# Eating Rabbit / Hare



## cdacker (Jan 10, 2011)

Let me start by stating I have eaten and tried fur bearing small game of all kinds .... wood chuck, chipmunk, porcupine, squirrels (red, black, fox), beaver, muskrat, and probably some others I can't remember. My favorite of those listed would likely be squirrel, but I can say I did not dislike any of them.
I'm having a problem eating rabbits however. Cottontail not so much, but Hare for sure. Even the smell of them is somewhat repulsive to me ... and they seem to taste like they smell. I can force myself to eat it, but it hasn't been a pleasant experience yet. I've tried frying in garlic / onion / butter, grilling, slow cooking with cream of chicken, and stir fry. None of which I really cared for.
Anyone else experience this with rabbit? Perhaps there's something I'm not doing properly with field dressing? Basically just skinning, gutting, and soaking in brine has been my process so far. Perhaps I should be bleeding them some how? I have noticed the blood does have a very "gamey" smell to me.
It's been rather frustrating, because I love hunting rabbits with my beagle, but I don't really want to kill something I don't like to eat, and I don't really want to hunt something I don't want to kill.


----------



## Thirty pointer (Jan 1, 2015)

cdacker said:


> Let me start by stating I have eaten and tried fur bearing small game of all kinds .... wood chuck, chipmunk, porcupine, squirrels (red, black, fox), beaver, muskrat, and probably some others I can't remember. My favorite of those listed would likely be squirrel, but I can say I did not dislike any of them.
> I'm having a problem eating rabbits however. Cottontail not so much, but Hare for sure. Even the smell of them is somewhat repulsive to me ... and they seem to taste like they smell. I can force myself to eat it, but it hasn't been a pleasant experience yet. I've tried frying in garlic / onion / butter, grilling, slow cooking with cream of chicken, and stir fry. None of which I really cared for.
> Anyone else experience this with rabbit? Perhaps there's something I'm not doing properly with field dressing? Basically just skinning, gutting, and soaking in brine has been my process so far. Perhaps I should be bleeding them some how? I have noticed the blood does have a very "gamey" smell to me.
> It's been rather frustrating, because I love hunting rabbits with my beagle, but I don't really want to kill something I don't like to eat, and I don't really want to hunt something I don't want to kill.


I used to love to hunt snowshoes but they kind of taste like a cedar tree .


----------



## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

I've never a snowshoe but the cottontails we get, we gut & skin, then boil in water with salt & pepper to release the meat from the bones. We strain the frothy crud off and use the broth to boil noodles and as a base for the stew. Never a problem with objectionable flavor.


----------



## 2508speed (Jan 6, 2011)

Thirty pointer said:


> I used to love to hunt snowshoes but they kind of taste like a cedar tree .


That was my experience with snowshoe also. I don't care much for cotton tail either. Squirrel is much better tasting to me.


----------



## caseyj (Apr 8, 2001)

I'll take a cedar tree over a rabbit any day.


----------



## sgc (Oct 21, 2007)

I never liked hare because the meat always ended up being too tough. I was told to cook them in a pressure cooker but never did. Also, rather than gutting them, you might try filleting them. Just pull the skin off the back and fillet out the back straps and then pull the skin off of the hind legs and cut the legs off. This might help.


----------



## old professor (Oct 26, 2008)

sgc said:


> I never liked hare because the meat always ended up being too tough. I was told to cook them in a pressure cooker but never did. Also, rather than gutting them, you might try filleting them. Just pull the skin off the back and fillet out the back straps and then pull the skin off of the hind legs and cut the legs off. This might help.


My favorite way to cook rabbit is in a crock pot with sliced onion and sauerkraut.


----------



## ez2cy (Feb 27, 2012)

best suggestion is to GOOGLE best ways to cook rabbit and snowshoe hares...tons of ways... find the reciepes
that has all of the ingredients that you like, personaly I like to maranade for 48hrs then slow cook with all my stew favorites in tomato soup...(great for phesant too) !


----------



## AaronJohn (Oct 18, 2015)

I've had good luck using brine. Salty water and some brown sugar then grilling them.

