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
Looks delicious! You did a great job. I would have shot it in the head again too if it started twitching on me like that. It will be easier next time.
LOL yeah it scared the crap out of me. Can you imagine the thing turning and bitting you with those teeth! Ouch!
I hope it will be easier, man that was interesting.
A first-time job well done! Warm-blooded animals are hard for me too. It's probably why I am mostly vegan.
I enjoyed the carrots and potatoes more. The potatoes most of all.
Maybe I didn’t season it right, maybe a stew mix next time. Maybe I don’t like bunny.
I will try again, hopefully my husband will clean it for me. 🤢
Try cooking the rabbit with a bottle of beer, the mushroom gravy mix, a bay leaf, some onions and your carrots. It will soften the meat. The alcohol burns off and it just adds another layer of flavour.
💗thanks
Yes always add dark beer :)
Dark beer is good
I forgot to add it is better to cut the rabbit into pieces and brown it in Butter first. It adds another layer of flavour. I use one bottle/can of beer (cheap will do) and about 1/2 cup of water. Occasionally I will throw in a couple of dried prunes for some extra oomph! Let me know how the next rabbit turns out.
Oh! That does sound good! Thanks again!
You are most welcome!
How did you like it? I cooked rabbit before and it wasn't my favorite, that's for sure. Maybe its only good cooked a certain way....
It was okay-ish, wasn’t horrible. I won’t be craving it.
My husbands grandma loves rabbit stew. Maybe I should ask her what I did wrong.
Maybe bay leaves, bay leaves make everything better. LOL
It looks like you did a good job for such vague instructions. After some practice, I think rabbits are one of the easiest animals to process. It's pretty quick once you figure it out.
Oh good, so just practice. Yeah I didn’t expect the thick fur. It’s easier to clean a moose then a rabbit.
What I mean by Moose being easier is it’s bigger and easier to skin. You can see what your doing. I don’t mind the hard work. The smaller the animal the more difficult it seems to be.
Like you said practice.
There aren't as many cookbooks for that kind of cuisine, that's for sure :)
nice job!
Thanks
Fantastic job! Rabbit is my favorite animal to hunt. Looks delicious!
Thanks
2.49% @pushup from @myhuntingfishing
Thanks 💗✌️
Rabbit stew is good! Great story!
😊thanks!
Oh man, this made me laugh. My wife would kill me I did this to her. We are actually just now getting into raising rabbits for freezer camp. It's my job to get them shirtless, empty, and jointed for packaging.
😁 We planned on farming our too, but they figured out how to get out. So now it a clean up from them escaping.