Squirrel on the menu?.

[david ross]

Hi all.
Since i have been on the forum PGCA i have seen some posts and picts on
squirrel hunting and the cooking of the little critters. Unlike in the US where
they are a hunted species in there own right over there in the UK every ones
hand is turned against them. And they are considered a pest and vermin and
most all of the shot ones are thrown away. I to have done this all to often.
But now because of my new interest in US hunting i am going to make a effort
to eat the ones i kill as they are a good sporting quarry and don't deserve to
be thrown away. So if any one has some good old recipes for the little critters
please let me know.

All the best Dave.

[charlie cleveland]

hello david.. this is my recipe for squirels ...i cut the squirl up into 6 pieces ..this will be 4 legs and cut the back bone in 2 pieces...i do not save the head although some people like the head... afterthis i rinse and clean the meat as good as possible then let soak in a pan of water in the frige over nite or a couple days...squirls can be cooked as quick as they are c;eaned but better if soaked over nite....i take the meat and dry off as much water as possible then roll in flour with salt and pepper as desired...get skillet warmed up and use butteror cooking oil of your taste and fry to a golden brown... you canfix a squirl as bout as many ways as a chicken... if the squirl is old and tough do not fry it but boil and tenterize ...old tough squirls are to tough on the teeth if fried but make good dumplings.....the other boys will pitch in here in a bit.... charlie

[david ross]

Thanks Charlie.
I look forward to eating some of them squirrels they sound good.
All the best Dave.

[MarketHunter]

Charlie has it right as far as I'm concerned though I usually use bacon grease rather than cooking oil.

You can usually tell the old ones from the young by the lack of hair on the sack of the boars and the lack of hair on the belly of the sows. The young ones will have hair in these spots.

If you get older squirrels and younger ones in the same hunt leave a foot on the old ones when you freeze so you'll be able to tell the difference when you go to cook them.

The old ones need a good parboil before you fry them. Or, the best way, is to fry them then put inside a pressure cooker for a few minutes. That will make even the most tough old squirrel as tender as a yearling.

Roger Giles would fry them in advance then put them in a baking dish in the oven with chicken broth for a few hours to slow cook further.


Destry

[Brent Francis]

One thing that alot of people dont know is how to clean squirrels properly. Their skin is very tough. Ive heard that the pioneers used squirrel hide as shoe strings. If you dont skin them right you will end up with a hairy mess. The best way Ive found is before you gut the creature you use a sharp knive to make a small cut under his tail that just goes through the hide. Putting your foot firmly on the hind legs, pull up on the tail. Hopefully the hide will come up like pulling his shirt up over his head. Pull his front leg through cut off wrists and head then pull the hide off his hind legs like taking his pants off. Then you can take his innerds out. This all is easier when the squirrel is still warm. If the tail comes off when you do the pull up thing you need to get some pliers and grab the skin near where the tail was. When you get good you can clean five squirrels in about 10 minutes and with no squirrel hair on the meat.

[david ross]

Thanks Brent.
Will do as you say.
All the best Dave.

[Richard Flanders]

You're in for a real treat David. Few things in the world are much better than nice tender squirrel.

[gman]

when in doubt cacciatore is an old reliable recipe.

[Brent Francis]

David, re-reading my instructions I think I need a couple of corrections (its been awhile since I skinned one). First after you make the cut beneath the tail you need to cut upward to severe his tailbone above his hips but dont cut through the skin above his tail. It is also better if after pulling his skin above his head to leave his hide attached at his head and wrists so you can step on that hide when you pull his trousers off. the trickey part is getting that first cut right beneath the tail. Cut too deep and the tail comes off and you need the pliers. If you dont cut enough the hide wont rip properly. It takes a few times before you get it right. A recent movie "Winter Bones" I think it was called had the young girl who was the star cleaning squirrels in one scene and she was doing it right, I was amazed. It was a good but disturbing movie not sure how it went over in the UK.

[Bindlestiff]

I think this was posted here somewhere? This is a video I saved away when I saw it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66AVwthXgMA