Squirrel Stew Recipe - A Recipe for Hmong Squirrel Stew (2024)

FAQs

What's the best way to cook squirrel? ›

Add the quartered squirrels to a slow cooker. Cover with liquid which is half chicken broth and half water. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 4–6 hours. Once cooked, pick the meat off the bones and set aside.

Pittman noted that all of the squirrels won't always become tender at the same time. Very old bushytails can take over two hours and require adding more water. Once all of the squirrels are tender, Pittman returns them to the water and puts the pot in a refrigerator to cool overnight.

Once you've skinned your squirrels, it's best to soak them in a water and salt based brine for a couple hours to take the gaminess out of the meat (I prefer the gamey taste but some do not) and this will actually make the meat more tender.

The most efficient means is to boil the squirrel for thirty minutes on high heat. This method ensures that the squirrel is not only cooked, but also cleaned without having to skin, gut, butcher, etc.

“I use grey squirrel meat for several reasons; it's healthy, nutritious, very low in fat and actually really delicious. I've never had a negative comment from a diner who has eaten squirrel in the restaurant; it's always been given the thumbs up and people say they would definitely eat it again,” he explains.

After 35 minutes under high pressure, even the toughest old squirrel is cooked through and tender. Simply dip the pressure-cooked pieces in a buttermilk-and-egg mixture, roll in your favorite seasoned flour mix, and fry in a bit of hot oil in your Lodge or other cast-iron skillet.

With aging the flavor of the meat changes - meat that is not aged is lacking flavor compared to aged meat. Meat that is cooked up immediately after the kill is far below the flavor of an aged cut of meat.

You can use a mixture of acidic ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar, or buttermilk to help break down the muscle fibers and make the meat more tender. How long should I marinate squirrel meat to make it tender? It is recommended to marinate squirrel meat for at least 4 to 6 hours, or even overnight.

What Parts of the Squirrel are Usually Eaten? The front legs (shoulders) hind legs and saddle (which contain the loins) are the most popular cuts eaten from squirrels. If cooked properly they are just as tender as dark-meat chicken and can even be shredded off of the bone.

How long to soak squirrel meat? ›

Poke holes in the squirrels to better absorb the marinade Add raw squirrels and ensure they are completely covered by brine solution. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours. Once squirrels are brined, remove them from brine and rinse. Pat dry with paper towels.

You'll often find that there's a lot of small hairs on your rabbit and squirrel meat after skinning them. You can wash this away with cold running water. If the meat is really hairy, you can burn it off with a torch or stove burner — but do try the water first.

It's tasty, it's not as gamey as rabbit, it's a nice white meat. It's good to cook down slowly and make stews from, and ragus for lasagne. It's very good for you, it's quite lean. “There are 5 million grey squirrels and only about 150,000 red squirrels at the moment, a record low.

Make a solution of 5 cups of salt to 1 gallon of water in a 5-gallon bucket. Submerse the pelt in the salt solution for 24 hours. Scrape away any remaining flesh and membrane after the soaking time. Make your tanning solution.

In the wild, squirrels get water from many sources that you might expect, such as lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers. They may drink from puddles of standing water in the road or elsewhere on the ground. Urban squirrels may get water from birdbaths or from dishes of water left outside for the benefit of pets.

If you plan to fry the squirrel, it's best to cut it up into five pieces. The meat-rich parts we're after are the front legs and shoulders, the hind legs, and the backstraps. The rib cage and less-meaty parts of the back and belly are perfect for broth or stock.

Fry the squirrel in batches, lid tightly on, for 10 to 12 minutes per side. When the pieces are browned and cooked through, remove them to a warm plate and cover with foil while you make your gravy. Start by pouring off all but three tablespoons of oil from the pan.