Quail hunting got me this....

[8SteelTown]

I brined it for 24 hrs but I must have used too much salt. It was edible and all my girls except one ate it and went back for seconds. I wasn't too crazy about it, but overall a good experience. Not sure if I will eat another one.

Was the flavor too salty or was the texture an issue? How did you actually cook it (with oils/sauces)?

Too salty. And dry. I grilled on my BBQ.

I may have to give it another try, maybe with cottontail, better brine, rinse, oils etc.

Who knew hunting was so much work?

Low and slow is the way to go. So yes on reducing the salt in your brine. Depending how you're having your meat (stew'd, chopped, whole), if you're on a stove top, you can always add a little oil as you get closer to completion. The meat will suck some of the liquid up and add some vitality. My fajitas came out dry. After I pulled the meat away from the membrane, I threw it on a skillet with onions, bell peppers, and olive oil and it gave it a springyness that was MUCH better than before (almost like a philly cheese steak texture). It gets to be a science when you're performing all sorts of acts on it (brining, stewing, bbq'ing). Low boil for a longer time and finish on the bbq IMHO. Keep after it! Most guys I know wouldn't even try Jack Rabbit.

 

[Chadwick]

I've been faced with this issue for snowshoe hares, as well. Jackrabbits and hares are close variants. I had 10 of them to prepare once, so I brined and rinsed, then smoked them in my big chief smoker. Tastes great, and it's great to share with others who aren't expecting rabbit jerky.(Got those hares in late spring while snowmachining and looking for grizzly sign, many bunnies whose camo didn't match the ground any more)

 

[8SteelTown]

Got those hares in late spring while snowmachining and looking for grizzly sign, many bunnies whose camo didn't match the ground any more)

Coooool! Gotta break out the varmint rifle for the "long" pokes! Dang bunnies out here are always camo... I think the color is called "drought".

 

[SurfNHuntSD]

http://honest-food.net/2010/02/11/hare-stew-hard-times/

 

[NBK]

http://honest-food.net/2010/02/11/hare-stew-hard-times/

That was an excellent article SurfNHuntSD! I enjoyed reading it. I will try this for sure...

 

[Bonejour]

+1

 

[SluiceCoot]

I brined it for 24 hrs but I must have used too much salt. It was edible and all my girls except one ate it and went back for seconds. I wasn't too crazy about it, but overall a good experience. Not sure if I will eat another one.

Was the flavor too salty or was the texture an issue? How did you actually cook it (with oils/sauces)?

Too salty. And dry. I grilled on my BBQ.

I may have to give it another try, maybe with cottontail, better brine, rinse, oils etc.

Who knew hunting was so much work?

I usually shoot about 10 cotton tails a year. They don't need a brine. The most I will do is soak them in buttermilk overnight to draw some blood out... Most of the time it goes from the field to the freezer to the table with no brine or anything. Tastes great! I've never shot a jack, so I can't attest to them at all

 

[Bonejour]

brine is easy to overdo. I brined a venison heart recently but left it in too long. Fail.

 

[Bowman]

Hi guys all is well. My preference with jacks and cotton tails is to light brine , soak for 24 hours. Then chop the meat up I like to throw one rabbit in a crock pot with veggies and spices. Add bacon fat because rabbit is very lean. S!ow cook for 24 hours.. And make good old fashion rabbit stew. Yummy. No gamey teaste , Infact very tasty.

 

[socalcowboy]

My son and I got one last year and I skinned the whole - took off all the meat, chopped it into small pieces, added onion, and browned it on all sides then poured in cream of mushrooms soup. Let it simmer for about a 45 mins and poured over toast.

Wabbit on a shingle....

 

[Bidd_s]

APU Nice Rabbit

 

[TonyS]

Google 'Sicilian Hare'. Enjoy!

 

[GoodKarma]

I've been faced with this issue for snowshoe hares, as well. Jackrabbits and hares are close variants. I had 10 of them to prepare once, so I brined and rinsed, then smoked them in my big chief smoker. Tastes great, and it's great to share with others who aren't expecting rabbit jerky.(Got those hares in late spring while snowmachining and looking for grizzly sign, many bunnies whose camo didn't match the ground any more)

Do you kbow if you can marinate the meat in liquid smoke and put it in a dehydrator?

 

[TRICER]

I would never marinate anything in liquid smoke. A cap full will do 4 lbs of jerky. Look online for jerky recipes and I am sure oyu could dehydrate rabbit just like any other meat. The best jerky marinates and rubs are the store bought ones you really cant beat them especially for consistency.

 

[GoodKarma]

I would never marinate anything in liquid smoke. A cap full will do 4 lbs of jerky. Look online for jerky recipes and I am sure oyu could dehydrate rabbit just like any other meat. The best jerky marinates and rubs are the store bought ones you really cant beat them especially for consistency.

The main part of the question is the dehydrator. A smoker sound so much better though.

 

[ilovesprig]

I have both the dehydrator and smokers....For jerky, I always use the dehydrator....For meats like pheasant, turkey, geese, etc.....We use the smoker.

 

[GoodKarma]

I have both the dehydrator and smokers....For jerky, I always use the dehydrator....For meats like pheasant, turkey, geese, etc.....We use the smoker.

What tells you when you should smoke vs dehydrate?

 

[ilovesprig]

When the meat is whole, I use the smoker....I used to do jerky in the smokers too....Just a lot easier using the dehydrater.

.

 

[Chris Hanson]

Nice Jack BaldKrash, And very good advice on brine, recipes etc. I especially like the honest foods advice, been following him for awhile. One thing to add that Ive always heard is that Jacks should be treated more like a small mule deer as far as prep and cooking and cottontails like chicken. Seems to make sense but still use jacks for stews, soups, etc. I do like that Jackrabbits are open all year with no limit, not like you're gonna get many as they are pretty quick to high tail outta there once the first one goes down. I guess that's a good question: does anyone know why there is no limit on Jacks but there is on Cottontails?

 

[GoodKarma]

Nice Jack BaldKrash, And very good advice on brine, recipes etc. I especially like the honest foods advice, been following him for awhile. One thing to add that Ive always heard is that Jacks should be treated more like a small mule deer as far as prep and cooking and cottontails like chicken. Seems to make sense but still use jacks for stews, soups, etc. I do like that Jackrabbits are open all year with no limit, not like you're gonna get many as they are pretty quick to high tail outta there once the first one goes down. I guess that's a good question: does anyone know why there is no limit on Jacks but there is on Cottontails?

My understanding of it involves their rate of multiplication...