, and allow to cook for about 2 hours.
After 2 hours, remove the rabbit. Throw the snowshoe away--it ain't fit to eat--and eat the bear dung.
------------------
Hoodoo
And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.
Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
I like to bake mine. Clean the rabbit carefully, removing the entrails, skin,head, and paws. Now you have to cover in a casing. Bear dung works good for this. Coat the rabbit in bear dung to about 1/2" thick.
Dig a hole and build a fire in the hole and allow to burn until you have a nice bead of coals. Now,lay the snowshoe on the coals, cover with dirt, and allow to cook for about 2 hours.
After 2 hours, remove the rabbit. Throw the snowshoe away--it ain't fit to eat--and eat the bear dung.
------------------
Hoodoo
And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.
Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
Jackrabbit is to tough to eat unless you make rabbit stew. Dpn't know about any other types though.
Now be vewy, vewy quite. I'm hunting wabbits
------------------
Joshua, aka Feneris,'Destroyer of Whisky' of the Terrible Ironic Horde
But doom'd and devoted by vassal and lord.
MacGregor has still both his heart and his sword!
-MacGregor's Gathering, Sir Walter Scott
Now be vewy, vewy quite. I'm hunting wabbits
------------------
Joshua, aka Feneris,'Destroyer of Whisky' of the Terrible Ironic Horde
But doom'd and devoted by vassal and lord.
MacGregor has still both his heart and his sword!
-MacGregor's Gathering, Sir Walter Scott
- Joined
- Nov 29, 1999
- Messages
- 632
In stew of course. This way you can slowly cook the meat...making it more tinder and you won't lose the meats nutrients in the fire. Note: if you don't drink the broth you might as well cook it over a flame
------------------
Greg Davenport
Simply Survival's Wilderness Survival Forum
Simply Survival's Web Page
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?
------------------
Greg Davenport
Simply Survival's Wilderness Survival Forum
Simply Survival's Web Page
Are You Ready For The Challenge?
Are You Ready To Learn The Art Of Wilderness Survival?
*shameless plug*
Aweful hard to slowly simmer without a pot...
I've had stewed rabbit, baked rabbit and roasted rabbit, and I'll take an MRE over rabbit anyday, 'cept maybe day 12 of MRE's. Then again, I can't set a snare line and expect to find and MRE or two in the morning.
Stryver
Aweful hard to slowly simmer without a pot...
I've had stewed rabbit, baked rabbit and roasted rabbit, and I'll take an MRE over rabbit anyday, 'cept maybe day 12 of MRE's. Then again, I can't set a snare line and expect to find and MRE or two in the morning.
Stryver
- Joined
- May 4, 2000
- Messages
- 228
After you have thoroughly cleaned the rabbit, cooking him over a campfire is the best tasting that I have had. Usually I soak them in a little salt water to remove any extra blood still present then roll them is spiced flour. If no flour is available I apply the spices to the inside and outside of the rabbit before doing the rotisserie thing. Slow cooking is necessary to make sure you kill all the microbial wild beesties that may be present. I have also taken wild veggies and onions, sewn them up inside the rabbit, spiced him and cooked him.
If you don't have the time (exceedingly hungry, weak from lack of food, etc.), then quarter the rabbit and cook it like a chicken in a frying pan. You can also take smaller pieces and cook them over a fire which will make them done sooner. The spices really help if you are not used to the wild flavor.
If you don't have the time (exceedingly hungry, weak from lack of food, etc.), then quarter the rabbit and cook it like a chicken in a frying pan. You can also take smaller pieces and cook them over a fire which will make them done sooner. The spices really help if you are not used to the wild flavor.
Greg,
Typical survival instructor reply!!! I like the eat the dung reply also. Personally, with a little chicken bullion, some wild onions and some wild strawberries for desert. What does wabbbit taste like? Wabbit!!!!
------------------
Yol bolsun,
Jamie
Typical survival instructor reply!!! I like the eat the dung reply also. Personally, with a little chicken bullion, some wild onions and some wild strawberries for desert. What does wabbbit taste like? Wabbit!!!!
------------------
Yol bolsun,
Jamie
- Joined
- Nov 7, 1999
- Messages
- 6,651
The way I do my Rabbits,, there isn't even a need to skin or Gut them..
I get two back legs, two Front legs and two back straps, no muss no fuss..
My favorite way to cook them is Roasted. Roll the meat in a little egg, then take one large bag of Ruffles All Dressed potato chips and crush them up, still in the bag.
Drop each piece into the bag and shake.
