Do you prefer your rabbit to taste like rabbit?

[a7736100]

I used to cook them with just a bit of salt and they taste and smell like rabbit. Now a little spice will cover the rabbit smell and taste. Slow cooking it with a sauce and you wouldn't be able to tell the kind of meat it is.

 

[ladysown]

me..I just want it well cooked.

 

[TF3]

I'm still new to eating it.
I eat it happily in jambalaya or stew or something where it is just standing in as protein.
I still have trouble with straight up rabbit~ and it is silly.
But there is a smell and a slight taste and texture difference from chicken (and honestly, why is chicken the baseline?!LOL).
I had to cook and freeze a bunch lately (long story) and even in the crock pot with BBQ sauce I couldn't handle that meat, maybe the cooking/freezing made it stronger.

I will get better at cooking it and eating it, I'm sure!

 

[MaggieJ]

I like the taste of rabbit meat. People compare it to chicken, but it really isn't all that similar, except in its versatility. Lori, you might want to try it wrapped in bacon or cooked with apple (or apple juice) and your favourite herb.

 

[TF3]

Oh! I will!

 

[Zass]

My family has noticed some kind of gland or node in the fat deposits of all 4 legs (similar to where you would find them in most other mammals I've processed.) They insist I remove those, and that makes the rabbit tastier. I'm not really sure, but it has become a habit to remove.

Other than that, yeah, rabbit is good tasting like rabbit. Ground rabbit is especially appreciated for it's own taste. I'd eat it over ground chicken any day.

 

[Rabbitdog]

My family has noticed some kind of gland or node in the fat deposits of all 4 legs (similar to where you would find them in most other mammals I've processed.) They insist I remove those, and that makes the rabbit tastier. I'm not really sure, but it has become a habit to remove.

What???
Could you post a pic?

 

[Zass]

My family has noticed some kind of gland or node in the fat deposits of all 4 legs (similar to where you would find them in most other mammals I've processed.) They insist I remove those, and that makes the rabbit tastier. I'm not really sure, but it has become a habit to remove.

What???
Could you post a pic?

Certainly, if I can remember when I process next.

 

[wamplercathy]

I love it fried. But I am a Southern girl and fried is always best for any food. :lol: :lol:

 

[dayna]

Drool! Love rabbit and love rabbit taste.

My favorite is a quick cook in mustard. YUM

I love rabbit to be the star of the show, I prefer to use old roosters in anything stew-ish.

 

[imajpm]

My favorite is rabbit enchiladas. Mmmm those were the best enchiladas I ever tasted!

I am not really sure what rabbits taste like. I mean they taste different but rabbitty? I dunno what that means. They are delicious! I really like the texture too. Oddly enough since we started raising our own chickens I can hardly stand the taste of them, unless they are stewed and well spiced. I prefer rabbit.

 

[karebru]

I tasted rabbit a few times when I was a kid. Other than that, I'm pretty new to the experience. I've only cooked it a few times since starting to raise them. It seems to me that rabbit has an even milder flavor than chicken. The stock we've made from rabbit carcasses has almost been disappointing. Maybe it's the fat content, or lack there of... "Fat is flavor."
Anyhow, rabbit does NOT taste like chicken. It tastes like rabbit. But I can't imagine ever describing it as, "gamy".

 

[Nyctra]

My family has noticed some kind of gland or node in the fat deposits of all 4 legs (similar to where you would find them in most other mammals I've processed.) They insist I remove those, and that makes the rabbit tastier. I'm not really sure, but it has become a habit to remove.

That's funny - when I'm shredding the meat, I just pop those bits in my mouth and carry on. :lol: It's one of my more favorite random blobs of "fat." I've never noticed anything off about them. Or maybe I have lower standards than I thought.

I rarely do anything fancy with my rabbit. Baked with bacon's good, but I usually just bake it with a little season salt or else boil it for anything that calls for shredded meat like burritos or pie. :? For the most part, I prefer it over chicken, so I guess I do like my rabbit to taste like rabbit.

(Just realized this is an oldish thread...Karebru, I blame you! )

 

[karebru]

(Just realized this is an oldish thread...Karebru, I blame you! )

What?... 5 months is old? :-o :wink:

 

[michaels4gardens]

I also like the taste of rabbit, I think it is a shame to cover it up with too much BBQ sauce... My family also likes rabbit flavor, -- but- when first introduced to rabbit some were not impressed with the flavor at all, -- so maybe it is an acquired taste. I was raised with rabbit as a staple food, - so I could not even imagine someone not enjoying it.,

 

[AnnClaire]

I do taste a bit of a "twang" with rabbit, so when I roast, I season with McCormics GrillMates Maple-something and salt and pepper with a smidge of water. Mmmmmm!!

 

[michaels4gardens]

I love the taste of rabbit-- I am a little disappointed when the "rabbit flavor" is covered up by spices...

 

[grumpy]

I've been invited to several of the top restaurant's around the KC area that feature my stock.
I'm always amazed over the fact that the 'rabbit-flavor' is barely discernible in their dishes.
I complement the chef and thank them for purchasing my stock for their menu.

I've threatened several times to process a young 7-week old rabbit, send it to the chef,
and tell them to fry it like a young chicken... THEN they'll know what they've been missing.
It's a unique, stand-by-itself meat that needs very little, if any, additives.

Grumpy.

 

[Stephanie]

I chuckled when I read the title of this thread. It reminds me so much of an old gripe of mine about another meat. Fish. I could never understand why on earth people so commonly put lemon on it. Everyone I've ever asked why said, "Because it tastes 'fishy'". Well DUH! "So, do you mask the flavor of your burgers because they taste 'beefy'?"
I grew up eating a lot of fish, living near the shore. And I have always enjoyed my fish with zero seasonings, especially NO LEMON.
With rabbit, it's much the same. As others already said, it does NOT taste like chicken. It tastes like rabbit. And, I like it. However, being low in fat, it can take on pretty much any flavor you want to impart to it with seasonings. I often use chicken bouillon with it. I often use McCormick's baking bags with it too, to make it a bit juicier. I adore using the front legs pretty much as chicken wings, cooking them all day in a crock pot with a bit of BBQ sauce. When they start falling apart, I toss in a cup of rice and keep it hot till the rice is done. The rib cages I usually boil till they fall apart, separate out all the bones, and use the meat as BBQ or rabbit salad. The saddles I usually roast, covered in foil, then pick off all the meat and freeze it for soups, stir-fry, or stew. But, by far, my favorite parts are the livers, with the hearts and kidneys a close 2nd. They are wonderful sauteed with onions and a bit of brown gravy, served over rice.

 

[SarniaTricia]

I didn't eat rabbit growing up.

I love it.
My step-daughter tried it for the first time on a trip to Cuba.
She Loves it.
My husband eats what I make.
My step-son, has no idea what he is eating most of the time.... if he likes it he keeps eating, if he doesn't, he stops and gets something else.

Rabbit lightly seasoned and grilled... yum!
Rabbit stewed .... yum!
(hungry!)

I find that now that I do my own processing, I can sort the rabbits by cooking method and label the freezer bags accordingly. No guessing if the rabbit was young enough to handle light seasoning and grilling or if that is a stewing bunny....

I am working hard to have all our protein come from humanely raised animals, while still living in a subdivision. This means renting farm space. My meat chickens pay for themselves in chicken and my rabbits have yet to pay the rent.
I'm hoping that having selected a showable breed, the rabbits will become better at paying their rent in a year or so.
(we have found a pasture raised beef operation with quality beef and I am still on the hunt for pork, but might have to wait for the farm for that)