Skin and gut immediately, they start to stink quickly especially when gut shot which happens 9 times outta 10. the blood clots are stinky too for some reason so as soon as you can dress them the better. 

Otherwise with Cottontail keeping it simple has worked for me, just straight to the grill and use Chicago steak seasoning or Miss Dash. I think my beagle likes Miss Dash more.. :lol:


----------



## steve w (Feb 15, 2004)

I'm afraid there is not much hope for the hare from your area, I think they taste like the jack pine they live in. I have often wondered if they where in totally different terrain would it make a big difference. Stick to cottontails if you want to eat them, and try to get them on farm or wood lands. I used to shoot a lot, and thought I would not like it if I did'nt but it's just the opposite. I really enjoy the dogs work and find it much more relaxing taking out the me having to hunt factor. I drive 225 miles to run hare and the last thing I need up there is a gun.


----------



## sgc (Oct 21, 2007)

2X's Steve W's post. The last 20 some years I ran beagles I rarely took a gun or shot anything. It was basically about the dogs.


----------



## cdacker (Jan 10, 2011)

steve w said:


> I'm afraid there is not much hope for the hare from your area, I think they taste like the jack pine they live in. I have often wondered if they where in totally different terrain would it make a big difference. Stick to cottontails if you want to eat them, and try to get them on farm or wood lands. I used to shoot a lot, and thought I would not like it if I did'nt but it's just the opposite. I really enjoy the dogs work and find it much more relaxing taking out the me having to hunt factor. I drive 225 miles to run hare and the last thing I need up there is a gun.


I've only taken a gun with me about half the time I've run the dog this year. It is equally enjoyable. The last couple of hunts I have taken a .22 and that has made it fun and more challenging. I did kill a hare with the .22 last week in a stand of primarily aspen ... it did seem to taste better than the jackpine bunnies. Perhaps moving forward if I want to kill / eat rabbits I'll stick to cottontail. I (and I think the dog does too) enjoy running hare much more though. Thanks to everyone for all the feedback.


----------



## sgc (Oct 21, 2007)

2X cdacker - agree, running hare is the best.


----------



## Hunters Edge (May 15, 2009)

The best way has/already been given. Break bone on back legs where feet are attached use shears or wire cutters to seperate or cut off feet and tail. Make incision in fur in back, put fingers in each side and pull off hair on back legs, pull hair up to front legs but past them on top of back bone. Make incision on top of back around back legs, and complete incision around leg, pull leg back toward top of back then twist around to separate leg, use knife to cut sinew and or membrane to completely desperate leg, repeat process on other back leg. Filet along backbone to remove loin on both sides of back. Discard everything else which head, front legs, spine and guts all one piece.

Inside house clean with water removing hair etc. Filet meat off back legs. I then use a filet knife to remove silver skin on loin pieces and legs (similar to skinning fish or silver skin off loin on venison). Take loin and cut into equal size of three for each side thin pieces longer than the fat prices so all cook close to same time. If using shotgun remove all shot while you are deboning meat. 
With silver skin removed put into ziploc bag fill with water and a little salt, put this in bowl in case bag leaks, put in fridge. After 24 hours rinse and cook or freeze.
There are several ways to cook several ways are in wild cook books an easy way is throw in slow cooker with mushroom soup remove and throw on top of pasta. I like using bacon grease, throw flour on pieces or use Kentucky kernel. Fry them up in the bacon grease, eat them as nugets or add gravy or mushroom soup and once again throw on pasta. Give this a try I think you will be pleasantly surprised how good they can be.


----------



## jps (Jan 6, 2005)

There are a ton of recipe for domestic rabbit and in my experience those work for cottontail. Hares are a different story in general. I've never eaten snowshoe hare but I've had my share of european hare and the only way I seem to like it is in "Escabeche" (~pickled?). I use this recipe for squirrel as well and for other rodents such as "nutria" (invasive in S.E. USA) and "vizcacha" (not found in the USA).

