A friend took his grandson squirrel hunting and asked me if I wanted the squirrels. Come to find out he has never eaten them or cleaned them I guess. During the 50's and 60's I think every hunter ate squirrels and other small game. Now I'm wondering if it's a lost sport and if so I think a lot of people are missing out on some fine eating and fun.
Here in Wyo no one that I know eats or for that matter even hunts squirrels. I did live in Tennessee for one year and was introduced to the delicacy. Tough and chewy if you don't boil 'em before you bread & fry.
My friend had a recipe he got from a Marlin 22 advertisement, Arkansas Fried Squirrel, it was excellent. Onion, bacon all fried together.....good eat'n :thumbsup:
I have not eaten any in a good 15 years. I have been meaning to change that lately, as I get into some great squirrel action in the areas I hunt. My biggest impediment is that my wife doesn't like the idea of me eating 'tree rat' as she calls them and only recognizes the possibility of eating venison, pig or rabbit, so I'd be forced to cook em at the station. Come to think of it that's what I did with the coon I killed and ate recently, so what am I waiting for? Well gotta hit one of the buggers first hahaha, they sure have some moves!
About 30 years ago my brother shot one with his 12 ga. I remember it taking 3 shots. Lol. I ate some but don't remember it. Can't imagine it being awesome either.
I like squirrel as much as deer
I have a lot of them in my backyard. I remember as a child in Texas eating them, although I don't remember what they tasted like. Once a few years ago, I decided to shoot one of the squirrels in my backyard and eat it. I had a video from the Internet, which made skinning them seem about as easy as pulling off a sock. I shot one with my bow, but I made such a mess of trying to skin it that I had to throw it away. This depressed me, because my one prime ethic about hunting is that I eat what I kill. If anyone could suggest a better way to skin one, I would like to eat it, but I don't want to waste the meat.
Red fox squirrel pot pie...ummmm...along with some great fly tying fur and hair!
Keep the wind in your face!
Shoot straight, Shinken
:archer2:
Grew up hunting and eating them. Lots of work for so little reward. Then I found out about bow hunting for deer! Never looked back. It's been along time since I've ate them. I've ate about all and I mean all the local and not so local critters but squirrel was never one of my favorites. Enjoyed hunting them though.
I'm slow as smoke when it comes to skinning them. I do love to eat em though....I put em in the crock pot and cook them down to where I can pull the meat off the bones, then I make squirrel meat and gravy. It's awesome over mashed potatoes served with some canned green beans from the garden.
My mouth is starting to water at the thought...I'm going squirrel hunting this weekend!
I posted a thread about smoked squirrel on the recipe forum. Turned out pretty tasty!
Rodd
Been awhile. We just do not have many trees here in Nevada, at least the ones they would like. When I grew up in Ky, squirrel, rabbit and quail were all we had to hunt. Ate a bunch, and my friend traded a few for beer from the local bootlegger. ( dry county )
I love squirrel...tastes kinda like frog legs. :goldtooth:
The best way to skin them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c8OyexZ10E
Thanks Sunstone, I think the problem I had was that I didn't break the tailbone before I tried to pull off the skin.
I've eaten a bunch of them over the years. My wife's folks told me when they were kids they would boil the whole squirrel and then fight over who got the brains. They would crack the skull open and scoop them out. Said it tastes like scrambled eggs. I haven't tried that yet but maybe someday. Same as nines my wife won't eat them.
They're a favorite in our house.
I don't really have any place to deer hunt (folks don't share that) but I have a couple of places where I can load up on squirrels.
Grey squirrels are almost always tender so you can cook them any way you want. Fox squirrels can get tough, so some of them go into the slow cooker or whatever.
I can usually tell which ones are going to be tough when I'm skinning them so we bag them separate and label so we know which are the fryers.
We've only got the little red squirrel up here, about a bite and a half per. The one time I tried it, not so good, but was mostly the result of an uneducated cook (me) - maybe.
The pics I've seen of those greys make me think it would be worth it - maybe. The hunting, I'm sure is a blast.
Don't care for them myself but alot of people around here do like their squirrel gravy.
