Fat rabbit vrs pressure cooker

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coyotejoe

coyotejoe

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Guessing maybe this is the right place to post this question. I've heard there is no fat on a rabbit so I must be doing something wrong because the four month old doe I just butchered today held nearly as much fat as meat. Not being any sort of chef I didn't know if it would be best to remove the fat or leave it on. Being a lazy non-chef I decided to leave it on. I intend to pressure cook the bunny for an hour and reasoning that pressure cooking tends to dry things out I guessed maybe the fat would be sort of self-basting. :lol:
What do you more knowledgeable chefs think about rabbit fat? :?
 
A little fat adds flavour, especially to the giblets (liver, kidneys and heart) but a lot of fat indicates that you are overfeeding your rabbits or that there is an imbalance in their diet. It is very easy to overfeed a rabbit on pellets. Adding some grass hay and reducing the pellets somewhat will give the rabbits nibbling satisfaction without causing them to develop so much fat.
 
Thank you, yes I have been giving them all the pellets they will eat. I also give them a handful of grass hay each day but I have not gotten around to building the hay racks I see some people use and it seems like most of the hay I drop in their cages gets trampled through the bottom and into the drop pans. I know my one mature doe who is now nursing six kits is very fat, she even has a double chin. :lol:
 
Double chin... Dewlap, perhaps?

For cages that have no hay rack, I usually put a pile on top of the cage. They stand up to reach it.

A doe that is pregnant or nursing should be free fed pellets. If not pregnant or nursing, the doe needs no more than 4 ounces to 1 cup of feed per day, depending on the breed.

As for rabbit fat, it reportedly goes rancid quickly, and can impart an off favors. Some like it, though. It's all in your personal tastes. :)
 
It's very hard to slim rabbits back down once they get fat. They pack most of their fat around their internal organs and can suffer reproductive problems before they even start showing it on the body. Not as big of deal for rabbits destined to be butchered, especially if you like rabbit fat, but your breeders and any pets may have problems.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I've learned a few things from this. For one, don't pressure cook a rabbit for an hour! :lol:
It was totally falling apart and there are tiny bones which are difficult to separate out of the cooked meat. I think 15 minutes to one half hour as a max. That is from the time it reaches full pressure. Also don't leave the fat on, it cooked down to a greasy mess, not really bad tasting but really greasy. We had some for dinner last night and today I will pull out the remainder, separate out the bones and save the meat for burritos. I guess the dogs will get the congealed fat.
 
I find that the fat is much easier to remove when the rabbit is chilled. It hardens and peels right off of the meat.
 
Just cooked up another and found that 30 minutes at pressure seems about right, tender but not falling apart. I removed what fat came off easily but wasn't fanatical about getting ever last bit of fat off and that also seemed about right.
 
Cool! Maybe I'll give this a shot sometime. :) Do the bones fall all apart at that point, or is it easy to separate the meat without taking bones with it?
 

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