What to do with rabbit?

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Iechyd Da

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Stopped by the butcher shop today and they had whole rabbits. I've never had rabbit and was thinking about grilling it whole. I've done whole chickens on the grill by cutting the back and flattening them out. Those of you that have had rabbit, what would be a good way to season it? Also, since I have no idea what it tastes like, what would be a good beer to pair with it? MMMMM...bunnys.
 
Stopped by the butcher shop today and they had whole rabbits. I've never had rabbit and was thinking about grilling it whole. I've done whole chickens on the grill by cutting the back and flattening them out. Those of you that have had rabbit, what would be a good way to season it? Also, since I have no idea what it tastes like, what would be a good beer to pair with it? MMMMM...bunnys.

I have had rabbit in German (hassenpfeffer) and Moroccan (tagine?) restaurants. Both times it was in a sweet sauce and probably braised. It is similar to chicken but has more flavor.
 
Rabbit is very much like chicken thigh meat, but is a little firmer and has less fat. Any kind of chicken preparation usually translates well to rabbit. Well, "beer can rabbit" might not be visually pleasing...make sure the ears are removed if you go this route!

If it's a young rabbit, you could certainly marinate and grill. I'd try some olive oil, rosemary and red pepper flakes. For an older "stewing" rabbit, try making coq au vin...or I guess it would be lapin au vin.
 
Well I din't ask if they were young or old. I would guess young, I got 2 and they're about 1.5# each. Thighs are my favorite part of the chicken so it's sounding good.
 
Rabbit is much like squirrel or any other small game animal. It will dry out EXTREMELY easy! Best bet is to brine it or marinade it for grilling. A stew or dumplings would also be nice.
 
Interestingly, I was watching Iron Chef yesterday and the secret ingredient was rabbit. They made a stew, sausage, braised leg (like a chicken drumstick leg, really- it looked good), and rib rack which all looked pretty tasty. Coq au vin (rabbit-style) sounds good but I think that takes a while. I'd stew one and marinade/grill the other. I'm sure they'd turn out delicious and it'd be a good experiment.
 
My best and easiest rabbit recipe....

Quarter the rabbit ( i guess it is more then 4 pieces though) cut hind legs off at joint...cut front legs off at joint then cut the remaining piece in half total 6 peices....

stick in a crock pot and season with salt and pepper, add your favorite bbq sauce usually 1 bottle will be fine, then top off with your favorite beer. put it together at lunch time and cook on low all afternoon, it will be done by dinner.


Loop
 
http://www.uplandlife.com/cooking/recipe.asp?r=32

Hasenpfeffer

Many Americans first heard of this recipe (and learned how to pronounce it - "HAH-zuhn-fehf-uhr") while watching a Bugs Bunny cartoon featuring intrepid outdoorsman Elmer Fudd. Unfortunately, that's as close as some kids will ever get to understanding the connection between hunting and a great dish like this traditional German rabbit stew. Elmer Fudd, alas, did not enjoy the services of a capable canine companion, and thus never got as far as actually making this meal.

Half the battle is deciding how to spell the name of the recipe. It's often seen, less correctly, as "haasenpfeffer," "hausenpheffer," "hasenfeffer," or any of several variations on those themes. But we're comfortable stating here that in German, "hasen" means "hare" (essentially, a large rabbit), and "pfeffer" means "pepper." So, hasenpfeffer is "pepper-rabbit." Now, as to how much rabbit, how much pepper, and so on:

Ingredients:

* 3 pounds of hare or rabbit, cut into pieces. A single large animal will sometimes do the job.
* 1/3 cup of flour
* 1/2 cup of finely chopped shallots
* 1 cup dry red wine, such as a cabernet sauvignon (the rest of which will go very nicely with dinner!)
* 1 tablespoon of instant chicken bouillon
* 10 crushed black peppercorns
* 1/4 teaspoon of dried, crushed rosemary leaves
* 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons of flour
* 1/2 teaspoon of salt
* 1/2 pound of diced bacon
* 1 finely chopped garlic clove
* 1 cup of water
* 1 tablespoon of currant jelly
* 1 small bay leaf
* 1/8 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
* 3 tablespoons of water



Instructions:
Sprinkle the rabbit meat with salt. Coat with the 1/3 cup of flour, shaking off the excess. Fry the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, then remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Brown a few pieces of the rabbit in the hot bacon fat, and then remove the browned pieces. Repeat with remaining rabbit until done. Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan.

Cook and stir the shallots and garlic in the hot fat in the Dutch oven until the shallots are tender - usually about 4 minutes. Stir in the wine, the 1 cup of water and the instant chicken bouillon, and heat to boiling. Stir in the jelly, peppercorns, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme. Return the rabbit meat and bacon to the Dutch oven. Heat again to boiling, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer until the rabbit is tender - usually about 1-1/2 hours.

Remove the bay leaf and discard it. Place the rabbit on a warm platter, and keep it warm while preparing the gravy. Stir lemon juice into the liquid that remains in the Dutch oven. Shake the 3 tablespoons of water and the 2 tablespoons of flour in a covered jar. Stir the flour mixture into the drippings in the pan, and make a gravy which you'll use to cover the rabbit meat when served on a warm plate.


Never had it but it sounds tasty. Lot of work though.
 
I usually season the meat very well with a cajun spice mix then brown each piece well in the pan. Next, sautee onions (2), bell pepper, garlic, celery, parsley till clear. Add the rabbit back to the pan and add water to cover and simmer till the water is gone, then cover the meat with Blackberry wine and simmer until you have a thick gravey.
 