I believe I read somewhere that just about every chicken recipe that dates prior to the 1930's was originally a squirrel dish....I make it a point to have a couple squirrel dinners every fall, the meat is mild and delicious as long as a couple simple steps are taken in the prep.
I have killed my fair share, but I always give them away. Y'all have me wanted to try one now.
Anyone use a Pressure Cooker???
This my 1st year squirrel hunting. I harvested one over the holidays. Skinned it and ate it. My family thinks I'm nuts (no pun intended). The meat was ok but my cooking has a lot to be desired. I'm still lookin for a good recipe.
Ate a bunch as a teenager...camping out, killing squirrels and cooking them over an open fire... :bigsmyl:
In my home town the schools close the Friday before Sq. season.They call it budgit day b/c they would have to hire too many teacher replacements would strain the school budget.Half the kids would also not show up.They also play the Friday nite football game on Thursday.We do not frey them unless they are small but cook them in a brown gravy till tinder.The right kind of cook can make a sq. sauce very tasty.Kip
YES YES YES YES. I cut my hunting teeth on squirrel hunting 50+ years ago, and man I still love hunting,shooting and EATING squirrels. I first brown them in a skillet in olive oil, sometimes with onions and green peppers, and then transfer them to the slow cooker. I put in one packet of lipton onion soup mix,a 1/4 cup of water and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Let it go about 4 hours on low and man you talk about a meal fit for a King. Also to sweeten the deal, throw in a package of frozen baby carrots and some red skin potatoes and let them cook right along with the squirrels, and you are good to go.
Tony
I have eaten many over the years. I once was a squirrel hunting son of a gun, I loved it.
I always fried squirrel then smothered them in gravy. That served with rice or potatoes with some home grown veggies is hard to beat.
Since my wife has rescued a few baby squirrels, I can say that my squirrel hunting days are over. I guess I am getting soft as the years roll by. We have release squirrels in our back yard that we see and play with daily.
People who haven't eaten them are really missing out on some great table fair when properly prepared.
I make pot pies out of them
QuoteOriginally posted by McDave:
I have a lot of them in my backyard. I remember as a child in Texas eating them, although I don't remember what they tasted like. Once a few years ago, I decided to shoot one of the squirrels in my backyard and eat it. I had a video from the Internet, which made skinning them seem about as easy as pulling off a sock. I shot one with my bow, but I made such a mess of trying to skin it that I had to throw it away. This depressed me, because my one prime ethic about hunting is that I eat what I kill. If anyone could suggest a better way to skin one, I would like to eat it, but I don't want to waste the meat.
Make an incision at the base of the tail. The incision should run horizontally in a line that, if continued to cut, would run down the top of the squirrel's back. Make sure the incision severs completely through the bones of the tail, then stop. Now, stand on the tail, getting your foot at close to the base of the tail as possible. Grab the squirrel's back legs and pull. This will turn him inside-out quickly. The rest of the cleaning and gutting would follow.
Hunt em and eat em. My Grandad in VA passed down his recipe for Brunswick Stew made with squirrel. Won't shoot something unless I use it and besides the meat the tails are great for tying fishing flies.
We have the larger fox squirrels here. One needs the cheapest cedar blunts one can get to shoot squirrels out of trees. I resist shooting them during deer season, because once I start there is no stopping me and no deer hunting. Fried very slow in butter with the lid on the pan or inject them like a turkey and then cook them on the Weber grill. Squirrels are excellent tasting if done right and more fun to hunt than deer most days.
Whaaaa? Anybody who's never dined on "chicken of the trees" must immediately surrender their trad man(or woman) card until this requirement is met....no exceptions!
...and you only get 1/2 credit unless you prepared it yourself, lol.
I have always fried them until brown then cooked in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes on 10 pounds. Make a gravy with drippings serve with rice or boiled taters.
Going to try this recipe also.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI4SZujyWTk
Here's one on skinning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c8OyexZ10E
QuoteOriginally posted by olddogrib:
Whaaaa? Anybody who's never dined on "chicken of the trees" must immediately surrender their trad man(or woman) card until this requirement is met....no exceptions!
