I did it!

[DevonW]

I processed my first fryer.
I'm comfortable with the doing the deed, since it wasn't my first time doing that.

The cutting the head off part is what really got to me.. it went something like this : "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh he's staring at me in DEATH cursing every fibre of my being ! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh" :-x :-x :-x" *Closes eyes, holding fryer by back feet hacks at neck with shears over bucket* Luckily the neighbours on both sides were away, and I was in the kitchen with the windows closed and blinds drawn, or surely the cops would have shown up. It didn't help I had locked the dog out of the kitchen and she was barking at me.

The skinning part was harder then it should have been, I was worried about pulling to hard and breaking open the abdomen and have guts spill out at me (I think something like this happened in a horror movie or book I read). The part that I though would be the hardest (gutting it) was actually simple, and I thought I might gag or worse, I didn't in fact I was able to poke through the innards and identify them. Making sure the fryer was healthy, which he was.

All in all it turned out very well. The neck was a smidge mangled but I fixed it up best I could without sacrificing meat.

So all in all the next fryer I do, will be much easier, now that I know it's not as hard as I had convinced myself it was.

 

[avdpas77]

Ya did good.

The more you do the easier it gets. The skin on fryer age rabbits is much easier to deal with than older rabbits.

 

[MaggieJ]

First time is always a bit tough, I think. But you got through it and can look forward to a great rabbit dinner. :goodjob: It does get easier.

 

[Shara]

good job! wait till you get to eat em! it's something specail to bring it all the way through.

 

[Leanne]

Yeah good job! I look forward to being able to say I did it as well. I have to take care of 2 roosters tomorrow but I don't think that counts.

 

[Anntann]

Good job The hardest part is the mental part. Making sure there's no hesitation.

 

[DevonW]

Now I have the task of finding a good simple recipe.

 

[ladysown]

well done devon

 

[Truckinguy]

Good for you! The first one is always the hardest.

 

[arachyd]

Don't forget the aging process. Let it age for about 3 days in the fridge or it will be tough. You'll be able to feel a certain "limpness" to it when it is ready to be cooked.

 

[eco2pia]

Congratulations!

If the faces bother you, maybe you could try what I do. I do my skinning and cleaning with the rabbit hanging by the hind legs over a bucket lined with a garbage bag. I start at the hind legs and pull the skin towards the head like a toddler shirt and then I cut the head off once the skin passes the neck (with garden shears), so that the head drops into the bucket inside the skin with the front feet. The whole time the belly is facing me, so the face...isn't.

The faces get to me a little, too, so I just don't look and think of sides of beef in a meat locker--it's just side of bun.

 

[Shara]

I put an old sock over mine's head. It helped with the staring thing

 

[Miss M]

Congratulations, Devon! First time's not easy, for sure, but putting your own meat on the table is an unbelievable blessing!

 

[HendricksHearth]

Good job! We made the decision this week that we are going to process some of the culls from our next litters, too. I don't like selling rabbits at all. Well, actually that isn't entirely true as I don't mind selling breeding and show stock to other raisers and the occasional educated pet owner, but most of the people that contact me are :-x lately. Plus, it is past time we had some completely homegrown meals.

Did you have a good rabbit dinner?

Lauren

 

[john_francis]

Good for you! First is the worst, better ever after that.

I have to tend to seven of them in a week or ten days - thank goodness I didn't make friends with any of them.

Now my wife on the other hand has named one of them and she may need to take a town day.

Oh "blackie"; if only I could tell you apart from the the others!

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

Congratulations!

If the faces bother you, maybe you could try what I do. I do my skinning and cleaning with the rabbit hanging by the hind legs over a bucket lined with a garbage bag. I start at the hind legs and pull the skin towards the head like a toddler shirt and then I cut the head off once the skin passes the neck (with garden shears), so that the head drops into the bucket inside the skin with the front feet. The whole time the belly is facing me, so the face...isn't.

The faces get to me a little, too, so I just don't look and think of sides of beef in a meat locker--it's just side of bun.

great idea! thanks for that!