Need some advice on butchering / meat preparation

[Starchild]

Up until now, I've only butchered regular small to medium sized mixed "kids rabbit", and I've been really disappointed with the meat. I fried the meat and cocked it for a good hour, but the meat was dry and swelled up in my mouth.. kinda like dry turkey.
Is there any rule on how to tenderize rabbit meat by hanging temperature x days (not sure of the english expression) as for wild game?

Now my first NZR is ready for butchering... can I expect better quality from this meat, or are all rabbits more or less the same?

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Yes, i think so. I cook mine in a slow cooker. But all mine are done no later than 12 weeks old. And tye are meat rabbits.

 

[jollysrabbits]

if you fried it for an hour that is way to long, brown it, then cook on low for about 20-25 minutes. If its an older rabbit use a slow cooker and use different recipes

 

[MaggieJ]

Rabbit meat has very little fat, so it needs slower and moister cooking to be at its best. It helps to age it in the refrigerator for about 3 days before cooking it or freezing it. This allows rigor mortis to pass.

 

[Starchild]

Of course, I didn't fry it for an hour... I followed a recipie that said to fry it up to get a "crust", and then cook it for 60-90 minutes.. and I've tried both 60 and 90 minutes..

My first rabbit was 2-3 years old.. but her 3 months old offspring was no different in texture.. the last time I put fresh meat in a manual grinder to make rabbit taco, but the meat came out almost like jam... and it tasted almost like the rabbit bin smells.. guess I must have messed up the buthering... again, one bit was enough..

What's a slow cooker? I have a pressure cooker if that helps?

I'll try and cure the meat for 3 days in the fridge next time... but I've heard of people barbecuing rabbits on an open fire, with no curing, but no complains about dry and stringy meat... ?

 

[3mina]

A pressure cooker will work. I roast my rabbits in a clay baker, a terra cotta roaster soaked in water overnight. A covered metal roasting pan works well too. Moist heat is the key with rabbit. Treat it like stewing chicken and it should work.
Check out the recipes section, tons of info there.

Welcome BTW

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Here is the thing, you CAN grill rabbit without letting it "rest" which is what it is called with rabbits, not curing. The "resting" allows the process of rigor mortis (shortening and tensing of muscle fibers that causes stiffness) of death to pass. It takes about 2-3 days or so, and you do it in the fridge. To grill right away, you have to get the rabbit on the grill within 5min of butchering, and only rinse with tepid water. What I normally do to cook rabbit is this:

Butcher, rinse in cold water, put into bucket of ice water to wait while I butcher the rest. When done, I take them inside and rinse/trim and then they go into big Ziplock bags and into the fridge for 2-3 days. Then, I either put them in Vacuum Seal bags and freeze them for later, or I cook them. I use a crock pot, low for 8hrs or high for 4hrs. Or a foil packet in the oven, 250f for 4-6hrs, or use a pressure cooker, just like you would cook chicken.

 

[wsmoak]

We've grilled a few now, and what helps with dryness is an hour or so in a 9-10% brine solution. (Two quarts of water plus 5 3/4 ounces of table salt. One day I will figure that out in cups -- I use a kitchen scale.)

It does not make the meat very salty. If you're eating store-bought chicken, that's generally got salt water injected -- same concept.

Rinse, pat dry, and then season and continue with your recipe.

-Wendy

 

[OneAcreFarm]

We've grilled a few now, and what helps with dryness is an hour or so in a 9-10% brine solution. (Two quarts of water plus 5 3/4 ounces of table salt. One day I will figure that out in cups -- I use a kitchen scale.)

It does not make the meat very salty. If you're eating store-bought chicken, that's generally got salt water injected -- same concept.

Rinse, pat dry, and then season and continue with your recipe.

-Wendy

Wendy, are you grilling it right away? or after it has rested? I find that if I don't get it on the grill ASAP, it will be tough no matter what I do to it, and brining for an hour would definitely be too long.

 

[MaggieJ]

What's a slow cooker?

Also known as a crock pot, a slow cooker is a small appliance specially made to simmer soups, stews, chili etc. all day without the need to supervise. It also works well for making rillettes. It's great when you are going to be out all day to come home to a supper that is ready to eat.

Crock Pot appears to be a brand name for the first slow cooker to appear on the market. I know mine is about 35 years old and still working well.
http://www.crock-pot.com/

 

[GBov]

I know its a bit of a cop out but when I am in doubt of the tenderness/age of a rabbit I take a couple of cans of cream of mushroom soup (condensed) and a large onion. Joint the rabbit, put it in an oven proof dish, cover it with the soup, add one can of water and the onion sliced up.

Cook it for about 3 to 4 hours at 300F.

Serve with mashed potatoes and your favorite veg.

Even 5 year old rabbits have ALWAYS been tender and juicy for me

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I know its a bit of a cop out but when I am in doubt I take a couple of cans of cream of mushroom soup

"Magic" mushroom soup- it never fails! I think even cardboard would make a tasty casserole! :lol:

 

[wsmoak]

Wendy, are you grilling it right away? or after it has rested? I find that if I don't get it on the grill ASAP, it will be tough no matter what I do to it, and brining for an hour would definitely be too long.

After it has rested. The first time we grilled rabbit, the meat was tough. Brining it really helped -- it was great last time on the grill.

This past weekend we put two on the smoker and made rabbit mush. I put it in the brine solution, then DH slept in and I forgot to take it out. Too long in the brine _plus_ the low slow moist heat of the smoker was overkill.

I will experiment with different brine solutions and time lengths -- I'm thinking 45 minutes in the 9% solution is _plenty_ for rabbit.

-Wendy

 

[Dood]

Rabbit fat has a strong flavor so exclude it from ground rabbit. Sexually mature rabbits also tend to have a stronger flavor. I also use the soaked Terra Cotta crock to roast my rabbits. I put down a layer of vegetables and a bit of water or broth and will coat the carcass in butter or lard to mimic chicken skin and keep the moisture inside the bunny since there is little to no fat in rabbit muscle.

 

[a7736100]

Most what I cooked turned out tough except for one time when I cooked a 2 month old for a few minutes in the microwave. It was just done and still juicy but white. So I think the secret may be eat them young and don't overcook.

 

[GBov]

Rabbit fat has a strong flavor so exclude it from ground rabbit. Sexually mature rabbits also tend to have a stronger flavor. I also use the soaked Terra Cotta crock to roast my rabbits. I put down a layer of vegetables and a bit of water or broth and will coat the carcass in butter or lard to mimic chicken skin and keep the moisture inside the bunny since there is little to no fat in rabbit muscle.

Unless, like us, you LIKE rabbit and other kinds of animal fat. Then you can grind it up happily

 

[3mina]

Does thinking that chicken is mushy make me strange? I prefer the texture of rabbit over chicken. I'd be very disappointed if my rabbit had the same texture as chicken.

 

[GBov]

Does thinking that chicken is mushy make me strange? I prefer the texture of rabbit over chicken. I'd be very disappointed if my rabbit had the same texture as chicken.

Not strange at all! Supermarket chicken is mushy to me too. Home raised chicken, on the other hand, has a proper texture and is really nice.

But being in a town that doesnt allow chickens, I am REALLY glad we discovered rabbits!

 

[3mina]

GBov, even home raised doesn't have the nicest texture. I like it better than store chicken but still, I'd rather have rabbit any day of the week.