This is what I do with rabbit - From the "Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook" by Ruth Van Waerebeek

I made this for a Belgian beer dinner that I hosted a few years ago and it was absolutely outstanding! Such a rich earthy flavor from the Abbey beer and wild mushrooms. Man, I need to run down to Pike Place Market and buy me a rabbit!

Rabbit Marinated in Abbey Beer with Mushrooms

Marinade
1 carrot, peeled and cut crosswise into 4 pieces
1 large onion, sliced
1 rib celery, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
5 juniper berries, crushed
2 bottles (12oz. ea) Belgian Abbey Beer (I use Chimay Grande Reserve)
1/3 cup cider vinegar or good-quality white wine vinegar

Stew
2 rabbits (2-2 1/2 pounds each), cut into 6 to 8 pieces
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound fresh mushrooms (ideally this should be a mixture of shiitakes, portobellos, any wild mushrooms available, and white mushrooms), cleaned, stemmed and thickly sliced
20 pearl or small white onions or 10 shallots, pealed
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon red currant jelly
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large glass or earthenware bowl. Add the rabbit pieces, let the rabbit marinate at least 8 hours but preferably overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Remove the rabbit pieces from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off ant excess. Save the marinade.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large enameled Dutch oven over medium heat until the butter begins to froth. Add the rabbit pieces and brown on both sides. Work in batches so as not to crowd the pan, and be careful not to burn the butter.

4. Return all the rabbit pieces to the pot. Pour in the marinade with all the vegetables, herbs and spices. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, 45 minutes.

5. Place the cover slightly ajar, so that the liquid can reduce, and continue cooking another 45 to 60 minutes until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bone.

6. While the stew is cooking, prepare the mushrooms and onions. Melt 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

7. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter with the chicken stock, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste in a small sauce pan. Add the onions and cook, partially covered, over medium heat until the onions are tenderand the liquid has reduced to a syrup, about 30 minutes. Remove the sauce pan from the heat and set aside.

8. Remove the rabbit pieces from the stew. Disacard the bay leaf and puree the remaining ingredients in a blender. The pureed vegetables will thicken the sauce and give it extra flavor. Return the sauce to the pan, taste it, and adjust the seasoning. Heat to a boil, add the red currant jelly, and whisk to dissolve. If the sauce looks too thin, reduce it over high heat.

9. Return the rabbit pieces along with the mushrooms and onions to the sauce. Heat through gently, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves 6
 
My best and easiest rabbit recipe....

Quarter the rabbit ( i guess it is more then 4 pieces though) cut hind legs off at joint...cut front legs off at joint then cut the remaining piece in half total 6 peices....

stick in a crock pot and season with salt and pepper, add your favorite bbq sauce usually 1 bottle will be fine, then top off with your favorite beer. put it together at lunch time and cook on low all afternoon, it will be done by dinner.


Loop

That sounds awsome. No rabbit for sale around here though. We have tons in our yard but who knows what kind of nasties they have.
 
One of my childhood favorites was fried rabbit. This old friend of ours prepared rabbit just like fried chicken, essentially washed, padded dry, and dipped in flour. Mash potatoes, corn, gravy fried rabbit. My mouth is watering right now.
 
Hmm...I've never had rabbit, but it's never sounded so good. I was always tempted by the frozen rabbits at grocery stores when I was in Egypt. Awfully scrawny though, but they may have been Sahara rabbits with little to eat. Let us know how it all turns out.
 
Rabbit is good in a stew but I like to portion it, back legs and saddle.
Pan fry it with thyme, rosemary and wild mushrooms deglaze with a little sherry and add double cream.
I serve it with wild rice and a red wine.
Also nice served with puréed potatoes with slithers of fennel.

Either that are stick it on a skewer and cook over a fire pit and eat it off the bone.

Or just go for the breast.

LACon%20IV%20Jessica%20Rabbit.jpg
 
Stopped by the butcher shop today and they had whole rabbits. I've never had rabbit and was thinking about grilling it whole. I've done whole chickens on the grill by cutting the back and flattening them out. Those of you that have had rabbit, what would be a good way to season it? Also, since I have no idea what it tastes like, what would be a good beer to pair with it? MMMMM...bunnys.

I've eaten wild & domestic bunnies, domestic is far richer meat. High in protein, low in fat, mild in flavour & so very, very versatile. ANY recipe that calls for chicken, rabbit can easily be used instead. It's great roatsed on a spit, in a stew, fried like a chicken, BBQ'd, in enchiladas, in stir-fry, etc... I like to grill it with a lemon/butter/soy sauce mix I make, but it's good in a stew with taters, carrots, celery, onion, about a 1/4 stick of butter, a couple cloves of garlic & add a pint or 2 of guinness/guinness-like homebrew to the water (porter & stouts work well too)... If you want to get fancy, add a 1/2 cup soy sauce & a couple tablespoons of brown sugar, a dash of rubbed sage & a dash of black pepper. Let it simmer till the taters are soft & serve it with rye bread & plenty of your favourite dark ale. Enjoy! Regards, GF.
 
Sorry it took so long to update this tread. I decided to treat it like chicken. I did a simple marinade of:
vegetable oil
soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
red wine vinegar
lemon juice
dry mustard
salt
black pepper
fresh parsley

And then grilled like I would a whole chicken. I wouldn't mind if I never ate grilled chicken again. The rabbit was sooo good. It was like chicken with flavor, just wonderful. Thanks for all the advise.
 
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