They should come out covered in Chip crumbs.
Now either do them in a frying pan or rolled up in Tin foil.
Bunny parts should come out nice and crispy, and the oil comes from the chips,,so there is no need to add more...
Try it.. All the spices you will need are in the chips!!
ttyle Eric...
------------------
Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
Custom,Quality, Concealex Sheaths.
Leading The Way In Synthetic Sheathing.
I get two back legs, two Front legs and two back straps, no muss no fuss..
My favorite way to cook them is Roasted. Roll the meat in a little egg, then take one large bag of Ruffles All Dressed potato chips and crush them up, still in the bag.
Drop each piece into the bag and shake.
They should come out covered in Chip crumbs.
Now either do them in a frying pan or rolled up in Tin foil.
Bunny parts should come out nice and crispy, and the oil comes from the chips,,so there is no need to add more...
Try it.. All the spices you will need are in the chips!!
ttyle Eric...
------------------
Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
Custom,Quality, Concealex Sheaths.
Leading The Way In Synthetic Sheathing.
Rabbit is all right, but it often can use a little something extra- especially late in the winter when they are eating bark. They can be bland and dry.
At home, I often barbecue the big ones, parboiling first if necessary. I take the little guys and grill or panfry them.
In the woods, I stew the old ones and bake the youngsters in foil or in a pit oven. If you go yhe boiling route, crack the spine and the long limb bones (careful of bone splinters) to make a richer broth.
At home, I often barbecue the big ones, parboiling first if necessary. I take the little guys and grill or panfry them.
In the woods, I stew the old ones and bake the youngsters in foil or in a pit oven. If you go yhe boiling route, crack the spine and the long limb bones (careful of bone splinters) to make a richer broth.
- Joined
- May 31, 2000
- Messages
- 107
Damn...now I have to add a bag of ruffles to my survival ditty!
In all reality rabbit isn't the best of survival meat, just one of the most visible/obtainable. I'll take a porqupine over a rabbit any day. More fat...burn the quills off.
A pack rat is easier to catch, and his house is full of tinder, and edible seeds.
When I do eat rabbit its "bunny enchaladas" for me. Red or green sauce.
Really does taste like chicken.
In all reality rabbit isn't the best of survival meat, just one of the most visible/obtainable. I'll take a porqupine over a rabbit any day. More fat...burn the quills off.
A pack rat is easier to catch, and his house is full of tinder, and edible seeds.
When I do eat rabbit its "bunny enchaladas" for me. Red or green sauce.
Really does taste like chicken.
Guys, bunnies are not = to bunnies are not = to bunnies. And snowshoe hare tastes nothing like the cottontails that I've hunted most of my life in the farm country of Indiana.
'Bout 10 years ago when I started hunting every year at a friend of mine's hunting camp in the UP of Michigan, I remember someone brought a snowshoe into camp. I told my friend, Bill, that we ought to cook it up 'cause I dearly love rabbit (though I had never eaten snowshoe before). Being a lifelong Yuper (UP'er), he grew up snaring the snowshoe and his mom would cook them. But he kinda looked at me funny and somewhat skeptical. I don't believe he'd ever cooked the snowshoe himself and it had been so many years since he had eaten snowshoe, I really don't think he could remember the taste.
So he commenced to cooking. There was milk and soda soaks and fine-wine marinades and cooking and more cooking and this went on for a couple of days. Since we were grouse-poor at the time, the snowshoe was starting to sound good.
We served 'er up one evening and after a couple of bites, I looked at Bill and he looked at me and we came to a silent, but mutual conclusion. Bleeeeeeeecccchhhh! We broke out a can of smoked Finnish muikkuja (the finest tasting whitefish in existence) and lots of strong ale to wash the snowshoe taste away.
Now my bird feeder keeps me supplied with rabbit and squirrel on a regular basis so I dearly love both of these critters but snowshoe is another thing. Yuk.
Last winter Bill taught his son how to snare a snowshoe and he had a marvelous French recipe (Bill is actually a heck of a good cook and his wife is a gourmet cook) and was chomping at the bit to try it out on one his son snared, clearly thinking that our experience with the other hare was an anomaly. Bill and his son sat down to a meal of their fine "French-fried" rabbit and about two bites was all they could manage.
In a survival situation I would have no trouble eating the snowshoe but I sure wouldn't go out of my way for a bite of one.
Also, as I recall, you can die from "rabbit starvation" if all you had to eat was rabbit in the wilds for an extended period of time. This is well known among trappers and Indians of the north. Evidently it is due to the lack of fat. Personally, I think it is due to the taste. It's a killer.
