eG Cook-Off #86: Rabbit

[David Ross]

8 minutes ago, David Ross said:

Thank you so much for the tutorial.  Looks just like the rabbits I hunted when I was a kid, and I notice how deep read and lean the meat is.  The back legs look very meaty.  They'll be delicious for sure. 

I also wanted to mention that we have a few taxidermists in our area that will buy rabbit pelts, or they'll make them into winter hats.  

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Lament: how I wish I lived in country Europe where I could buy rabbit parts since I am the only rabbit eater in the house. 

 

I remember with a smile buying a roasted leg at a street market in Haute Provence.    The seller said, '"Ah, you are American!"    "How do you know?"   He answered with a big grin, "Because the English don't eat bunnies".

[liuzhou]

6 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

He answered with a big grin, "Because the English don't eat bunnies".

 

He was very wrong!

[Margaret Pilgrim]

7 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

He was very wrong!

I thought so at the time, but it made him so happy.

[Anna N]

I know everyone else is dying to know what you will do with the bits you saved. I on the other hand want to know what you did with the other bits.

[heidih]

@Shelby Wow thanks for the thorough walk through and many thanks to Ronnie as well. I imagine the butchering skill level is hgh from much experience. How long without documentation related delays?

[Shelby]

10 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I know everyone else is dying to know what you will do with the bits you saved. I on the other hand want to know what you did with the other bits.

You mean the guts, fur etc?  Our outside cats have made themselves a nice little place up in the landing of a big outbuilding that we have.  So bits like that go up there for them.  Treats for everyone!

[Shelby]

1 minute ago, heidih said:

@Shelby Wow thanks for the thorough walk through and many thanks to Ronnie as well. I imagine the butchering skill level is hgh from much experience. How long without documentation related delays?

Oh gosh, he does rabbits in the blink of an eye.  Probably 5 to 7 minutes max.

[chromedome]

I always worked from the other end, starting at the ankles of the hind legs and working my way to the head. No particular reason, that's just how my father did it and therefore how he taught me.

 

I doubt it makes much difference, really.

 

ETA: After thinking about it for a few minutes, it occurs to me that my father liked to occasionally roast and eat the heads. That more or less rules out cutting off the head as a first step, so that's probably why he did it feet-first.

Edited February 8, 2021 by chromedome (log)

[Duvel]

5 hours ago, Shelby said:

Keep in mind, wild rabbit is MUCH tougher than commercial ones.  He's resting in my fridge....I'll be doing something with him either tonight or more likely tomorrow.  So, any ideas?

In Germany (and other European countries) you’d marinate in slightly acidic marinades (think red wine : white wine / diluted vinegar) and braise until tender ... 

[Duvel]

3 hours ago, Shelby said:

Oh gosh, he does rabbits in the blink of an eye.  Probably 5 to 7 minutes max.

If he is equally apt in deboning them, please bring him around when you move in with me ... 😉

[Bernie]

16 hours ago, chromedome said:

I always worked from the other end, starting at the ankles of the hind legs and working my way to the head. No particular reason, that's just how my father did it and therefore how he taught me.

 

I doubt it makes much difference, really.

 

 

Yep that's the way we always did it.

You don't use a knife you break the back leg down low and push the jagged bone through the skin, then use your finger to part the skin from the leg, work up to the back down the other leg. Now grasp the legs and take hold of the skin and pull towards the head. The skin will generally tear across under the tail and come off in one piece. You end up with the skin inside out over the head. You twist the neck to break it and it the head will come away (with a bit of pulling pressure) with the inside out skin.

You then use the jagged keg bone on the rear foot still attached to the skin to pierce the abdomen at the back, enlarge the cut with your fingers, the swing/toss the rabbit by the back legs without letting it go and the intestines will all be cleanly thrown out. (You may have to use a bit of force to part the intestine from the rear end)

All you need is a green stick and you can spit the beast over the camp fire.

No washing, no knife only need some water to wash your hands.

It does work!

 

I have another story on cleaning ducks and drinking beer and a method to clean your hands without water but it's somewhat disgusting and not for genteel company.

