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Q:
How do you prepare old tough squirrels so you can get the meat off the bone and make the meat tender.
Question by thehunter98.6. Uploaded on January 13, 2013
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Answers (14)
I do a couple of things. You can flour and brown them in a pan. Then cook them in a slow cooker for several hours.
I also make pot pie (The Pennsylvania German version which is a noodle type soup) by simmering them for an hour or so with onions and spices to make a broth. I then bake them for another hour or so in a tightly covered baking dish while I finish the vegetables and noodle part of the pot pie.
Both ways make any squirrel tender.
I soak mine in milk over night then cook it in a crock pot.
Slow cooker for sure! Then in a traditional pot pie.
Cut squirrel into pieces. Flour and season squirrel and brown on all sides in a skillet with just a little oil. Remove squirrel when browned and use pan drippings to make a thin gravey. Place squirrel in a deep (loaf) pan, cover with gravy. Add onions, garlic (crushed) and a few diced potatoes if you wish. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 350° oven for about one hour! Awesome! ESPECIALLY over hot buttered biscuits!
Hi...
An excellent stove-top method is to braise them. Usually they are browned first, then placed in a pot with a small amount of water or broth, add your vegetables and spices, then simmer (NOT boil!) until tender. Shouldn't take long.
Enjoy...!!
parboil til the meat comes off the bone
Thanks because i got small red squirrel and fox squirrel. I fried them up and the big fox squirrel was so tough. Next time I'll know what to do.
Remember to brown them first, then you can wet-cook them (stew, braise, crock-pot etc.).You get a richer, tastier dish when you brown meat first.
Pressure cooker.
The answer is to cook it low and slow...real slow...like 6-8 hours slow.
marinate in a citrus based marinade and then either fry or put into a stew/soup/gumbo.
007 has the answer I would post. The pressure cooker was a staple in the home years ago, breaking down tougher meats and canning those low acid foods. The hissing intervals brings back some pleasant memories.
I will boil mine in crab boil till its fall of the bone then do as you may with the meat. Makes a pretty good gumbo.
It depends on how you want to prepare them. You asked how to get them off the bone so I am assuming you want to use the meat in a soup or gumbo. If you want to fry the squirrel you need to brown the squirrel on both sides then turn heat down and cover. Listen to the sizzle as the lid will hold more heat you don't want too much sizzle, adjust heat until you hear a slow sizzle and let cook for approx. 30 minutes turning often.
If you want to use the squirrel for dumplings (my favorite) or any other recipe that just needs the meat you need to slow cook. Place the squirrels in a slow cooker or a large pot filled with water. Cook this on low overnight 10-14 hours. I usually season the water with spices of choice just to allow this cooking process to flavor your squirrel meat. Now remove the squirrel and place in a large bowl or you can use the pot you cooked them in. The meat will fall off the bone and all you have to do is remove the bones. I leave to ribs out because there isn't enough meat to justify the bones you have to dig out. Now you are ready for gumbo, pot pie, dumplings, or jambalaya. Ummm good.
Post an Answer
I do a couple of things. You can flour and brown them in a pan. Then cook them in a slow cooker for several hours.
I also make pot pie (The Pennsylvania German version which is a noodle type soup) by simmering them for an hour or so with onions and spices to make a broth. I then bake them for another hour or so in a tightly covered baking dish while I finish the vegetables and noodle part of the pot pie.
Both ways make any squirrel tender.
I soak mine in milk over night then cook it in a crock pot.
Slow cooker for sure! Then in a traditional pot pie.
Cut squirrel into pieces. Flour and season squirrel and brown on all sides in a skillet with just a little oil. Remove squirrel when browned and use pan drippings to make a thin gravey. Place squirrel in a deep (loaf) pan, cover with gravy. Add onions, garlic (crushed) and a few diced potatoes if you wish. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 350° oven for about one hour! Awesome! ESPECIALLY over hot buttered biscuits!
Hi...
An excellent stove-top method is to braise them. Usually they are browned first, then placed in a pot with a small amount of water or broth, add your vegetables and spices, then simmer (NOT boil!) until tender. Shouldn't take long.
Enjoy...!!
parboil til the meat comes off the bone
Pressure cooker.
007 has the answer I would post. The pressure cooker was a staple in the home years ago, breaking down tougher meats and canning those low acid foods. The hissing intervals brings back some pleasant memories.
Thanks because i got small red squirrel and fox squirrel. I fried them up and the big fox squirrel was so tough. Next time I'll know what to do.
Remember to brown them first, then you can wet-cook them (stew, braise, crock-pot etc.).You get a richer, tastier dish when you brown meat first.
The answer is to cook it low and slow...real slow...like 6-8 hours slow.
marinate in a citrus based marinade and then either fry or put into a stew/soup/gumbo.
I will boil mine in crab boil till its fall of the bone then do as you may with the meat. Makes a pretty good gumbo.
It depends on how you want to prepare them. You asked how to get them off the bone so I am assuming you want to use the meat in a soup or gumbo. If you want to fry the squirrel you need to brown the squirrel on both sides then turn heat down and cover. Listen to the sizzle as the lid will hold more heat you don't want too much sizzle, adjust heat until you hear a slow sizzle and let cook for approx. 30 minutes turning often.
If you want to use the squirrel for dumplings (my favorite) or any other recipe that just needs the meat you need to slow cook. Place the squirrels in a slow cooker or a large pot filled with water. Cook this on low overnight 10-14 hours. I usually season the water with spices of choice just to allow this cooking process to flavor your squirrel meat. Now remove the squirrel and place in a large bowl or you can use the pot you cooked them in. The meat will fall off the bone and all you have to do is remove the bones. I leave to ribs out because there isn't enough meat to justify the bones you have to dig out. Now you are ready for gumbo, pot pie, dumplings, or jambalaya. Ummm good.
Post an Answer