Now if anyone DOES have any foolproof snowshoe hare recipes (and I know some old-timey hunters that SWEAR they are good eatin'), maybe you will post them here. But personally, I will stick to the cottontail. They are excellent. I also raised rabbits as a kid and I prefer the taste of wild over raised and the taste of squirrel over both.
Bon appetit,
------------------
Hoodoo
And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.
Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
'Bout 10 years ago when I started hunting every year at a friend of mine's hunting camp in the UP of Michigan, I remember someone brought a snowshoe into camp. I told my friend, Bill, that we ought to cook it up 'cause I dearly love rabbit (though I had never eaten snowshoe before). Being a lifelong Yuper (UP'er), he grew up snaring the snowshoe and his mom would cook them. But he kinda looked at me funny and somewhat skeptical. I don't believe he'd ever cooked the snowshoe himself and it had been so many years since he had eaten snowshoe, I really don't think he could remember the taste.
So he commenced to cooking. There was milk and soda soaks and fine-wine marinades and cooking and more cooking and this went on for a couple of days. Since we were grouse-poor at the time, the snowshoe was starting to sound good.
We served 'er up one evening and after a couple of bites, I looked at Bill and he looked at me and we came to a silent, but mutual conclusion. Bleeeeeeeecccchhhh! We broke out a can of smoked Finnish muikkuja (the finest tasting whitefish in existence) and lots of strong ale to wash the snowshoe taste away.
Now my bird feeder keeps me supplied with rabbit and squirrel on a regular basis so I dearly love both of these critters but snowshoe is another thing. Yuk.
Last winter Bill taught his son how to snare a snowshoe and he had a marvelous French recipe (Bill is actually a heck of a good cook and his wife is a gourmet cook) and was chomping at the bit to try it out on one his son snared, clearly thinking that our experience with the other hare was an anomaly. Bill and his son sat down to a meal of their fine "French-fried" rabbit and about two bites was all they could manage.
In a survival situation I would have no trouble eating the snowshoe but I sure wouldn't go out of my way for a bite of one.
Now if anyone DOES have any foolproof snowshoe hare recipes (and I know some old-timey hunters that SWEAR they are good eatin'), maybe you will post them here. But personally, I will stick to the cottontail. They are excellent. I also raised rabbits as a kid and I prefer the taste of wild over raised and the taste of squirrel over both.
Bon appetit,
------------------
Hoodoo
And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.
Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2000
- Messages
- 1,363
Take your rabbit, empty of urine by thumbing down their belly. Cut off the head and feet. Make an incision across the middle of the back. Place two fingers from both hands in under the skin and pull away from each other. The skin should rip off like a pair of pyjamas. If done correctly you will be left with a skinned rabbit without the mess. Cut off the leg joints and back saddle (if a big rabbit) and throw the rest. Cook.
OXO cubes or gravey granuels save the day. Never let rabbits get hot in the sun.
Hares, best done like a steak and kidney pie. The saddle off the back need the secondary skin removed. Wash down with rich red wine.
I'm no cook but can eat rabbit.
How do you cook squirrel?
OXO cubes or gravey granuels save the day. Never let rabbits get hot in the sun.
Hares, best done like a steak and kidney pie. The saddle off the back need the secondary skin removed. Wash down with rich red wine.
I'm no cook but can eat rabbit.
How do you cook squirrel?
Squirrel is a lot harder to clean than rabbit. They are real partial to their hide.
First, you cut off the front paws. Leave the back paws on. Then, put the squirrel on its belly and grab the tail with one hand and place your foot on a rear paw to hold the squirrel down firmly. Make a cut through the tailbone from the underside of the tail and extend this cut approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches along each leg.
Now find a nice solid, dry piece of ground or flat rock. Place your foot on the tail as close to the carcass as possible. Grab one hind leg in each hand and pull up on the hind legs. (This is really hard.) You will peel the skin over the body and up to the forelegs. The skin will pull off along both sides of the body and will tear to form a point about midway on the belly, leaving the skin on the rear portion of the belly and hind legs.
With your foot firmly on the skin and as close up to the body as possible, peel the belly skin back over the hind legs. Leave the skin still attached to the hind legs.
Keep your foot still firmly on the skin and peel the skin off the forelegs with your fingers. Now pull up on the hind legs peeling the skin off to the base of the ears.
Now finish pulling the skin off the hind legs, peeling the skin over the rear paws. Cut off the head and attached skin at the base of the ears.
