Cleaning what the Cat dragged in.

[WheelGloryDame]

So my husband came home this morning after gallivanting around the woods for hours with a squirrel in hand. He proudly holds it up and says are you proud of me?
Of course I'm proud of him. Great job honey.
Now, what do I do with it. I have never eaten a wild animal before let alone dressed one. Now don't get me wrong, I love to cook, and have cleaned many whole chickens and turkeys in my few years. But I have never cleaned anything with the fur (or feathers) still on.
So what do I do with this small furry creature. How do I cook it. Does it need to be de-boned? Should I put it in a brine overnight like you do chicken? Boil it? Bake it? Grill it? Fry it? Braise it? Broil it? Also what spices go with squirrel?
So ladies, give em up, all your best wild game recipes where squirrel can be used.
Thanks for all the help,
WheelGloryDame

 

[Mgderf]

So my husband came home this morning after gallivanting around the woods for hours with a squirrel in hand. He proudly holds it up and says are you proud of me?
Of course I'm proud of him. Great job honey.
Now, what do I do with it. I have never eaten a wild animal before let alone dressed one. Now don't get me wrong, I love to cook, and have cleaned many whole chickens and turkeys in my few years. But I have never cleaned anything with the fur (or feathers) still on.
So what do I do with this small furry creature. How do I cook it. Does it need to be de-boned? Should I put it in a brine overnight like you do chicken? Boil it? Bake it? Grill it? Fry it? Braise it? Broil it? Also what spices go with squirrel?
So ladies, give em up, all your best wild game recipes where squirrel can be used.
Thanks for all the help,
WheelGloryDame

I'm not a lady, I'm not even a woman! But I for one, applaud your attempt to please your other half.

Have you ever fried chicken? Think of that squirrel as a small, flightless, furry chicken. Odd mental picture there!

Anyway. soaking in brine water overnight will help reduce the "game" flavor some speak of. Rinse off the brine and pat dry with a towel.
Season and cook just as you would a chicken. Obviously, since squirrels are somewhat smaller, they will naturally cook faster.

You can cook squirrel into just about ANY recipe you would use chicken in, or even beef for that matter.

Squirrel meat is tasty in my opinion. Just takes more of them to make a meal!

 

[RachelMarie]

I don't have "wild game recipes" but I do know that squirell was/is being talked about in "The great outdoors" forum.

Hope you find a good recipe and sorry I'm not much more of a help. Hopefully someone will chime in with some useful information for you.


RachelMarie

Edited to say MGDERF has useful information!!! Glad someone chimed in!

 

[tedbower]

I soak mine overnight in salt water, lay it on a sheet of foil put a couple of strips of bacon on it , a few slices of lemon , a few slices of onion, season with whatever you like ,put a sheet of foil on top and crimp the edges,grill for 1/2 hr turning a couple times.

 

[remymartin]

I boil them for 45 min - hour, cook over open fire. my grandma used to fry 'em up like chicken, but I'm impatient.

 

[Pamcake]

"Cooking Squirrel" article in BWH

The current issue of Backwoods Home Magazine has:
(sorry, it is not in the free online content)~

53 Cooking squirrel By Amanda Kemp
includes:
-----Rotisserie Squirrel
-----Creamed Squirrel
-----Curried Squirrel

It is 2/3 of a page, and is preceeded by "The art of squirrel hunting" on page 51.
Issue 119 (Sept/Oct 2009)

 

[Greg.B]

Squirrel and dumplings..mmmmm.

Boil the squirrel until the meat falls off the bones. Then make a batch of your favorite dumplings using the broth, mix in the squirrel meat and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be, a lady!

 

[Mgderf]

Squirrel and dumplings..mmmmm.

Boil the squirrel until the meat falls off the bones. Then make a batch of your favorite dumplings using the broth, mix in the squirrel meat and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be, a lady!

I'm going to have to try that one!
Thanks Greg!

 

[redneckmedic]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66AVwthXgMA]YouTube - How to Skin a Squirrel Video[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEpx4CM9Eh4]YouTube - Cooking - Squirrel (Skillet)[/ame]

 

[WheelGloryDame]

My husband and his cousin want to get enough to feed the entire family on thanksgiving (plus one standard turkey) so I've been put in charge of cooking them. Thanks to everyone so far. Can anyone describe the taste of squirrel? I've tasted roast duck, and didn't like it. Is it similar?

 

[WheelGloryDame]

Thanks redneckmedic, that first video was a ton of help!!

 

[Pamcake]

Squrrel Recipe Heaven!!!

Just found a great source of squirrel recipes on one website:
BackwoodsBound:

Welcome To Our Squirrel Recipe Home Page.
Bacon Wrapped Squirrel BBQ Squirrel Bushytail With Autumn Apples Cajun Squirrel Camp Stew Chicken Fried Squirrel Chicken Surprise Citrus Squirrel Crockpot Fried Squirrel Daddy's Squirrel Stew Easy Squirrel BBQ Flatwoods Squirrel Stew Fried Squirrel With Mushroom Gravy Mesquite Squirrel Redneck Squirrel Fry Simple Roast Squirrel Smother - Fried Squirrel Some Weirdo's Fried Squirrel Southern Squirrel Stew Spicy Squirrel Squirrel Alfredo Squirrel Bog Squirrel Cacciatore Squirrel Casserole Squirrels in Cream Sauce Squirrel Creole Squirrel Croquettes Squirrel Delight Squirrel & Dressing Squirrel Dumplings Squirrel Kabobs Squirrel Jambalaya Squirrel and Noodles Squirrel Nuggets Squirrel and Onion Gravy Squirrel Pizza Squirrel Salad Squirrel Spit Squirrel Stew Squirrel Stew Too

 

[redneckmedic]

Can anyone describe the taste of squirrel?

 

[redneckmedic]

Thanks redneckmedic, that first video was a ton of help!!

BTW most fur bearing animals, especially smaller ones are easier to clean the sooner they are killed...or the warmer they are.

 

[Greg.B]

I'd compare the taste to chicken or rabbit; it depends alot on how you prepare/cook it though.

 

[flagtag]

Squirrel stew! Yum!!

BTW: you can skin a rabbit the same way.
(Also makes great stew! )

 

[finity]

I tried pan-frying squirrel once...I cooked it till browned & no more pink...Let me just say that eating it was harder than chewing on a golf ball. I gave up & ended up making some really good squirrel & dumplings with the bits of fried breading in it.

The moral here is you can't just fry it like chicken. It takes a long time to get tender. It takes a couple of hours of boiling it to get it tender enough to pull off the bone.

I just made some Squirrel Stroganoff over noodles a few days ago. Turned out really good.

Oh & the skin is a BEAR to get off, especially without leaving any fur behind on the meat.

 

[WheelGloryDame]

Well, I can't wait to give these recipes a try. Thanks everyone. I hope they can get a few more before I go to cooking.