There
are few white meats that are as lean and delicious as rabbit. And
while you can substitute rabbit for chicken in many dishes, the
techniques for cooking can be slightly different and may require a
few extra steps or tweaks. Because rabbit is so lean, overall,
slow
roasting and simmering techniques tend to produce the best results.
Don't get me wrong, I often
brine rabbit so that I can grill it or bake it in the oven, however
depending on the age of the rabbit,
it
can sometimes become quite
tough. If
you are new to raising and
cooking rabbit then there
are a few things you need to know to help ensure that the meals your
prepare with rabbit turn as tender and delicious as you intended them
to be.
In
this article, I will show
you how to choose some of the best techniques for cooking rabbit
based on the age of the rabbit. Sounds kind of crazy right? What most
consumers do not know is that poultry and rabbit are similarly
classified into categories based on the age of the animal. All
poultry available for
consumption is classified
as fryer/broilers
(9 to 12 weeks), roasters (3
to 5 months), and stewers
(10 months or older). What
most of you buy when purchasing chicken at your local supermarket are
young hens that are fryers. The package may not specify 'fryers' on
the label, however 95% or more of the chicken purchased at your local
supermarket are fryers. Fryers are young, tender, and can be cooked
with just about any cooking technique with excellent results.
So
what has this got to do with rabbit? Well rabbit is classified in the
same general way as poultry, and the same rules apply to taste and
texture. Commercially raised and butchered rabbit's like their
poultry counterparts are generally
fryers (about
8 to 12 weeks). However,
most Americans who eat rabbit either raise their own rabbits or
acquire them via hunting so the age of the animal may vary quite a
bit. This matters because whether you raise and butcher your own
livestock or simply enjoy the hunt. The age of the animal will have a
big impact on the texture and flavor of the dish you wish to cook. So
to help you better create the best possible meals out of your rabbit
we will examine the four basic classifications of rabbit based on the
age of the animal (young fryers, fryers, roasters, and stewers).
Young Fryers: 2 to 3 months
What I like to call young fryers are usually butchered at 8 to 12
weeks (2 to 3 months). Meat rabbits at this age are generally 4 to 5
pounds in weight and will dress out at about 2 to 2 ½ lbs bone in
weight. At this age the meat is the most tender and this is the most
cost effective age at which to butcher your rabbits. Once they get to
4 months of age your cost benefit ratio of food to meat produced
begins to drop dramatically. The flavor of the young fryer is the
most mild, and as the classification implies, at this age the rabbit
can be substituted for chicken in just about any recipe that you
would like including fried rabbit. Rabbit at this age is generally
fork tender no matter the cooking process. If you have ever bought
commercially butchered rabbit in the supermarket, this is the age at
which it is most widely available. Best uses: Grilled, sautéed,
braised, deep fat or stir fried, and roasted.
Fryers: 3 to 6 months
As opposed to young fryers, fryers are slightly more mature and
usually butchered between 12 to 36 weeks (3 to 4 months). Meat
rabbits at this age are generally 5 to 6 pounds in weight and will
dress out at about 2 ½ to 3 lbs bone in weight. Some people make no
distinction between young fryers and fryers, however as the rabbit
begins to age the meat begins to have a greater depth of flavor, and
while still tender, it is not quite as tender as a young fryer. For
the home rabbitry, rabbits at 6 months are just coming into maturity
(healthy breeding age) and your cash outlay to get the rabbits to
this size from that of a young fryer may have actually doubled,
depending on your feeding program, while the meat produced by the
rabbit has not dramatically increased.
As the rabbit gets older it begins to put on more muscle mass. While
this increase in muscle mass does mean that it has more meat, the
continued growth and use of these muscle fibers as the rabbit ages
makes the meat less tender. As with the young fryer the meat is still
mild, but not quite as tender, however as the classification implies,
at this age the rabbit can be still substituted for chicken in just
about any recipe that you would like, especially grilling, but if you
like fried rabbit, the young fryer is a better choice. We try and
butcher most of out rabbits here at TAP rabbitry before they get to
the six month stage, but sometimes you need to keep stock on hand at
this age in order to fill the need for customers who want mature
breeding pairs or to exchange livestock with other breeders. Best
uses: Grilled, sautéed, braised, deep fat or stir fried, baked and
roasted.
