Processed my first rabbit and made rabbit stew with it.

Husband shot it and then left very unclear instructions on how to skin and gut.

So we had some bunnies get out and reproduce. So we need to thin them out. Well I tried with a .22 and so did my kids. Damn thing would always take off just before you brought the sights up.

Finally my husband comes out and get one.
Tells a kid to bring it to me, then tells me all you have to do is “slice the skin on the back side of the legs and pull the skin off”. That was all the instruction I got.

So I am skin this thing with a benchmade, and the freaking thing twitched! I freak out because what if it’s still alive and feels the pain, or it’s like pet cemetery and tried to bite me! Seriously it was twitching like crazy! I threw it on the ground and shot it square in the head again! That way I knew for sure, no zombie bunny!

So now I have the lower legs free of skin, now just pull it off like a shirt... HA! Yeah right!

I ended up standing on the hind legs and pulling up, kinda like you do when dressing a grouse(wings instead of legs).

Well once the skin was up to it’s head and stuck, I had to figure out how to get it off. Remember I had very vague instructions.

So the first thing I did was break the ankle joints and cut them free. Then I had the head...

That was freaking gross! Because I shot it in the head it broke the bones, I could feel the broken bones shift and move under my hand.
I have a very hard time gutting warm blooded animals, but can cut and clean fish until my hands are numb. But when it comes to warm blooded animals I dry heave and someone I actually puke. But I push through it, and wipe my face to help provide for my family.

I was having a hell of a time getting through the vertebrae. Didn’t want to dull or nick the benchmade, but had to get the head off. Finally after fighting with it I got it off.

I pinched the belly skin and slowly opened the abdominal cavity exposing the guts. I didn’t even nick them!
Dropped the guts in the burning barrel, then had to figure out the lower half.
I cut up under the crotch, and cut around the tail. Then pulled the tail off, it all came off in one motion.
Key is to make sure it’s all cut free before you rip the tail off.

Double checked the cavity, missed the heart and lungs. Sigh. But they came out together.

Washed it and cleaned it for dinner.

I took Yukon gold potatoes and lined the bottom of my electric pressure cooker.

I mixed up two packages of mushroom gravy for seasoning.

Dumped it on top of the potatoes and added water to the top of the potatoes.
Then added the bunny on top of the potatoes, so it’s won’t burn and stick to the bottom.

I then dumped a bag of mini carrots onto of the bunny, and filled the slow cooker with more water almost compleatly covering the bunny.

Set the pressure cooker to “stew”, and for 45 minutes. Like so...

Once the timer goes off release the pressure.

Check out my first ever rabbit stew

rib cage anyone