as far as freezing and thawing i dont think that makes any difference at all but i'm new to this also. my guess is the best meat would be fresh after rigor of course. i can't wait til it is warm enough here to smoke one on the grill and then to the crock pot. my friend does this and then freezes the cooked meat to take out and add to whatever she is making. she's smart.
Taste difference between cervical dislocation vs bleeding method, what is your opinion?
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We also have that problem, "they are so cute to be killed" they say. Another problem is some people (Alevi people) believe that rabbits are inedible because of religious reasons, just like Jews. This belief is probably originated from Judaism. Thanks god Alevis are highly liberal people. Last week I talked to an Alevi friend of mine about my rabbits, he insisted that rabbit cannot be kosher, but he respected my dietary choices.
I always freeze the leftover meat after barbecue. It is too cold to make barbecue nowadays, but I have this indoor barbecue device; it is called "ocakbaşı".I put additional fire stones inside it, put a fireproof glass on it and turned it into a removable fireplace. Next week I will be grilling rabbit in it.
Today I made my first rabbit lard. Raw fat yielded something like 150-200 grams and sieved lard is 100-150 grams. I might burned it a little bit but it's OK. I like the taste of it and decided to make lard from now on. I also like the taste of cracklings, they are delicious.
excellent, you are getting prepared, great. I am thawing one now and have two hides soaking. I was amazed at how great the hides are. I will take some pics once they are done
Rabbit Warren Man
Well-known member
I have never had bloody meat and I cervically dislocates but the rabbit bleeds inside the skin anyway. I also use a pellet gun, regardless of method I soak rabbits in salted ice water to cool them and it draws out any blood left.
Rabbit Warren Man
Well-known member
They also snared hares which dates back before guns and everyone enjoyed rabbits.
My father was brought up during the depression and he likes to talk about snaring rabbits, then his sister told me well we raised rabbits also hahaha so maybe he is remembering the way he likes to remember it, either way at 93 he can do whatever he wants. So far he has turned down the rabbit I have cooked. And I cook a great French rabbit, perfect if I must say so myself. He eyes my chickens though. I never thought I would be raising rabbits, tanning hides etc but I believe God said do it so I did. I love having them around and respect them, they are so smart.
That sounds awfully scary to me, a professional at putting fire in peoples' homes. I tried to research "ocakbaşı" and only came up with a town of that name is Turkey.
Do understand that the "hit the head" is just a more brutal form of cervical dislocation. When done correctly the stroke is swung from tail toward the nose, catching the back of the skull. Some times it takes a second or third blow if the rabbit moves at the last moment.
I am proud of you! Taking the life of your food should not be unemotional. It is a necessary and natural part of life from which all too many people are removed. I respect the lives of my rabbits for that they will provided me with sustenance.
I used to use the hammer to the back of the head method but occasionally the rabbit would move at the last minute and your aim would be off so you would just injure the rabbit. I now use a bolt gun. You can lay the rabbit on a flat surface, calm it while taking aim and you will never miss (as long as you know where to place the bolt). That to me is humane.
I've never used the broom stick dislocation method. Seems brutal to me and frightening to the rabbit when put in position. Now that I'm thinking about it, the hammer method wasn't too nice either because you need to hang the rabbit upside down, or at least, I did.
Regardless of how you dispatch a rabbit you need to remove the head immediately, hang it and bleed it. As far as getting bloody meat, the only time that should happen is if you bruise the rabbit while dispatching it, which can happen with the hammer method or the dislocation method.
The difference in methods makes no difference in taste UNLESS you are talking about bruised meat. That does have a funky taste but if it's a small area it can be cut off and doesn't affect the rest of the carcass.
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It's a type of indoor grilling pit which normally has a stove pipe to the outside. Some are closed, some open with exhaust above. Used a lot in restaurants.
I thought of this post as I sectioned my second rabbit for cooking last nite. I saw no bruising and very very little blood in water so what I am doing is working great and I'm sticking to it, bop and bleed. very little fat. I boiled the rib cages and the fat for the chickens this morning. It's 8 here, they should enjoy it. normally i would be checking tickets to Mexico this time of year but those days are now long gone. My insulated bibs are my best friend ha.
It's always good to stick to the method that works for you.
It is no different than a fireplace, smoke goes up and out through pipes. I've been using it for years. About 7-8 years ago I added fireplace glass on it and put firestones in it. It is about 5 ft. wide. I use it as a woodstove when I'm not grilling. I put huge logs and burn them slowly, it takes 2 days for a big log to burn if I want it to burn slowly.
This is google image search result for "ocakbaşı" to give you an idea of how an unmodified and classical version of ocakbaşı which is widely used in restaurants looks like.
I used to have another ocakbaşı many years ago, it was very old and traditional one. It was made of copper and there were many reliefs on it, just like the ones in this photos. This traditional one might look great but I prefer the chrome one that I use right now, I don't think the fumes of copper is healthy at all.
I wish I could double like this post. Your last sentence love having them around ect. So very very true. Each animal I have spent real amounts if time with show me their own variation of smart.
kusanar314
Well-known member
Ahh, there is a barbeque place near me that has one of these in the dining room. Never knew what they were called. This one doesn't seem to be removable, but the same style.
I have found with cervical dislocation if I botch the kill (bad head positioning, arms too tired for a good hard pull) then there is much more bruising and clotting around the neck. I have done the bop and bleed, which is much easier and the death throes are contained when you put the rabbit head through a cut out corner of an empty feed sack (like a chicken would be). I found here on RT crucial advice with the bop and bleed--swing the rebar like you're going to hit the dirt 2" into the ground, the head is not the final stop. If you are thinking of the head as the final stop, then you'll have a tendency to pull your blows.
With the CD method I can get through 5 or 6 rabbits before I have to stop, because I will start to botch the kills. Don't do that. You will, and you'll only do it once or twice, but it's a difficult learning experience. With the bop and bleed I can get through 10 rabbits.
With the CD method I can get through 5 or 6 rabbits before I have to stop, because I will start to botch the kills. Don't do that. You will, and you'll only do it once or twice, but it's a difficult learning experience. With the bop and bleed I can get through 10 rabbits.
I've done both. Now I shoot them with a pellet rifle. No mistakes with this method. Rabbits never know, eating grass, chilled out relaxed. Dispatch, immediately remove the head, big heavy sharp knife, I have a bucket ready with the bottom of a milk jug or soda bottle type jug with the bottle cut off. After the head is removed it goes into the funnel which controls any body reactions stopping any possible bruising, similar to chickens. I have a real estate post that I hang rabbit by rear legs n process. Pat dry any blood, actually I put a paper towel in the neck cavity to suck up blood. Keeping everything clean. After butchering, wipe with a paper towel. Very clean and no broken blood vessels in neck. Refrigerator for 2-3 days, vaccuum seal freeze. When we get caught up in life we will thaw n can to get freezer space and it makes for a great protein all ready for the table. Great snack for sandwiches n such