...and you only get 1/2 credit unless you prepared it yourself, lol.
my card is in the mail! Our season goes until Jan 31 so I hope to remediate that. The only squirrel I have killed was with a recurve. It was a black squirrel. I actually had it mounted and it looks cool.
I have eaten raw sea urchin, that should get me something right?
Rustic- Bigger squirrels benefit from slower cooking methods as they are rather tough. Anything that call for chicken or turkey can have squirrel substituted. If they're tough simmer them for and hour in stock then grill, fry, or bake. Also slowly baking them at 350 in a covered dish drench in franks red hot is awesome. Serve with steak fries and lager.
McDave- You must not only cut completely through the tailbone but any meat as well. Make your cut wider and angled toward the back legs only skin should be left on the initial cut or you run the risk of just ripping the tail off.
Add me to the list of squirrel culinaires who saute first then slow cook ..I use my black cast iron skillet to go directly from stove top to oven, add some onions ,carrots and garlic and cover then bake for an hour at 350. Remove to a platter then make some gravy with what's in the bottom of the skillet and a little flour. If I'm feeling creative I'll add dried cherries, apricots or some jalapeno. Would love to try some smoked.
Truth be told, I haven't shot a half dozen squirrels with a bow in the past 40 years...got too used to picking them off with a .22.
Honestly Id rather eat squirrel and rabbit any day over deer meat.
I hunt deer as you get a bigger bang for the buck if you shoot one.
But I dont near enjoy the taste as much.
Every year, I do a post deer season squirrel hunt. Afterwards, I cook them up either in a dutch oven, buried in coals, or in a cast iron pot hanging over the fire. I usually try a different recipe each time, but one thing that is consistent is that it's done outside over/under a campfire, and complemented with biscuits. It's one of my favorite traditions.
One thing I do before hand is to soak the squirrels overnight in water and sea salt.
Ummm, squirrel dumplins. :D I think most folks any more are so taken up with "big game" hunting that they have basically forgotten the joy and fine eating of small game. Small game seems to be just an after thought, and the squirrels just hate that to be so disrespected.
My Dad loved hunting squirrels, and I hunted them with him lots of times. Fried 'em up and chowed down. Those were fox squirrels. Wyoming pine squirrels are not eaten by humans. They are placed on earth to harass elk hunters.
For anyone wanting to try squirrel be sure to remove the scent glands in the front armpits. They are small white egg shaped kernels a little smaller than a pea. If left in while cooking they may give a strong or gamey taste to the meat which may be why some who have tried squirrel didn't like it.
A few years back I was sitting in a makeshift ground blind on one side of a creek watching a deer trail on the opposite side. A big black squirrel came out and sat on a log on the side of the creek about 8 yards away. I thought what the heck and drew my 70 lb. HH Wesley Special and loosed a cedar shaft with a two blade magnus. The squirrel was sitting up when I shot and he didn't move. I thought I missed. A couple seconds later he fell off the log dead. I went over and found the shot was a pass through and had nearly cut him in two. I couldn't believe he sat there like he wasn't even shot after being hit like that. I grabbed my arrow and the squirrel and sat back down and five minutes later another black squirrel was sitting near the log. I loosed the same arrow and pinned him to the side of the bank. He kicked for a couple seconds and was dead. When I went to pick him up I found in that couple seconds he had chewed up my arrow that had him pinned. Didn't see any deer that day but thanks to the squirrels I had a blast and meat in the pot.
I love squirrel and squirrel hunting. My 4 & 6 year old know the taste and fun too! Sometimes I cook the legs up like chicken wings with hot sauce! A might bit tougher than chicken but mmm good!
Never have and never will. Too much work for a couple bites that need special prep.
Some of the best eaten you could get. There is no shortage of them either.
I grew up here in the west but my family's roots are all in Kentucky. Squirrel hunting was big sport to them. Lot's of time spent around the wood-stove telling stories on the subject. Good stuff and I've enjoyed the few times I've had the opportunity to hunt with them.
