more rabbits in the freezer

[sgt_zim]

Just slaughtered and butchered the last of the Spring rabbits - 4 months old, they all dressed out between 45 and 55 ozs - both the bucks were 50 oz+.

Giving a couple of them to a buddy who's a professional chef, but the rest are gonna be hasenpfeffer with a side of red cabbage.

I do believe I'd about rather eat fresh, young, tender rabbit than anything.

 

[Josh P]

I’d have to try one cooked right before I’d be convinced to raise them myself.

Any suggestions on recipes?

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Acadian Rapure

Acadian Rapure

kiltedchef.ca

Replace chicken with rabbit in recipe.

 

[sgt_zim]

I’d have to try one cooked right before I’d be convinced to raise them myself.

Any suggestions on recipes?

Recipes for German peppered hare (hasenpfeffer) abound on the interwebs.

It doesn't take a lot of skill to cook young rabbit "right." They're perfectly tender for frying as well. I prefer to filet the tenderloin out, only about an extra 2 or 3 minutes of butcher time per rabbit.

Old rabbits need to go in the Instant Pot, about 20 minutes per pound of meat, or 5 or 6 hours on the stove, simmering. For a simple stew, about 1 c of flour per rabbit, add some S&P to the flour, dredge the rabbit in it, then brown in bacon grease or tallow. When all the rabbit is browned, cover them in beef broth, simmer for about 3 hours or so. Dice up a couple pounds of carrots, toss them in, simmer another 90 minutes. Dice up a couple pounds of potatoes, cut an onion into eighths along the center axis, toss them and taters in the pot for another 90 minutes or so, salt and pepper to taste. Really hard to mess that up.

As "livestock" goes, they're about as low maintenance as you can get. If you're going to put them in hutches, empty the poop trays every 3 or 4 days. The poop doesn't smell, but the urine does. Check their ears on the regular to make sure they don't have ear mites. Breed the does every 9 weeks or so, butcher the kits when they're 4 months old.

The manure doesn't need to be aged before it goes in the garden. Just dump it in the garden, then hoe it in.

Rabbits aren't as efficient at converting feed to meat as chickens, but well more so that sheep, goats, hogs, or cattle. Feed these days is running about 50 cents/lb.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Recipes for German peppered hare (hasenpfeffer) abound on the interwebs.

As "livestock" goes, they're about as low maintenance as you can get. If you're going to put them in hutches, empty the poop trays every 3 or 4 days. The poop doesn't smell, but the urine does. Check their ears on the regular to make sure they don't have ear mites. Breed the does every 9 weeks or so, butcher the kits when they're 4 months old.

The manure doesn't need to be aged before it goes in the garden. Just dump it in the garden, then hoe it in.

There was a write up about raising them in one issue of the back woodsman magazine that claimed tame rabbits especially the giant lop breeds were one of the most cost effective sources of protein for modern homesteading. I’ll have to see if I can find the issue.

 

[sgt_zim]

There was a write up about raising them in one issue of the back woodsman magazine that claimed tame rabbits especially the giant lop breeds were one of the most cost effective sources of protein for modern homesteading. I’ll have to see if I can find the issue.

The most efficient meat rabbits are Californians and New Zealands. They all make pretty good meat breeds, but those 2 breeds hit the sweet spot on cost of feed to get them to butchering size. I know a dude who raises Flemish giants, but they're almost a year old before they're ready to be butchered. Lops are good meat also, but they're smaller than California and New Zealand.

 

[Josh P]

Thank you! There are indeed plenty of recipes to be found through a search engine, but I like first hand recommendations first, and consulting Escoffier second.

 

[Zinz]

I do like me some rabbit…

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Thank you! There are indeed plenty of recipes to be found through a search engine, but I like first hand recommendations first, and consulting Escoffier second.

I’ve made lots of rapures it’s a staple on the east coast I just linked that instead of typing out the recipe.

 

[sgt_zim]

Thank you! There are indeed plenty of recipes to be found through a search engine, but I like first hand recommendations first, and consulting Escoffier second.

Honestly, there's very little difference in any of them. Red wine, brandy, juniper berries, vinegar of some sort, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme. If the recipe calls for that stuff, it'll be good. Proportions will differ a bit from recipe to recipe, but not enough to make a diff except for the most discerning of palates. I like to think I'm pretty discerning in those regards, but having used several different recipes over the years, I just can't taste enough difference to get worked up about it. The only place I follow recipes down to the last jot and tittle anymore are for pastries that need something to make them rise, whether that's baking powder or yeast.

