People Eating Tasty Animals

[bdhutier]

In the interest of not hijacking silent_sniper's groundhog thread, I want to ask you guys a few questions brought to mind by the beaver BBQ...

The main thing that makes me nervous about eating rabbit, squirrel, etc. is that I don't know how to prepare it. Like most any other food, beef included, if you don't prepare it correctly it really sucks. Can anyone recommend a good resource for the beginning hunter to get information like that?

The bride's concern (and I can certainly see her point), is parasites, various pathogens, and such. Is this an issue with these animals, and are there any special handling precautions to take (other than the normal things while cooking)? Eg: Back in high school, we were paid by a golf course to shoot rabbits at night. Those doggone things were literally COVERED with fleas, etc. Is this typical? I'd probably have a real concern with eating anything infested with fleas and ticks.

Edit: Forgot about the Cooking section of the forums for recipes!!!

 

[John Wasmuth]

They get fleas and ticks same as domestic stock. No special way to cook them, maybe lard them some, meat is much dryer than domestic stock. Any animal can get parasites, liver flucks, worms, a number of different things, if your worried about such things wear rubber gloves when dressing them out. There are a number of wild game cook books on the market that can help you out in cooking them.

 

[Trench]

The best thing to do is go to a book store and find a wild game recipe book. I've got a couple and I've been really pleased with some of the things I've whipped up with squirrel, rabbit, ground hog, raccoon, etc, etc.

 

[kherring]

Have someone teach you. I have ruined my wife on fried squirrel because I didn't know you should boil them before frying. They were as tough as shoe leather because of that. Live and learn.

 

[boar]

My wife's uncle and I work a young one over today. I shot it in a soybean field Friday Evening. I Field dressed it at the creek, just down below house. Took it up and finished it at house,(did one tonite )I cut it quarters,soaked it in salt water sat nite,changed the water and re soaked it. This morning I parboiled it 20 min's with two small potatoes and spice berries, I skim of the foam that rises.You only parboil them 20 min's as if you do them longer the wild tases goes back in to the meat. Then put in pressure cooker for 15 min's. Then had wife fry it in flour(salt&pepper) I put butter on the potatoes and ate them. I remove all fat and glands. The main glands are under front legs, there are one in each of the back legs in a fat pocket. Was real good eating. When someone remarks about eating groundhog, I ask if they eat chicken? Most all have, I say there dirtest animal as they eat anything,including poop. :thumbsup: You can look up spiceberries on Hiker's Notebook. Get them in Sept when they have turned red. I use about 6 berries. Dilly-SS Grandpa. He's a dandy. :thumbsup:

 

[jmac]

All this talk of small game recipes reminds me of an experience back in the 80's. I had permission to hunt 300+ acres of prime deer habitat on the White river in southern Indiana. The gentleman who owned the ground was an old "River Rat" who lived on the place. Periodicly I would stop by to see how he was and offer my assistance if he needed a project completed. This helped to keep in his good graces and kept others from hunting my private little "honey hole". One summer afternoon I stopped by and he offered lunch. "Buggs" had a fresh pot of squirrel stew on the stove and hot bicuts in the oven so of course I accepted, thinking it would be impolite to do otherwise, and sat down to a big bowel. Frankly it was the best stew I've ever had. Seasoned properly with carrots, corn, sweet potatoes and a subtle yet distinctive flavor I couldn't quite figure out. I'd never had squirrel served this way and was half way through bowel number two when a thought crossed my greedy little mind. This was June and squirrel season in Indiana didn't start until August. I was about to self-rightously give my host a leason in ethics and Indiana's game laws when I asked, " Buggs, squirrel season isn't open yet, you didn't poach this tree rat did you? " Naw" was his answer. "I found 'em up on highway 241. Hell he couldn't of been there more than 3, maybe 4 days :shocked2: ..." I think I suddenly realized what that "subtle yet distinctive" flavor was... I passed on bowel number three.

John

 

[Stumpkiller]

No problem. You don't eat the fleas and ticks.

I raise rabbits and chickens and have done goats, geese and turkey. Do not be fooled that grocery store animals are healthier because they come wrapped. Domestic chickens have lice and hundreds of potential diseases and infections encouraged by living in close quarters and mass processing; coccidiosis from the soil, e. coli from the meat factory, etc. And who knows what antiobiotics, steriods, colorants and preservatives you are injesting when eating domestic animals. Domestic sheep probably carry more fauna than any wild critter (except maybe wild sheep).

Google "game cookbook".

Clean the animals outside. Sure, you find fleas on squirrels, lice on grouse, ticks on rabbits. As far as I know any ill effects from these are cooked away. Parasites and bacteria you can't see are more of a concern. Tularemia, trichinosis, etc. Give the animal a good looking over before and after the shot (is it acting sickly, coat smooth & clean, eyes, clear) and then cook it properly (meat falls off the bone, meat thermometer reads 160º or a little better, etc.).

 

[paulvallandigham]

If you are going to shoot animals in the summertime, expect the bugs, and simply drown them by putting the game in a bucket of water, or in a sink full of water. A little Soap helps to kill them, too.

As to pathogens in the meat, cooking the meat to a temperature of at least 160 degrees kills off that stuff. Most game does not have these things, particularly after the first Frost in the Fall. That is part of the reason that hunting seasons typically begin after that first frost arrives.

If you shoot small game- birds, squirrels, rabbits, etc.--- you can also kill the pests by putting the carcass in an Ice Chest to cool the game down on the way home. The colder it gets the faster the bugs are killed.

Check out the recipes on this forum. If you have questions about preparation and cooking, simply send the author a PT and ask your questions. I can't imagine anyone NOT responding to a Private Topic inquiry.

