Not QUITE Hunting: Processing A Domestic Meat Rabbit

FortyTwoBlades

FortyTwoBlades

Baryonyx walkeri
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Took this video today for some of the rabbit breeding communities I belong to and figured I'd post it here for anyone interested.

To preface: YES I am aware that there are numerous ways to process wild rabbits without a knife. Domestic rabbits are still easy to process, but not nearly so easy as wild ones due to their better nutrition. A knife is a necessity, especially when doing multiples (I did 6 today.)

Lots of ways to do it, but here's how I do it. Haven't seen any videos that remove the anus the same way I do, though I'm sure there are others that use the method.

When removing the skin, I leave it deliberately on the tail, and split the pelvis open by placing the belly of the point of my knife against the pubic symphysis (where the pelvis fuses in the front) and give a little wiggle with gentle pressure and it pops right open. Rip through the thin muscle underneath and you have a complete view of the intestine. Run you finger up behind it and into the hood of skin left on the tail. This gives you a space where you can slip the blade in between and cut off the tail without cutting through the intestine, and then the whole tail with the anus attached all pulls forward and out without ever getting near the meat.

Obviously this method would be less applicable for field dressing a wild rabbit, but homesteading/animal husbandry is a close cousin to it!

[video=youtube;MBE2cQijx9A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBE2cQijx9A&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Will add annotations to the video when time allows. :)
 
good vid for those who don't know..........

I would drill a hook into the wall and mount a sheath when you need a hand free. I have seen guys on the line cut and nick themselves trying to do too much with a knife in hand.

Too bad my wife is a rabbit lover, used to hunt and eat them all the time with the old man and my uncle used to raise meat rabbits.
 
I'm actually wearing a kydex neck sheath. If you look carefully you can see the blue paracord it's hanging from. :) I'm pretty used to working with even much larger knives in hand (machetes) so the little 4" blade is no biggie most of the time. It's all in being aware of where the blade is and which way the edge is facing. Having a little plastic bucket or tray isn't a bad idea, though.
 
Good vid. I like to keep a bucket of water on hand to rinse the knife and hands occasionally (And park the knife in when needed). It makes it easier for me to keep stray hair off the meat. I note you cutting from inside out for the same reason, as I do. A hide cut from the inside does not lose nearly as much hair. Thanks!
 
Bingo! Normally I like to wet the fur with a hose before starting in but it's been so cold that everything is frozen solid so I was forced to do it dry. :p If I had a bowl of water my hands would have been icy cold in no time, even with the warmth from the carcass. If you look carefully you can see it steaming when the hide comes off and when the belly gets opened up. :D

For reference, this rabbit was 103 days old, or about 14 weeks. That's a full two weeks above the usual upper range of the ideal window for processing, which is why you see me struggling with the skin a little more than would be typical. Still pretty easy, but not as stupid-easy as it is with an 8-12 week rabbit. The weather was just too brutally cold OR raining buckets for the past few weeks for me to get to processing. :o
 
Yeah, I nicked my finger on the last buck and didn't notice it until I finished and went inside and warmed my hands rinsing them in the sink. But I still had the gallon bucket (cake frosting from a deli) on a table to swish the knife in and a cotton bar towl to de-hair the fingers.
 
With the rabbits I get little enough hair on them that even though I would have preferred to wet them I was able to just rinse the hairs off when I brought it inside. Can't do that with a deer, though, eh? Not unless you have a mighty big sink, at least! :D :D :D
 
My kitchen sink will easily hold a ham or shoulder (one at a time) for rinseing as needed, but I really prefer not to do it unless absolutely needed- bloodshot meat, or contaminated with field debris or digestive contents. I guess I've grown to picky in my old age. But when I package cuts or make jerky, I want it absolutely hairless. And the subdermal layers of tissues on deer soak up a lot of water quickly which promotes bacteria growth. Not so much a problem on small game and farm raised small critters.
 
Yeah--I'd definitely be much more concerned with wild game. In the case of the rabbits it was getting rinsed in the sink less than 30 seconds after the end of the clip. :)
 
Is this technique preferable (beheading, hanging it upside down by the hind legs, and working your way "down" from there, vs starting with the back and pulling the skin off from there, as seen in this video...?


[video=youtube;757I9J8gMZc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=757I9J8gMZc[/video]
 
Truthfully, every hunter has his favorite methods. Most work just fine.

Bleed the animal out
Keep the meat clean (hair and stomach/bowel/bladder contents and dirt)
keep your hands and tools (knives) clean
Have a clean appropriate recepticle ready for the meat,
You can nail it to the barn, hang from hooks, lay it on a table.

Hike your own hike, paddle your own canoe and skin your own critter! :thumbup:
 
Codger_64 said:
Truthfully, every hunter has his favorite methods. Most work just fine.

Bleed the animal out
Keep the meat clean (hair and stomach/bowel/bladder contents and dirt)
keep your hands and tools (knives) clean
Have a clean appropriate recepticle ready for the meat,
You can nail it to the barn, hang from hooks, lay it on a table.

Hike your own hike, paddle your own canoe and skin your own critter! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Yup!

The technique I use is for domestically raised rabbits rather than ones shot or trapped in the wild. I doubt it would be so convenient a method to use with a wild rabbit.
 
Codger_64 said:
My kitchen sink will easily hold a ham or shoulder (one at a time) for rinseing as needed, but I really prefer not to do it unless absolutely needed- bloodshot meat, or contaminated with field debris or digestive contents. I guess I've grown to picky in my old age. But when I package cuts or make jerky, I want it absolutely hairless. And the subdermal layers of tissues on deer soak up a lot of water quickly which promotes bacteria growth. Not so much a problem on small game and farm raised small critters.
Click to expand...

My old man and grandpa always said that rinsed venison spoils easy, never thought why but the water/bacteria is a no brainer when you think about it.

When I was on the line any cuts that hit the floor would be thoroughly washed and left in a tub with holes to drain and slated for sausage.

Unless they were large enough to cut a 1/4 inch off the rinsed surface as it fades the colour and looks goopy after sitting awhile.
 
Interestingly, the USDA certified process for rabbits actually requires immersion in water. :)
 
bored2deth said:
Hide comes off like a glove. Oh boy, I would love some fried rabbit!
Click to expand...

Rabbit (and squirrel) are very lean meats, like deer. They are good fried but you have to take care to not overcook them or they become tough as the moisture is driven out. A good batter coating helps, but IMHO, all are easier to cook with "wet" cooking methods Rabbit and dumplings are good.
 
"Low and slow's the way to go." :D

Frying is doable, but yeah--it's a narrow window where it's done but not overdone.
 
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