Mouth is watering at some of the recipes you all are talking bout'. My dad took Squirrel meat,ran it through his meat grinder with a bit of bacon. Then he browned it with some taco seasonings. And made up some fried corn tortillas,garden tomatoes,lettuce,onions,and cheese. Buddy,you would never know you were eating Squirrel tacos!! rat'
My late hunting partner and I would get a couple and dress them out in the woods . Get a good bed of coals going and roast them on the spot .
Wow how I miss those days . :campfire:
When I lived in Ohio I hunted and ate them each fall. There good eating .
Never been too much of a squirrel hunter or eater, but have eaten a few every yr pretty much all my life.
I like them cooked in spicy rice with a little bacon till they almost fall apart.
When I clean them I use my pruning snips for the feet, head, tail and to snip into sections. A sharp pocket knife and pair of pliers for skinning..goes pretty fast.
I really like them B-B-Q. Slow cooked until tender. Great eating. I skin them pretty much like skinning a rabbit.
QuoteOriginally posted by Steve Jr:
Some of the best eaten you could get. There is no shortage of them either.
That's not true everyplace.
I have a piece of private property where I kill a bunch and I have a few honey-holes in the national forest.
But, squirrels can be darned hard to find at our local state WMA...too much hunting and not enough game to hunt.
QuoteOriginally posted by SteveB:
Never have and never will. Too much work for a couple bites that need special prep.
I'm not sure what you mean by "special prep" but a couple of squirrels makes a meal for my wife and I. More than a couple of bites. LOL
(http://i1316.photobucket.com/albums/t608/Pheonixarcher/Mobile%20Uploads/86BB9BF1-460D-46DE-BADB-2CE2F8D55BE1_zpsza8vzkf6.jpg) (http://s1316.photobucket.com/user/Pheonixarcher/media/Mobile%20Uploads/86BB9BF1-460D-46DE-BADB-2CE2F8D55BE1_zpsza8vzkf6.jpg.html)
The last one I shot (he looks a little soggy 'cause my English setter had to retrieve him for me), I made fried squirrel nuggets out of. I cut as much meat from the bone as I could, soaked it overnight in salt water, and seasoned and fried it up in a pan. I first browned it, then added some water, and let it simmer on low heat until the water was gone. In hindsight, I shouldn't have used any soy sause when I cooked it as it was I bit on the salty side, but it was delicious! I'm looking forward to the next bird seed robber! Lol.
When I was a kid my uncle used to make squirrel stew. It was pretty much like Brunswick stew. He would boil them first to make the meat more tender. He would then remove the meat from the bones and, the broth was used in the stew. It was good stuff.
The one common thread among every recipe that has been put forth by the people who cook and eat squirrel regularly is at some point the squirrel is braised or cooked in a wet environment. This is the only way to guarantee tender squirrel, simmer until tender before breading and frying or grilling, or browning and then cooking low and slow in liquid, they all work. If you just throw it in a frying pan or in a grill and eat it.....you may get lucky with a young squirrel and get something passable, or you may end up with a chewy tough animal that will make you think squirrels aren't worth eating.
Pheonixarcher.....be careful with the salt water soak, I soak them in salt water as well but squirrels are small, an overnight brine can quickly make squirrel very salty, been there done that. Overnight soaks are fine as long as its a weaker brine, if you can only soak an hour or two then go with a slightly stronger brine.
Pressure cooker or slow cook for many hours.
I have been a avid squirrel hunter since about age 5. Here is how I skin and cook them.
1, soak the squirrel(rabbit too) in water, you want to get the hair wet, this keeps a lot of the hair off the meat.
2, cut around the ankles and between the legs just like if you were skinning a coon.
3, twist bailing wire tightly around his rear feet and tie it off to a branch, then just pull the skin right off down to his neck and cut it off along with all 4 feet and gut him.
3, rinse the squirrel in cold water and get all the hair off, then boil him in a pot with meat tenderizer until he is cooked.
4, pull all the meat off the bones, shred, and put in a bowl with some liquid smoke for a few hours/1 day (adds flavor and cuts the game taste).