[Duvel]

The conill amb xocolata described above suffered from a lingering bitterness of the sauce. Today I used the leftovers to prepare rabbit tacos. The basic flavor profile of the dish lend itself already to be used in a Mexican dish, and I used additional soaked ancho peppers and cumin/cinnamon/coriander to smoothen out the sauce ...

 

So, refried pulled rabbit served on wheat tortillas with goat cheese cream, the chocolate-ancho salsa, quick-pickled red cabbage, some fried bread/almond/pine nut crunch and cilantro ... no complaints 🤗

 

[David Ross]

A friend of mine who is a retired French Chef, saw we were conducting the cook-off and sent me these photos of a privately published cookbook he owns from mid-1800's, "The Gourmet's Guide to Rabbit Cooking."  What a treasure.  He's going to send me some recipes today. 

[Duvel]

Tonight another attempt to use up the rabbit dishes of this week:

 

Banh Mi, featuring the rabbit terrine from Sunday, with Kewpie, fried egg, quick pickled carrot and cucumber, plenty of cilantro, fried onions and Vietnamese hoisin sauce. Accompanied by a fruity Hop House lager ... 

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Duvel (log)

[rotuts]

@Shelby 

 

thank you for your Rabbit post

 

as some know 

 

I feel SV presents 

 

opportunities for cooking meat

 

that's can't be accomplished 

 

any other way.

 

if wild rabbit is tough 

 

SV might be able to help out :

 

13o.1 F   for the correct number of hours 

 

the a chill and a flash rill ?

 

might not be worth the effort for

 

one , but for many ?

 

 

[David Ross]

Here are two pages out of the 1859 Rabbit cookbook. A little hard to read, but like very old recipes, there aren't exact measurements or cooking times. In the first photo, the recipe at the bottom of the right page is for a rabbit tartare.  I'm not sure I would have a taste for that.

 

 

 

 

[heidih]

My old reprint of Housekeeping In Old Virginia (1879) has a page of rabbit recipes. The barbequed one with frequent turning and butter basting after placing on the gridiron was interesting. 

[David Ross]

1 minute ago, heidih said:

My old reprint of Housekeeping In Old Virginia (1879) has a page of rabbit recipes. The barbequed one with frequent turning and butter basting after placing on the gridiron was interesting. 

These very old recipes are very intriguing and I'm amazed that the cooks were more advanced than I imagined for back then.  In fact, the more I read these recipes I'm not really missing exact measurements.  It's sort of a release from a more strict recipe that makes you think if you add even 1/4 teaspoon of too much spice the dish will be ruined.  I like this instruction from the barbecued rabbit recipe, "Lay it on the gridiron, turning often so that it may cook through and through, without becoming hard and dry."  

[Duvel]

And now ... let’s cook them 😉

[heidih]

7 minutes ago, Duvel said:

And now ... let’s cook them 😉

I know I am lame. Relying on y'all for future inspiration. Just for me, right now - makes little sense. I would want to play at it with at least 3 more people around the table but not in Los Angeles right now. 

[Shelby]

On 2/3/2021 at 2:38 PM, Duvel said:

I purchased three rabbits today

I meant to ask this a few days ago, but if it's not too nosey, can I ask what a rabbit costs there?  

[Dante]

 

On 2/8/2021 at 10:34 AM, Margaret Pilgrim said:

I remember with a smile buying a roasted leg at a street market in Haute Provence.    The seller said, '"Ah, you are American!"    "How do you know?"   He answered with a big grin, "Because the English don't eat bunnies".

 

How does anyone who claims to know anything about food even *think* that, much more *say* it?!

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

49 minutes ago, Dante said:

 

 

How does anyone who claims to know anything about food even *think* that, much more *say* it?!

 

I suppose it was his experience as a seller of roast meats at a back country street market.    Perhaps his expat clientele had definite tastes.   In a small village, a few voices can seem like a majority.

[donk79]

All this talk of rabbit is killing me.  Almost 15 years ago, my wife and I were living in rural Maryland and had a small town restaurant that prepared a rather dry fried rabbit.  It was still wonderful!  Now, I am in Virginia, surrounded by cottontails, and with no good shooting lanes for harvesting them.  And I will be darned if I can figure out any other way to procure them around here.  Anyway, keep sharing!  at least my dreams are tasty!