Rabbit season opened here on Thanksgiving day and it is traditional to gather up the hounds and kick the briars for Ber Rabbit. Here's how I like Mr. Cottontail prepared.

After skinning and gutting I cut off the flabby stomach skin and soak the meaty parts in water with baking soda over night in the frig. I clean up the shot wonds and if they are numerous, I discard that piece (any gut contamination too). I usually cut a rabbit into six pieces, four legs, a back and the rib section which I flatten.
I dunk each piece in milk then dredge through flour that is seasoned with S&P. (Little cayenne or cajun spice is good too) I fry this in oil at about 375 for about six minutes, front legs a little less. When the frying is done, I drain off all but about a tablespoon or so of oil and IN THE SAME PAN wilt down a sliced medium onion. I add enough flour to soak up most of the oil, brown it good and scrape up the 'essence' from the side of the pan. Then comes a pint of water/milk which I bring to a boil, taste/season then turn to simmer. The pieces of fried rabbit go back in the pan, a lid goes on and I simmer this for at least one hour, checking occassionally.

Serve this with grits, greenbeans and homemade biscuits and you'll be very popular!

Rabbit season opened here on Thanksgiving day and it is traditional to gather up the hounds and kick the briars for Ber Rabbit. Here's how I like Mr. Cottontail prepared.

After skinning and gutting I cut off the flabby stomach skin and soak the meaty parts in water with baking soda over night in the frig. I clean up the shot wonds and if they are numerous, I discard that piece (any gut contamination too). I usually cut a rabbit into six pieces, four legs, a back and the rib section which I flatten.
I dunk each piece in milk then dredge through flour that is seasoned with S&P. (Little cayenne or cajun spice is good too) I fry this in oil at about 375 for about six minutes, front legs a little less. When the frying is done, I drain off all but about a tablespoon or so of oil and IN THE SAME PAN wilt down a sliced medium onion. I add enough flour to soak up most of the oil, brown it good and scrape up the 'essence' from the side of the pan. Then comes a pint of water/milk which I bring to a boil, taste/season then turn to simmer. The pieces of fried rabbit go back in the pan, a lid goes on and I simmer this for at least one hour, checking occassionally.

Serve this with grits, greenbeans and homemade biscuits and you'll be very popular!


I have "only two problems" with your recipe O'Connersun. The first is your use of a scattergun on rabbit. I would "prefer a rifle". My second is your choice of grits? "I prefer beans".
After that, You and I are GOLD!

Cheezywan

Cheezy, folks get nervous here when somebody pulls out a rifle when you have a pack of dogs and 4-8 hunters. You could use a .22 for most shots but old habbits are hard to break down here. We're hunting in almost jungle environments too. Our rabbits are cottontails, not Jacks. A HV round would blow em up.
Now as for the side, I'll try your beans if you try my grits!

Cheezy, folks get nervous here when somebody pulls out a rifle when you have a pack of dogs and 4-8 hunters. You could use a .22 for most shots but old habbits are hard to break down here. We're hunting in almost jungle environments too. Our rabbits are cottontails, not Jacks. A HV round would blow em up.
Now as for the side, I'll try your beans if you try my grits!

Cottontails here too. Jacks have a much shorter season. It is rare to see one. I guess I have never hunted in that large a group before. I have used a scattergun on rabbit before. I found it to be kinda hard on them depending on range at impact. Safety first. That is good.

I tried grits once as a boy. I did not like them. Perhaps I should try again? There is lots of stuff that I didn't like then that I do now. Everybody likes beans! They go good with anything(except possibly grits)?

Your recipe is a good one.

Cheezywan

I like beans, ham and beans ,cornbread and beans sometimes just beans and tabasco sauce I might even try grits and beans with plenty of hot sauce. Something I like now I didn't like as a boy is beer . Beer goes well with beans just ask my wife ,well...maybe we better not ask her. Any way beans rule. I would hunt them if they would just answer my calls.

My Father, Uncle, Grandfather and I used to hunt rabbits with beagles. Occasionally we'd shoot some bobwhite quail as well. My grandad would remove the stringy tendons or ligaments from the legs of the rabbits before soaking in saltwater. This made them taste alot less gamey. He would slow cook the rabbits for hours before making the buiscuits or fried taters for the gravy. Makes my mouth water thinking of it now.

Still thinking about my grandad's fried rabbit. Here's how he fixed it to the best of my recollection. First he'd quarter the rabbits as mentioned above in the thread, then remove the ligaments or tendons in the legs and soak at least overnight in saltwater. Of course the pellets would need to be removed but that was not usually a problem. We used 12 gauge and sometimes 20 gauge but we were practiced so we usually hit them right in the head even when they were running at a fair distance. I recall that if the rabbits are sitting tight in the snow right in front you, just aim at the nose. This happens sometimes before a big snow but I always thought it was kinda unsportsmanlike.
He would then dip the pieces in milk and then roll in flour and fry them in oil untill brown. Then he'd reduce heat to a slow simmer, add some water, and cover with a lid. He'd let it simmer for a couple of hours adding water when needed and then make flour/milk gravy with the remaining liquid. Maybe a bit of cornstarch was added so the gravy wouldn't get lumpy. Add pepper before the gravy sets.
I also recall an old German recipe I tried called Hassenfeffer (sour rabbit "stew") which was very tasty. Brunswick Stew can be made with a couple of rabbits and an old squirrel. You'd have to search online for those recipes since I've forgotten them. The cookbook I was using was VERY old (1800's) and has since fallen apart.

If one of us was lucky during one of these hunts we would shoot a fox. The pelts were worth considerably more way back then. Ahhh.... memories.

thanks, we do it anout the same way, basically. Has anyone heard of people who raise eating rabbits? I met a guy called the Rabbit Man years age in Yellville Arkansas, he had lots of rabbits!

Yes Char, there are people who raise rabbit for the meat market. I saw a sign the other day for a rabbit farm. When I was a kid I raised them for pets (Easter bunnies) and meat (what didn't sell as pets). I have eat'n them but not as good as wild to me. Not much different than store-bought yard bird.

Our paper in Milwaukee was running an article about these rabbits a guy raises in Germany that weigh 23lbs. There was a picture of one, they're huge! Apparently North Korea has contacted him about starting a rabbit farm to help combat the starvation problem they are having. Only one, maybe, would fit in my vest pouch! Anyway, we had rabbit this weekend and it was fabulous. Lots of work boning the little buggers but well worth the effort when we ate them up. We sauteed up some onions and cut up small pieces of rabbit and made quesadillas which were out of this world. Deep fried the backstraps and cut them into "coins." Very, very good. Finally we took the front legs and grilled them with bbq sauce and then put them in a pan with the remaining sauce and a beer and simmered them for about an hour and they were outstanding. Lots of work but well worth it.

Quesadillas? I'm guessing that from sounding out what you spelled....

Thanks for the help, you nailed it!Quesadillas? I'm guessing that from sounding out what you spelled....