1) skin, clean and quarter hare/roden/etc
2) wash with cold water and pat-dry
3) put pieces in bag with flouer, shake well, discard flour (use as little as possible).
4) fry in HOT oil for a limited time enough to make a crust and cook to medium-rare, don't fully cook

----brine preparation
5) mix: 1 part of water - 2 part of vinegar - 1 part of oil + heat
6) add sliced onions, sliced carrots, and whole garlic cloves. Add dry spices of your liking (for me: oregano, rosemary, peppercorns, thyme, basil), salt to taske
7) bring everything to a boil and cook until carrots soften

----mixing of meat and brine
8) add the pieces of fried hare and cook a bit more (if hare was fully cooked, add them and turn heat off immediately).
9) let it cool

---- preservation
10) store in large jars: pieces of hare with some carrots and onions/cloves in layers, then poor brine.
11) if you intend to keep in fridge, it is done OR...
11b) tight seal jars, put jars in large pan cover with cold water (1 inch above lids) and turn heat on. let it boil for 5-10 min. let cool and then store outside fridge.

This will keep for month in fridge and over a year in jars (as long as seal is kept tight).

WAIT at least 5 days to eat. so the "gelatin" will develop and thicken the pickle.

If an animal does not taste delicious this way, TRUST ME, the animal is not edible LOL
CHEERS!
JP
PD: variant: replace water with white wine for a nice twist.
PD2: Some animals I have used it for: European Hare, Vizcacha, Nutria, "Trash fish" (carp, sucker, etc, but cook lightly!!! don't boil fish), Rabbit, Cat (yes, feral cat), feral pig jocks and lower legs,  patridge, pheasant and MANY MANY birds we ate as kids, etc...


----------



## DecoySlayer (Mar 12, 2016)

I have eaten both snowshoes and European hare. They make great stew!


----------



## flowie (Oct 26, 2015)

Roll the rabbit in seasoned flour ( i just put lowerys, galric salt and pepper ) , fry the pieces in a little oil and then toss it in the crockpot with potatoes and vegetables, some chicken or beef broth and a shot of cheap sugary red wine, a bayleaf and a 1/2 teaspoon of dry thyme leaves.


----------



## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

cdacker said:


> Let me start by stating I have eaten and tried fur bearing small game of all kinds .... wood chuck, chipmunk, porcupine, squirrels (red, black, fox), beaver, muskrat, and probably some others I can't remember. My favorite of those listed would likely be squirrel, but I can say I did not dislike any of them.
> I'm having a problem eating rabbits however. Cottontail not so much, but Hare for sure. Even the smell of them is somewhat repulsive to me ... and they seem to taste like they smell. I can force myself to eat it, but it hasn't been a pleasant experience yet. I've tried frying in garlic / onion / butter, grilling, slow cooking with cream of chicken, and stir fry. None of which I really cared for.
> Anyone else experience this with rabbit? Perhaps there's something I'm not doing properly with field dressing? Basically just skinning, gutting, and soaking in brine has been my process so far. Perhaps I should be bleeding them some how? I have noticed the blood does have a very "gamey" smell to me.
> It's been rather frustrating, because I love hunting rabbits with my beagle, but I don't really want to kill something I don't like to eat, and I don't really want to hunt something I don't want to kill.


Soaking cut up pieces in cold water, then salting or soaking again in salt water, then rinsing should remove the blood from the meat. We've done this for squirrel before parboiling.


----------



## Fabner1 (Jan 24, 2009)

Did you guys see how they gutted a Rabbit by squeezing it guts out?
Pretty cool!  I was on Bizarre Foods yesterday.


----------



## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

I love cottontail, it's my favorite wild game meat next to grouse and elk. Never tried hare though. I usually split my cottontails in half, soak in buttermilk overnight, then pan fry them for a few minutes, and then I finish cooking slowly in a vegetable stew for a few hours until the meat falls off the bones (at which point I strip all the meat from the bones with a fork like pulled pork), and it's one of the tastiest things ever. Same recipe for squirrel. 

I have tried frying cottontail but IMO the meat is just too tough that way, I like it to fall off the bones and be nice and juicy.


----------