Open up the body cavity and remove the entrails. Rinse.
Simple as that.
Actually, once you get the hang of it, it takes about a minute or two to clean a squirrel.
To cook, dredge in flour and brown in oil. Add some water and cook simmering until tender--an hour or two. Allow the water to cook down and make a gravy with the flour from the squirrel. Sometimes, at this point, I may reflour the squirrel and fry it separately in oil. It's not necessary, though. I also cook rabbit the same way. Salt and pepper to taste. I serve it with mashed potatoes and squirrel gravy. Mmmmmmm.
------------------
Hoodoo
And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.
Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
First, you cut off the front paws. Leave the back paws on. Then, put the squirrel on its belly and grab the tail with one hand and place your foot on a rear paw to hold the squirrel down firmly. Make a cut through the tailbone from the underside of the tail and extend this cut approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches along each leg.
Now find a nice solid, dry piece of ground or flat rock. Place your foot on the tail as close to the carcass as possible. Grab one hind leg in each hand and pull up on the hind legs. (This is really hard.) You will peel the skin over the body and up to the forelegs. The skin will pull off along both sides of the body and will tear to form a point about midway on the belly, leaving the skin on the rear portion of the belly and hind legs.
With your foot firmly on the skin and as close up to the body as possible, peel the belly skin back over the hind legs. Leave the skin still attached to the hind legs.
Keep your foot still firmly on the skin and peel the skin off the forelegs with your fingers. Now pull up on the hind legs peeling the skin off to the base of the ears.
Now finish pulling the skin off the hind legs, peeling the skin over the rear paws. Cut off the head and attached skin at the base of the ears.
Open up the body cavity and remove the entrails. Rinse.
Simple as that.
To cook, dredge in flour and brown in oil. Add some water and cook simmering until tender--an hour or two. Allow the water to cook down and make a gravy with the flour from the squirrel. Sometimes, at this point, I may reflour the squirrel and fry it separately in oil. It's not necessary, though. I also cook rabbit the same way. Salt and pepper to taste. I serve it with mashed potatoes and squirrel gravy. Mmmmmmm.
------------------
Hoodoo
And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.
Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
- Joined
- May 31, 2000
- Messages
- 107
Hoodoo,
Now you're making me hungry. I grew up in upstate N.Y. where grey and red squirrels were abundant. My buddies and I used to shoot 'em with pellet rifles and eat 'em all the time. I remember my mom screaming at the sight of a half dozen skinned squirrels lined up in the kitchen counter. She said it looked like mass murder.
Now I live in Bakersfield, Ca. The squirrels here are "Ground Squirrels", and certainly not for eating.
Now you're making me hungry. I grew up in upstate N.Y. where grey and red squirrels were abundant. My buddies and I used to shoot 'em with pellet rifles and eat 'em all the time. I remember my mom screaming at the sight of a half dozen skinned squirrels lined up in the kitchen counter. She said it looked like mass murder.
Now I live in Bakersfield, Ca. The squirrels here are "Ground Squirrels", and certainly not for eating.
I guess I am wierd, I dont mind eating Snos shoe hares, at least not if the are young. The last one I ate was cooked in foil in the coals, with an onion and a squirt of soy sauce. It was fine.
I agree about the Porkies being superio fare. Also, it is real hard to beat a fat young Woodchuck!
I agree about the Porkies being superio fare. Also, it is real hard to beat a fat young Woodchuck!
MacHete
Hair Cropper & Chipmunk Wrangler
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2000
- Messages
- 2,559
GAAH! GLP-1, your last statement confirms your first.
My church used to have a "groundhog banquet" every year on the first sunday of february. One of the deacons always supplied a young whistlepig for the pot and roasted it up. The incredibly vile odor of that greasy vermin cooking guaranteed that it would never get close enough to my nose to get in my mouth. I always ate the chicken.
In my day-to-day life, I am an annoyingly picky eater. In a survival situation, I would have a great deal of food aversion to overcome. I suppose I would just have to get hungry enough. I hunt deer, squirrel and upland game birds in season and will happily eat them (although I seem to be better at eating the birds than hunting them.)
I have tried and found distasteful the following: Rabbit- filthy beast, always covered in fleas, eats its own poop. Duck and goose- every cut always tasted like liver to me. Turtle- in stew, not much flavor, very rubbery meat. Rattlesnake- pan fried (very poorly so I should give it another chance), meat turned to gummy mush. Crawdad/crayfish- smell like rotten fish alive, taste like it dead. Ants- taste like the dirt they crawl in, recommend not chewing.