5, put it in a pan and add your favorite seasonings, when it's all seared up add bbq sauce and heat it up.
BBQ pulled squirrel...
I soak squirrel as well as venison in coffee. I don't know what the coffee does but it takes all the gamey taste away and gives it a great flavor. If it wasn't for squirrel we would have had a lot of meals without meat when I was growing up. I really like eating them.
QuoteI like squirrel as much as deer
Yep, me too! Killed and ate more squirrels, rabbits, quail and such growing up near Poteau and Stigler, Oklahoma than any other place I've been. :thumbsup:
QuoteOriginally posted by mgf:
QuoteOriginally posted by SteveB:
Never have and never will. Too much work for a couple bites that need special prep.
I'm not sure what you mean by "special prep" but a couple of squirrels makes a meal for my wife and I. More than a couple of bites. LOL [/b]
A few examples from just this page - just not for me.
QuoteTough and chewy if you don't boil 'em before you bread & fry.
QuoteI cut as much meat from the bone as I could, soaked it overnight in salt water, and seasoned and fried it up in a pan. I first browned it, then added some water, and let it simmer on low heat until the water was gone.
QuoteThis is the only way to guarantee tender squirrel, simmer until tender before breading and frying or grilling, or browning and then cooking low and slow in liquid, they all work.
it in a frying pan or in a grill and eat it
No Special prep needed if you use a crock pot...yum!
(http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr180/two4hooking/20141106_161006_zpsfe74b356.jpg) (http://s481.photobucket.com/user/two4hooking/media/20141106_161006_zpsfe74b356.jpg.html)
QuoteOriginally posted by cahaba:
I soak squirrel as well as venison in coffee. I don't know what the coffee does but it takes all the gamey taste away and gives it a great flavor. If it wasn't for squirrel we would have had a lot of meals without meat when I was growing up. I really like eating them.
I use coffee in marinades too, it's slightly acidic and has enzymes that help tenderize meat, I love the flavor it adds too. Ground coffee also works really well in spice rubs.
I love 'em. A great cold weather meal.
I par boil them for awhile and pull the meat off the bones. Toss all the meat in a crock pot with a can or crème of chicken soup and a can of crème of celery soup. Add some chicken broth to thin the soup out some. I cook it for a couple of hours and then make dumplings out of bisquick.
Awesome!
Haven't had squirrel since the passing of my grandparents. They always wanted me to bring them squirrels. Their recipe is what I always called southern fried. Using the stove top my grandmother would dredge in flour and brown on both sides in butter. After browning she would add chicken broth and thicken with a cornstarch and water mixture. Slow cook it for hours until it nearly falls off the bone. Always served with rice and the gravy would go on top of rice.
I drives me nuts when people talk about adding BB sauce and other stuff to kill the "gamey taste" :knothead: :banghead: ...What gamey taste? :dunno: It's called FLAVOR! If you don't like wild game then eat chicken, pork and beef :nono:
squirrel is my absolute favorite small game. It has a sweet flavorful meat. Young squirrels will fry up tender and older squirrels need more cooking. I try to keep the old ones and the young ones seperate when I'm cooking them.
The guys in my Shrew Haven deer camp love my fried squirrel, in fact one night during our annual deer hunt is squirrel night.
It takes 8 squirrels to feed our group so as soon as the season opens on Sept 15yh the hunt begins. I usually use a .22 rifle or a .32 flintlock muzzleloader to get the squirrels that I need.
This is how I cook them, cut them into 7 pieces, flour and brown in oil or bacon grease if I have it. put them in a cast iron pan, our camp pan is 14" with a cover. After the meat is browned, I add a little water, put on the cover and place in a 300* oven for about two hours. When the meat is falling off the bone tender I take out the meat and make gravy in the drippings
Eight squirrels just out of the oven
(http://***********.bowsite.com/TF/pics/00small58590025.JPG)
Makin the gravy
(http://***********.bowsite.com/TF/pics/00small56602512.JPG)
Enjoy!
