Poached Squirrel Delight

Looks good Wotak, I have always wanted to try squirrel after watching without a paddle.

Never thought of it being a wild game though.

wolfer: Looks good Wotak, I have always wanted to try squirrel after watching without a paddle. Never thought of it being a wild game though.

I haven't seen Without A Paddle. I'll have to DL that today.

Squirrels are wild and considered small game. They are plentiful and easy to hunt if you're a decent marksman. My Son and I hunt them quite often and I usually keep 15 or 20 in the freezer. 4 or 5 at a time makes a great family dinner. They're excellent BBQ'd, stewed, fried, poached and even baked with taters, onions and garlic.

If you live near hardwoods, you'd better get to huntin'.

Ah, yes, the delicious rodent fricassee'. Looks very tasty. Does the addition of birds eye chilies and lemongrass help in any way? I would think Thai flavours would be a wonderful twist on a basic Italian recipe.

I have a buddy in the hills that shoots squirrels for his dog to munch all the time, but he also hunts & eats rabbit and other woodland critters. There's nothing wrong with wild game; I've always taught my kids "If you kill it, You eat it". Good rule of thumb.

I have been taught that the best way to prepare that kind of critter (rabbit) was to soak overnight in meepermilk, drain, then cook like chicken (roasted, stewed, etc.). Does squirrel require this treatment to remove the "gamey" (musky) taste from the meat? Are the females less likely to have the stink of meep in their flesh?

I also notice that the cleaned creature has been beheaded, which is something I wholly approve of. I have read too many stories about squirrel brain diseases to feel comfortable with that part of the beastie.

Thanks for a useful tip.

BeachGoat: Does the addition of birds eye chilies and lemongrass help in any way? I would think Thai flavours would be a wonderful twist on a basic Italian recipe.

I would guess lemongrass would be ok. I usually just use seasoned salt, black pepper and a dash of garlic powder. I try not to over season this flesh because it has such a succulent flavor that it's a shame to season beyond a simple compliment.

BeachGoat: I have been taught that the best way to prepare that kind of critter (rabbit) was to soak overnight in meepermilk, drain, then cook like chicken (roasted, stewed, etc.). Does squirrel require this treatment to remove the "gamey" (musky) taste from the meat?

Not at all. Squirrel has a sweet delicate flavor. It's not at all gamey or musky. Male or female doesn't matter. The best ones are the younger ones. I usually don't shoot the biggest ones in the woods because they tend to get tough as they get older. The flavor doesn't really change but the texture does. Not that it's bad but the young ones are so tender, you'll want to focus on hunting them.

I have never used the milk treatment for wild game but I know of many people that always soak their wild game in milk before preparing. I guess some people don't like the taste of wild meat... in which case I wonder: why do they bother eating it?

Some wild animals have a lot of fat, like raccoons, duck or woodchuck. These animals are best parboiled before cooking as I find the fat does have a gamey flavor. Rabbits and squirrels have very little fat and I've never noticed a gamey flavor in their flesh.

BeachGoat: Are the females less likely to have the stink of meep in their flesh?

I have never noticed a difference in flavor between the males and females. I'd say that I get 4 males for each female I kill. Squirrels are very territorial, male and female, but the males are more apt to come out of the trees and forage in ever widening areas so you usually see more of them while hunting.

BeachGoat: I also notice that the cleaned creature has been beheaded, which is something I wholly approve of. I have read too many stories about squirrel brain diseases to feel comfortable with that part of the beastie.

I'm of the opinion that if it walks on four legs, it's edible. I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to trying different critters out as food. I will eat livers and hearts and have tried deer kidney (yuck) but I don't eat faces.

When I was a kid I was told that you should never eat the brains of a wild animal because that is where the rabies would be if the animal was infected. As a precaution you should remove the head and cook the flesh well. I don't know if this is true or not (actually, I doubt it is) but I'd rather not eat the cranium just the same. I'll chalk it up as a precautionary habit and leave it at that.

Do not eat the brains. You are not a zombie. Boil the brains, run them thru a blender and use them to tan the hide. All animals have sufficient brains to tan their hides.

godevillivedog: Do not eat the brains. You are not a zombie. Boil the brains, run them thru a blender and use them to tan the hide. All animals have sufficient brains to tan their hides.

I have read this. Never tanned a hide though. I may, soon. Pics?

After having this sit in it's tab and stew for a while i gotta call WTF.

It's rodents, why toss years of civilization to regress to eating rodents?

Dude, the guy in the pic, he's doing it wrong. You don't mangle squirrels like this. You have to separate the hide from the meat before you gut these little fellows. WTF. The meeping hair is almost impossible to remove from the meat if you go all stabby on them.

Civilization is not going to teach you this; apparently. I will post a how to clean a squirrel for eating, because you need this post.

http://www.youtube.com/v/66AVwthXgMA&hl=en&fs=1

Here's a primer but don't attempt this until you've seen my detailed instructions with awesome photos.

this^