How to cook Squirrel

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savageagle

HamRadio/Office of Emergency Services/Fire-EMT-SAR
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Nov 13, 2012
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Location
Squaw Valley, California, USA, EARTH
How to cook Squirrel........

Among various outdoor critters I have tried Squirrels were surprizingly better than I thought.
Here are some general instructions to a well prepared and good tasing meal.
Of course the Squirrel I had was a north-western squirrel which ate nuts and acorns just as the mid-western ones and try using a critter-cage trap or a snare that way you don't shoot your squirrel in the abdomen which wouldn't really be good to eat. If you have a scope on your .22 you can get him in the neck or at least try to.


Instructions
1
Rinse the freshly killed squirrel in water, ensuring it is entirely saturated. Leave the squirrel in the water long enough to soak to the skin; this will keep the hair together and make it
easier to skin.
2
Take out the entrails using a sharp knife. Cut on the belly from just under the ribs, through the abdomen and toward the hindquarters. Remove the bladder first, being careful not to spill
any urine on the meat. Open the pelvis and take out the remaining organs.
3
Skin the squirrel by slicing just under the skin from the hind end and over the belly to the squirrel's flanks. Take the tail and pull toward the forelegs, removing the hide.
4
Cut off the squirrel's feet and head. Pull the remaining skin from the legs. Remove the innards as soon as possible. Meat that marinates in the innards will taste gamy.
5
Cook the meat. Squirrels are commonly boiled or fried. To boil, put the squirrel in a pot of water or stock and cook for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender.
6
To fry, cut the squirrel into pieces and dredge in flour and seasonings. Fry in oil until browned and simmer for 30 minutes.

Tips & Warnings
The part of the country your squirrel came from will affect the taste. Midwestern squirrels eat nuts and acorns and generally have good tasting meat.
The meat of younger squirrels is more tender.
Cook squirrel meat longer than traditional meats. It takes longer for wild game meat to become tender.
Don't use a squirrel that was shot through the abdomen. These are much harder to clean and the meat becomes tainted from the entrails.
Prepare, cook and eat fresh squirrel as soon as possible to avoid spoilage. Freeze the clean, unused squirrel meat after cleaning to keep it fresh.
 
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Fry them if they are youg , I would make dumplines if I were going to boil them , They make great Bar Bq . I'm the kind of hunter that if I shoot it I'm going to clean it and cook it . Thats good prepper practice too . Except for Opossum they will have to be a post teotwawki dish only .
 
Personally, I think it's best in a stew. A bit gamey otherwise. A good gravy helps though.
 

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