(http://***********.bowsite.com/TF/pics/00small57323507.JPG)
Another batch in the big cast iron skillet
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/5%20squirrels.JPG)
Sounds good Ron. I just tried a new recipe that I posted a video earlier. Brown in hot oil then cover and simmer for an hour. Was good but a little too dry. Next time I.m going to pressure cook for 15 minutes on 10# dip in seasoned corn starch and fry to golden brown. Should be tender and moist.
I'm with Ron; wild game needs no special sauce...if it does, something's wrong with the way you're handling it after the kill, or the way you're cooking it (with very few exceptions in my experience)...
I can't tell you how many times we have had friends over for dinner, and when I say I am cooking venison, they say "oh, I don't like venison"...I say "well, at least try it, and if you still don't like it, we'll make you something else"...with maybe two exceptions, the reaction is usually; "THIS is venison?!? This is fantastic!"
And the two exceptions were city dwellers who couldn't wrap their mind around eating anything that didn't come from a store, in a rectangular package covered in plastic...
I'm with Ron too. I've been eating wild game (more squirrel and rabbits than anything) all my life and I have no idea what people are talking about when they say "gamey taste".
My Aunt Rose used to take my squirrels and make Squirrel Cacciatori and spagetti for me. It was one of the most fabulous dishes I think I have ever had. That was in the 60'/70'ss. Haven't eaten a squirrel since she passed away.
No squirrel has passed these lips. I'm sticking to those 600 pound squirrels with a white rump.
I know what you mean Ron, i just cant understand how not everyone likes just plain black coffee, if they need to add sugar or creamer then they just shouldn't drink coffee at all... :knothead:
I enjoy eating squirrel and all wild game, in fact we dont even eat beef, i dont see the big deal if someone likes BBQ sauce... it's their taste buds, why knock what they like???
I think that the comments weren't as much "knocking" what people like, as much as they were defending the taste wild game possesses...
There most likely are some folks reading these threads who don't have a ton of experience with some aspects of hunting/woodsmanship, two of which are taking care of meat, as well as cooking it after the killing of an animal...
A person could read this thread and think that it's necessary to soak/marinate/brine/smother/slather wild game meat with some other substance before it is palatable...this couldn't be farther from the truth...
QuoteNo squirrel has passed these lip. I'm sticking to those 600 pound squirrels with a white rump.
I remember as a kid in SK you could only shoot squirrels if you had a fur-bearer permit and a trap lease, so surprise there. :)
Don, that makes sence. Yes, wild game does not "need" any other seasoning then what you would use on anything else. Just thought we were talking about preferences.
Love em, I call it backyard grocery shopping. My Mom used to make a stew called "Hopkins county" stew. I still make it.
I wait til it gets cold to shoot em amend then shoot enough to last me on into summer. Been gettin fat ones lately!
Steven Rinella made a great point in that folks get away from certain things - like society is changing its tastes. What we would have or did love to eat in past generations we seem to look down our noses at. Just a sign of more disconnected we are getting.
Squirrel cooked over coals at camp is delicious, as is venison, trout, rabbit or whatever game we chase. Those same meats also can are excellent ingredients is more elegant dishes. Brining, marinating, sauces etc. all should accentuate the natural flavors of a meat and improve texture, the goal is not to hide the flavor. For example, A thin glaze of a slightly sweet sauce on a grilled squirrel enhances the flavor to some people, which is no different than what a light flour dredge does when cooking in bacon grease as shown in the pics of that delicious looking squirrel above
I'll second that! I am full from dinner at the moment, and I look at that picture of Ron's and I start to drool...
:thumbsup:
My point was simply that I don't know what "gamey taste" is. I've eaten a lot of game but I've never experienced anything that I could relate to the term.
Prepare your meals how you like them but I don't think squirrel tastes any "gamier" than beef or pork.
QuoteI know what you mean Ron, i just cant understand how not everyone likes just plain black coffee, if they need to add sugar or creamer then they just shouldn't drink coffee at all... [
Strong dark roast :thumbsup:
Ron Laclair and others. Lol calm down I eat wild game plain too. Not all of us add frank's or BBQ sauce to "kill the gamey flavor" some of us just like the taste of meat with BBQ sauce and other seasonings.