rabbits

brokenwings

before you read any further please be aware that this post might upset vegetarians and is not about pet cuddly white rabbits in cages .


ok
a much loved cousin who is a farmer has delighted me ( in a way ) today by presenting me with two freshly killed ( shot ) wild rabbits which i intend to stew.
i am not squeamish in anyway - but am going to have to skin and gut tem myself - which i have never done.

does anyone have any tips please?

tia
x

Pink.

Hi brokenwings,

I've no experience of what you are about to do, and quite frankly I hope that I never will have, but I found this link that may help.

Preparing a rabbit for table

Pink

squeaky

The link below looks helpful.

http://www.australianoutdoors.com/BushtuckerRabbit.htm


Edit: Crossed with Pink, sorry

Magentasue

Much the same as pink-winged here but can suggest the rivercottage forum - http://forum.rivercottage.net/
Try the Wild Food board or do a search -it's a busy board so I'm sure someone will help you if you need anything clarifying.

GreenFingers_2

The Australian site mentioned above really says it all and along with the step-by-step pictures you should be OK. The bunny will have Rigor Mortis (stiff as a board) by the time you get it and it will be a bit of a tussle getting the rabbits clothes off. After you have done this it will need gutting and getting to grips with all the gory messy bits. The smell is not pleasant at all – something like a cross between really rotten eggs and a well used slaughterhouse awash with semi-congealed blood. The thing to remember is to not puncture the intestines – if you do the smell will be even worse and the green sludgy mess is dreadful. If it’s your first time going through this sort of exercise just take it slowly and carefully and wash the finished pieces with lots of running water.

Personally I think Roast Rabbit is tastier than stew, but the stew will go much further for more people. To roast it, pop the rabbit pieces into a roasting pan with some oil and baste periodically – much the same as roasting chicken pieces or pheasants and wood pigeons. Eat it along with some really nice crusty bread with lots of proper butter and a few pints of beer….mmmmmm

Hope this helps.

frugglewump

I remember reading once that it takes as many calories to digest rabbit as you get from eating it - diet food?

Curry_Queen

A good hunter should have paunched the rabbit in the field before bringing it home, so all you have to do is skin and joint it. If the bladder and bowels weren't emptied immediately prior to hanging it then the flavour of the meat can become tainted.

Oh, and when skinning, pull the pelt up and over the head to cover the face and eyes before chopping off it's head, so it isn't watching you while you do it

Curry_Queen

GreenFingers wrote:

The bunny will have Rigor Mortis (stiff as a board) by the time you get it and it will be a bit of a tussle getting the rabbits clothes off.

Once it has gone through the process of rigor mortis it will become flexible again and easily manageable (can take 6-12 hours) and should be hung in a cool place during this time. If you cool it too rapidly in a fridge or freezer the meat will become very tough as it won't have completed the chemical processes.

brokenwings

big thanks to everyone

ive done it
have one jointed and in the slow coooker for a stew to freeze
the other is in the fridge ( soaking ) iand will be roast for sunday lunch

seriously it wasnt as bad as i expected
smell wasnt great but i sucked on a lemon and that helped lol

Murtle

can I just say thanks to brokenwings for the veggie warning at the top!!!

As a veggie I don't mind reading these discussions and find them informative, but sometimes need a little forewarning!!!

So Thanks

x

Quasar

We used to have rabbits in our farm, and my grandma was able to kill them with a single blow to the head. I have never wanted to watch this!! However the rabbit stews she made were out of this world!

I could not bear to see the killed bunnies though, just as I could not bear to see killed lambs...