Basic Fried Rabbit Or Squirrel Recipes

Steps:

• Combine brine ingredients with meat in a large bowl.
• Cover and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
• Drain and discard liquid.
• Pat meat dry and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place flour, salt and pepper in a plastic zipper bag.
• Add meat and shake to coat.
• Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
• Increase heat to medium-high and brown squirrel pieces on all sides.
• Place meat and pan drippings in a 3-quart baking dish and add mushrooms.
• Combine sauce ingredients and pour over meat and mushrooms.
• Cover and bake until tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Steps:

• skin and leave whole.
• add salt and pepper.
• put in deep pan, put about 1/2 inch water in pan.
• cook 1 hour and 15 minutes, well covered.
• take sauce and pour over squirrels.
• cook uncovered fo 30 minutes.
• -----Sauce------.
• cook for about 30 minutes.
• put wine in after you cook sauce.

Steps:

• Place the washed, cut-up squirrel pieces in a medium-sized bowl.
• In another bowl, blend the sorghum molasses and the cider. Pour this over the squirrel pieces, cover, and allow to marinate for 18-24 hours in the refrigerator. Turn the pieces several times during the marinating process.
• After the marination process is complete, gently dab off excess marinade from the squirrel meat with damp paper towels and roll them in the flour to which the salt has also been added. Set these pieces aside on a piece of wax paper or parchment for 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 275-degrees F.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil and brown up the squirrel pieces. Set aside on a plate when browned.
• In a small roaster or Dutch oven, pour in the chicken broth and add in the butter, the mushrooms and the minced onion mushrooms. Place a small rack or oven-proof bowl in the roaster pan so that it will elevate the squirrel pieces above the liquid. Then place the squirrel pieces on the rack or bowl and cover with a lid or aluminum foil.
• Bake for 90 minutes in the pre-heated oven (275-degrees F.) and then check the squirrel for tenderness. If it's not fork tender, bake it for 30-45 more minutes.
• When the squirrel is plated up, set aside, pour any bowl drippings into the liquid that's in the roaster pan and make (squirrel-based) "red-eye gravy" from the drippings. Take the mushrooms out first, make the gravy, and then add them back in, or, just baste the squirrel on the plates with some of the drippings and the mushrooms. Either way is good.
• NOTE! It is no longer adviseable to eat the squirrel brains as they have now been associated with a form of mad cow disease called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. While ADEQUATE cooking eliminates the problem, it's still not worth the risk until more is known about the problem: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9500E0D91231F93AA1575BC0A961958260.

Steps:

• Melt butter in large saucepan; add cheese, mustard and hot sauce; heat until cheese melts--stirring all the while.
• Gradually add the beer, stirring continuously; then add meat if using.
• Stir in beaten egg, until egg sets; remove from heat.
• Cut toast into "points" and lay two points on each plate.
• Pour one-sixth of the sauce over each plate; garnish with one tomato wedge.
• NOTE: try Monterey Jack, Swiss, mild Cheddar for different flavors!

Steps:

• Remove legs from body of dressed rabbit or squirrel.
• Split the body down the back through the breast.
• Cut each half in two crosswise.
• Dip meat pieces in melted butter.
• Roll pieces into crushed corn flakes coating all around.
• Brown meat in hot oil on each side.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 1 hour.
• Note: Some people like to soak the meat in salted water a few hours before cooking.
• If so cover the body with water in a pot and add 3 Tablespoons of salt.
• Then drain, rinse, and pat the body dry before cooking.
• I often do this especially if the animal appears to be old.