Roasters: 6 to 12 months
These are your mature rabbits, and are butchered between 36 to 48
weeks (6 to 12 months). Meat rabbits at this age are generally 7 to
10 pounds in weight and will dress out at about 3 ½ to 5 lbs bone in
weight. The flavor of this rabbit is really rather nice, however
because of it's age, the meat can be quite tough. Rabbits at this age
are best roasted or baked over a prolonged period of time to allow
the fibers in the muscles to breakdown and become tender. There is
nothing quite as delicious as a slow roasted rabbit. If you attempt
to fry mature rabbits as you would a young chicken or rabbit fryer you will be disappointed
with the results. While the meat will have great flavor, rabbit
cooked at this age using high heat techniques such as frying or
grilling will most often be tougher than most people prefer.
Here at TAP rabbitry any rabbit which we have not sold after six
months goes to what we call “freezer camp”. While we may keep the
hindquarters after butchering, at this stage in the animals life most
of the meat is de-boned and frozen until we have enough to make into
sausage. In addition, we cut up some of the rabbit and then boil it
until the meat is tender and falls off the bone. This meat is then
packed in it's own broth in mason (canning) jars and processed in a
pressure canner so that we have rabbit meat to use in casseroles,
soups, and even rabbit salad whenever we want. For information
regarding canning rabbit and other wild game or meat, check out my
article on 'Canning Rabbit and Poultry'. Best uses: Roasted, baked,
boiled, poached, sausage, and canned.
Stewers: 12 months or older
These are your mature rabbits, and are butchered after 12 months of
age. Meat rabbits at this age are generally 9 to 12 pounds in weight
and will dress out at about 4 ½ to 6 lbs bone in weight. Many
breeders will tell you that rabbits of this age have some of the best
flavor, the downside to eating mature rabbits is that they can be
really tough. Just as with poultry, and old rabbit is a stewing
rabbit. The low and slow process of stewing meats helps to breakdown
the connective tissue of older animals making them both tender and
delicious. As I mentioned these rabbits are generally ones that have
either outlived their breeding age or for whatever reason just need
to be butchered. We have had an occasional buck or doe here at the
TAP rabbitry that either just refused to breed, or continued to have
small litters of 2 to 3 rabbits.
Like
the roasters, rabbits which we
do not stew are either
de-boned for sausage or cut
up, boiled
and then de-boned and then
canned in it's own broth in
a pressure canner so that we have rabbit meat to use in casseroles,
soups, and even rabbit salad whenever we want. For more information
regarding stewing meats see my article on 'Moist Heat Cooking Methods' on my Culinary You blog.
For recipes on making your
own rabbit bratwurst or chorizo sausage, check out my articles on
'Making Bratwurst' and 'Making Spanish Style Chorizo' on our blog.
Best uses: Stewed,
slow roasted or
baked, boiled, sausage, and
canned.
Conclusion
Raising
your own meat rabbits can be quite rewarding especially if you are
concerned about where the food you feed to your family comes from and
the conditions in which the animals are treated prior to butchering.
When cooking rabbit it is important to take into consideration the
age of the animal when trying to decide on a recipe. Remember,
stewers make lousy fried rabbit, but they make a great traditional
hausenpeffer (German rabbit stew). Fryers on the other hand are great
for sautéing, braising and or frying, however the delicate flesh of
the fryer can quickly become mushy when cooked using long slow
techniques such as roasting, baking and especially stewing.
Knowing
the age of the rabbit you wish to cook can help you to choose the
right recipe and or technique to create a
tender and juicy meal
making
you look and feel like a five star Michelin chef. Ok, well maybe that
is an overstatement, but I guarantee you that both you and your
family will love the flavor and texture of home
raised rabbit when
cooked properly.
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