 

[Rancocas]

You've had some good advise here. I'll add a few comments.
Many people recommend wearing a pair of rubber gloves when field dressing and skinning wild game. I don't. I just use my bare hands - unless I have an open cut on my hand. Then I might put on a pair of gloves.
What may have been the worse case of poison ivy I ever had came from skinning a rabbit that had been sitting in a poison ivy patch.
Rabbits, in warm weather tend to get warbles. These are little maggots (fly larva) that form a cyst under the skin. While they are ugly, they come off with the hide, and so are harmless to us. In the later autumn, after the weather has been cool for a while, you won't find them anymore.
One time I field dressed a rabbit and saw that the liver had little whitish spots all over it. I don't know what it was, but I decided not to take a chance. I left that bunny for the foxes.
Fleas and ticks. They are there sometimes, but I've never seen a bad infestation of them. Most of the time I don't even notice any on squirrels or rabbits.
I prefer eating rabbit, but some folks prefer squirrel. Both are good. They are easy to prepare in many different ways.

 

[sutherland]

Most small game is delicious. I've eaten beaver, raccoon, muskrat, cottontail, squirrel. I'm still looking for a good recipe for groundhog. For a delicious squirrel dish, brown a couple of cut-up squirrels in oil. Then put the pieces in a casserole dish, pour on a can of cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, cover the dish, and bake at about 350 degrees for an hour or until the meat is coming off the bones, turning once or twice. Serve with baked potatoes, asparagus, and cold beer. You can make gravy with what's left in the dish. This is absolutely delicious wild meat.

 

[BrownBear]

If you have a favorite chili recipe, forget about the beef and use cubed small game. My favorite is rabbit, but I've done it with everything from squirrel to ptarmigan, duck to coon. Growing up on a hardscrabble ranch teaches you one thing: Beef is for selling. Everything else is for the table. I swear the old time Texans invented their style of chili for tough jackrabbits and not beef. Kind of a step down to make chili with beef, in any case.

 

[jimmytheshank]

Man, all this talk is making me hungry. The guys usually get together after we get off shift and go hunting. Every once in awhile we get a variety of venison and wild hog to eat at the station during hunting season. Think I need to open my horizons a bit more after reading ya'll's posts. I love rabbit. Think I'll give squirrel a try, and man, I've had a hankering for some rattlesnake chili lately.......

 

[jmforge]

I have heard at least once that chili may have been originally designed for use on the trail with stuff like rehydrated jerky, etc. so if that is the case, FRESH meat is always gong to be an improvement on the original. :grin: I normally use a mixture of ground beef and pork with Wick Fowler's 2 Alarm kit. I've used the "competion chili" ingredient tri-tip a coule of times and decided that it probably isn't worth the effort of shopping the stuff up. With that said, my younger brother has gone crazy on occasion and made what he calls "Chile Mignon" and that is some pretty good stuff, albeit pricey.
As for other game, we just did a pulled pork BBQ a couple of weeks ago using some feral hog butt and shoulder parts and it was pretty tasty. :wink:

 

[paulvallandigham]

I made a killer chili using chunks of venison I had cut up from the forelegs of a deer I killed. It was a big hit with the club, cook in a iron pot over an open fire, all day long, and with spectators who came through the camp on that cold March day. The only people who didn't come back for seconds where members of the public wanting to catch a ride back to their cars while they were warm! Almost none of the folks who ate my chili had ever eaten venison. They were very surprised at how good it tasted.

 

[bdhutier]

Well, I'm looking forward to it. I've eaten venison, elk, and pig, and enjoyed them all. I definitely see the point, that as long as the meat is properly handled and cooked, there shouldn't be any way for pathogens/parasites to survive. Thanks guys!

 

[Blizzard of '93]

cubed venison from the fore quarter and shanks makes good stew meat dredged in seasoned flour and browned well over med hi heat.
add onion and so on and turn heat to low, cover pot for 2&1/2 hours add a little liquid as needed. beer is good for this.
serve w/biscuits made w/cheddar cheese grated into dough.

 

[paulvallandigham]

As much as I enjoy venison presented any way possible, I do enjoy the flavor of venison without all the distractions that onions, mushrooms, cheeses, beer, wine, and a host of root vegetables and spices do to the meat. Venison, cooked correctly, is great to eat PLAIN! A little salt to taste is all I use at times.

And, FWIW, fresh venison Liver is as sweet, and tender as the best PRIME Rib you have ever eaten. But, it has to be fresh- preferably eaten within a few hours of when the deer is killed.

 

[Swede50]

When I make Venison stew I use the back strap or hind quarters. The meat is tender and I don't get the sinew stuck between my teeth. I use to grind my venison with the plate using the big holes, big mistake the smaller hole plate makes a finer grind and don't get stuck between my teeth. I also boil my venison first to get the brown nasty tasting stuff out. I let it come to the surface skim it off them rinse with hot water. Everyone likes my venison stew or chilli.

As for critters having flees I called the Vet and asked his opinion he said they all can have fleas.

My 2 cents worth

 

[paulvallandigham]

I spend the time during meat trimming and preparation to cut away the sinew. Sinew contains enzymes that makes the meat bitter, and tough, even when frozen. I know its a lot of trouble- I basically cut the Meat away from the sinew, not the other way around! And, as you note, it will catch in your teeth, and doesn't go through a meat grinder very well at all.

I grind my venison twice: once alone; then I grind my suet separately, mix the two, and then grind them together to get a better blend and binding. I add beef suet to the venison because venison is too lean to stick together to make patties. Beef suet also helps to sweeten the venison for table eating. I buy it at my local IGA for about $.05 per lb. The butchers are always interested in how I am preparing my venison, and I think they give me a break on the price ( although its treated as garbage, and shipped off to rendering plants) because I share my " recipe " for venison.