You can see that I'm a little handicapped for nutrient sources here. So, if I may broaden the question: What "in the bush" seasonings would you use to dress up or tone down the flavor of survival fare? Actually, never mind, I'll just start a new thread with this.
------------------
Be Worthy
In my day-to-day life, I am an annoyingly picky eater. In a survival situation, I would have a great deal of food aversion to overcome. I suppose I would just have to get hungry enough. I hunt deer, squirrel and upland game birds in season and will happily eat them (although I seem to be better at eating the birds than hunting them.)
I have tried and found distasteful the following: Rabbit- filthy beast, always covered in fleas, eats its own poop. Duck and goose- every cut always tasted like liver to me. Turtle- in stew, not much flavor, very rubbery meat. Rattlesnake- pan fried (very poorly so I should give it another chance), meat turned to gummy mush. Crawdad/crayfish- smell like rotten fish alive, taste like it dead. Ants- taste like the dirt they crawl in, recommend not chewing.
You can see that I'm a little handicapped for nutrient sources here. So, if I may broaden the question: What "in the bush" seasonings would you use to dress up or tone down the flavor of survival fare? Actually, never mind, I'll just start a new thread with this.
------------------
Be Worthy
Rabbit? You don't like rabbit? Must be snowshoes your talking about. Duck and goose? I happen to like liver. Turtle????? Absolutely love snapping turtle. One of my fav wild foods. Can't believe you don't care for it. It is wonderfully fine fare. Rattlesnake? I haven't had enough to have an opinion except they are bony. And you don't like CRAWDADS????? You sound like my invertebrate zoology students. Whenever we have the crustacean lab, I bring in some cajun crawdads for a little taste. I end up eating most of them. Thank god for picky eaters. More for me.
------------------
Hoodoo
And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.
Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
- Joined
- Oct 7, 1998
- Messages
- 1,838
Yes, gentlemen. Very interesting. But, what KNIFE do you use to prepare your rabbit / snowshoe / turtle / porcupine / rattlesnake / pack rat / duck / goose...??
Walt
Walt
MacHete
Hair Cropper & Chipmunk Wrangler
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2000
- Messages
- 2,559
Resisting Walt's attempt to refocus this discussion-
Hoodoo- Nope, not snowshoes. Good ol' SYLVILAGUS FLORIDANUS. Eastern cottontail. The first time I had it, I was a small child. Later, as an adult, I realized my recalled dislike for it may have been based on sentimentality and not taste. I tried it again and was unimpressed. Shortly thereafter, while majoring in wildlife management in school, I learned of their tendency toward caprophagy. The idea of that, along with the increased likelihood of parasites, has kind of put me off rabbit for good.
Of the other foods I listed: I can eat them, I just don't enjoy them very much. That is to say, I can keep them down without too much wretching. The only exception on that list is the crawdads. If I ever ingest a poison, and there's no ipecac handy, just hold a cooked 'dad under my nose and behold an emetic wonder!
------------------
Be Worthy
[This message has been edited by MacHete (edited 06-29-2000).]
Hoodoo- Nope, not snowshoes. Good ol' SYLVILAGUS FLORIDANUS. Eastern cottontail. The first time I had it, I was a small child. Later, as an adult, I realized my recalled dislike for it may have been based on sentimentality and not taste. I tried it again and was unimpressed. Shortly thereafter, while majoring in wildlife management in school, I learned of their tendency toward caprophagy. The idea of that, along with the increased likelihood of parasites, has kind of put me off rabbit for good.
Of the other foods I listed: I can eat them, I just don't enjoy them very much. That is to say, I can keep them down without too much wretching. The only exception on that list is the crawdads. If I ever ingest a poison, and there's no ipecac handy, just hold a cooked 'dad under my nose and behold an emetic wonder!
------------------
Be Worthy
[This message has been edited by MacHete (edited 06-29-2000).]
- Joined
- May 4, 2000
- Messages
- 228
MacHete; I really hate it for you man! Eating fresh killed bunny after a good day hunting is one of those pleasures which should be reserved only for kings, barons, dukes (or duchesses), or any ordinary American! While it is true you could starve to death eating rabbits, in a survival situation it could get you through a few days with enough energy to get you out. I heard years ago if a person ate three meals a day at McDonald's they would die of malnutrition within a year. I suggest that you have never had anyone properly prepare your wild fare, or you have not been hungry enough. Hope situation one improves, and situation two never happens.