I sample often as the food cooks, and add what I think needs adding. It helps I have a garden with lots of fresh herbs in it, but it really just doesn't matter a whole lot.

You can try this one: https://honest-food.net/hasenpfeffer-recipe-dumplings/

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Steve Rinella made a version on one of his episodes of meat eater. He made hasenpfeffer with ginger snap cookies in it I’ve been wanting to attempt.

I mostly use tame rabbits for a few of the local dishes here like the one I linked and a couple other Acadian dishes traditionally made with rabbit. But in my experience with them I wouldn’t be afraid to substitute chicken for tame rabbit in any dumpling/pot pie style recipe.

To clarify I don’t raise my own though I purchase mine from a fellow hunting camp members son. He started raising them in 4-h and turned it into a business for himself.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Honestly, there's very little difference in any of them. Red wine, brandy, juniper berries, vinegar of some sort, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme. If the recipe calls for that stuff, it'll be good. Proportions will differ a bit from recipe to recipe, but not enough to make a diff except for the most discerning of palates. I like to think I'm pretty discerning in those regards, but having used several different recipes over the years, I just can't taste enough difference to get worked up about it. The only place I follow recipes down to the last jot and tittle anymore are for pastries that need something to make them rise, whether that's baking powder or yeast.

I sample often as the food cooks, and add what I think needs adding. It helps I have a garden with lots of fresh herbs in it, but it really just doesn't matter a whole lot.

You can try this one: https://honest-food.net/hasenpfeffer-recipe-dumplings/

dad made really good rabbit stew when he was still well enough to go into the camp with us. He used stout and chicken stock for his broth. I’ve tried a dozen times but can’t make it taste the same as his did.

 

[Firebird]

We used to keep a buck and four or five does when I was growing up. Mostly New Zealand. Family of eight kids and we ate A Lot of rabbit. Mostly just breaded with egg, flour and crushed cereal flakes then baked in the oven.
I still like them in a crock pot with wild rice and veggies. Rabbit is wonderful meat

 

[Altitude sickness]

Domestic rabbit is SO good in any recipe

This is making me look forward cottontail and snowshoe hare hunting this winter

 

[BlueFlyer]

This is one of those, I remember when.
When I was teen, I can remeber going out with my .22 BAR and collecting 20 wild rabbits in about an hour. Most went to feed the farm dogs, but any 3/4 grown fat healthy rabbits went to the pot. My favorite was a French recipe with a mustard and cream base. I so much prefer wild rabbit flavour to chicken.
In the 2000s the government introduced calicivirus to control the rabbit (which were introduced into Australia). The calicivirus has decimated the rabbit population in our area. I canot remember when I last saw a rabbit. At least the Sambar deer have well and truely moved in. Sambar were also introduced in the late 1800s to Australia around Melbourne like the rabbits.

 

[rsmurray]

Quartered, chicken fried with mashed taters gravy and yeast rolls.....or make rabbit dumplings. It aint hard to make a rabbit taste good!

 

[rsmurray]

Also used to smok'em slow for an hour or so at 225 (fill their little bodies up with Myron's 20 gau game sauce) then wrap in heavy foil and keep'em out there on the smoker another hour or so. Whats left after ur done eatin will be like a little pile of animal bones you walk up on in the woods and wonder what it was.

 

[steve white]

French cook books are filled with rabbit recipes--they appreciate them and use them a lot. Some places have a LOT of rabbits. I remember one in the late 70s where I could shoot a dozen cottontails anytime....and they would all be in the same places as the last ones. Seems like they are like bass, they like a place and if you remove one, another takes that good spot. Those were the days when I learned to take ANY shot through brush at a rabbit--enough pellets WILL get through.

While hunting pheasants near Garden City Kansas, I swear we kicked up a good 300 cottontails and 75 jack rabbits, not an exaggeration. Wow. You would have needed an empty pickup to carry them if we had shot them, which we did not. The farmer would doubtless have thanked us.
My Grandfather said when he was growing up, cottontails WERE the white meat most eaten. Chickens, far less so, mostly for Sunday dinner.
If you don't have wild rabbits, it's because you DO have a lot of predators, IMO.
Great thread.

 

[Saul]

Rabbit is one of my all time favorites. Not sure if the wife would be thrilled about me building a hutch though…

 

[Altitude sickness]

I’m