On Cooking Squirrels
Oct 25th, 2008 | By Hank | Category: Wild Game | Comments | 20 Comments |
I have been working through my remaining game meats from last season, and I recently came upon a lone Western gray squirrel. Now most people would think, “ew!” and most hunters would think, “Ah, Hank’s leaving the bushy-tailed rat for last — not quite so tasty as venison or duck, eh?” Both thoughts would be very wrong. Nope, the truth is I was hoarding this squirrel.
Ironic, considering that all squirrels do is hoard. For a while I was waiting to shoot another one, because as large as Western grays are, they are still pretty much a single-serving critter. I shot this one as part of the Marvelous Mixed Bag hunt from last New Year’s Eve.
But the season ended, and with it the chance at another squirrel. So in the freezer it sat. I thought about making a hunter’s stew, but I really wanted to highlight the little beast and mixing it in with other meats would defeat that. Highlight squirrel meat? You bet. I have a thing about squirrel hunting. I wrote about it for the magazine Meatpaper recently, although the article itself is not online. The piece even got noticed by the Utne Reader, which I thought was kinda cool.
The article was about how for many who hunt the wily squirrel, squirrel hunting becomes part of their identity. I an no different. I know many hunters, but very few who deign to hunt Mr. Bushytail. He’s either too small, or too much like a rat (they are cousins, after all) or something only Those Other People (insert derogatory ethnic group here) eat. I would like to affiliate myself with Those Other People.
Squirrel hunting with a .22 rifle is exactly like deer hunting: You need to be just as stealthy and just as good a shot. Mind you I am talking about wild, forest squirrels, not those that scamper around at the Capitol or your backyard.
And squirrel meat is delicious. Squirrels can live a long time, up to 6 or 7 years, and as such can be deeply flavorful. The meat looks like rabbit, but is grayer. It has a far denser texture than rabbit, which rarely live more than a year. Squirrel also takes on flavors of what it eats — yes, you really can taste a nutty flavor in squirrels that live in a walnut grove.
Back to the lonely squirrel in my freezer. I finally decided to braise him slowly, because that’s the safest thing to do when you don’t know the age of a squirrel — young ones are fantastic fried like your favorite fried chicken recipe. But what sort of braise?
I immediately thought of a Spanish braise I’d made a few years back when I hunted squirrel in Minnesota. Squirrel Aurora, it is loosely based on a rabbit recipe in Penelope Casas’ Delicioso! The Regional Cooking of Spain
The dish was fantastic, although I brined the squirrel a bit too long so it was pretty salty. A rich sauce, a dense, flavorful meat, great with crusty bread. What’s not to love?
For those of you who hunt, I highly recommend you head up to the Sierras or wherever and bag a few bushytails to make this dish. You will not be disappointed. For those of you who don’t hunt, sadly you cannot buy squirrels. But you can try this recipe with domestic rabbit, or with chicken thighs and legs. Still, the squirrel makes it in my mind. But then I have a thing about squirrels.
UPDATE: Looks like I am not the only one with a yen for squirrel – Here’s an article about a West Virginia chef preparing them for “Bizarre Foods” host Andrew Zimmern.
i would never have thought that squirrel could be hunted – interesting post
Memories of my brothers cooking up squirrel are running around my head. They braised them in tomato sauce. Interesting. Not much meat for the effort..but if I had to survive in the woods I’d consider it good eating
Thank goodness there’s somebody else who recognizes the squirrel as great eats!
People think I’m kidding when I tell them I prefer squirrel to venison. But it’s the truth. Squirrel is one of the most versatile game meats around. Plus, of course, in most areas, bag limits are generous, and the treerats are plentiful.
Thanks for a great story.
Brook
http://the-outdoor-sports-advisor.com
I’ve been trying to get back up and squirrel hunt for some years, but I’d been handicapped by the lack of a good, solid spot… until now. I love squirrel, and you are right about the derogatory comments. Also, I’ve been eyeballing the clan o’ bushytails in my own backyard, living in the gigantic walnut tree. Could I replace the almonds in the recipe with walnuts?
You bet you can sub in walnuts, Josh! It will make for a different dish, but still very good — I would also sub in black olives for green; to be black olives and walnuts seem to go better…
so our local tree squirrels would not be good eats? the recipe sounds like a tasty treat to go with our mild fall weather. I think I’ll try it with the more readily-available chicken. thanks!
Emilie, your local tree squirrels would probably be perfectly good eats — the point I was making was that hunting forest squirrels can get challenging, something most people would not realize because they see semi-tame squirrels every day.
If you use chicken, try to find a stewing hen if at all possible — Latin markets tend to have them, as do Asian markets. A capon would be good, too.
My husband brought in a flying squirrel, expecting me to do something with it! No internet then; I made up a way to cook it. He ate with relish; I loved the gravy!!
The colors are just eye popping! Hank, every post you make just blows me away.
Well! You learn something new every day. I didn’t know others knew how good squirrel tasted. I grew up on a dairy farm in central Michigan.
As a boy, in the late ’60s, I couldn’t wait for the school bus to drop me back off at home. I would race upstairs; change my clothes; grab my dad’s 22 from the gun cabinet; and jog right past the barn and back the lane. “Back the Crick” was my wonderland and it was full of fat, corn-fed Fox Squirrels. They were fast and cunning. Always watching you from the opposite side of the limb or branch and hardly ever offering a good shot.
Sometimes it would take me a week or two to have enough to make a good meal. But those fat corn-fed squirrels were so incredibly great tasting. Way better than chicken or rabbit. Rabbit seemed rubbery and tough compared to squirrel.
As long as we cleaned it, my mother always cooked everything me or my brothers ever harvested. Sometimes she would mix several things in to feed us all (11 kids.) I don’t remember how she cooked them, but your way sure looks tasty.
You know your stuff Hank.
I HAVE to try this. Really. I know someone who bags them regularly, and [brace yourself], leaves them for the local cats. I must request a few to give squirrel a go.
I knew squirrel would taste like a nuttier rabbit! I just knew it. Did you ever see that funny youtube with the squirrel melt lady? Gold, I tell you.
Heather: I was wondering when someone would bring up the Squirrel Melts Lady! That video is SUCH a train wreck I’ve had to watch it over and over and over…June Cleaver with a .22 — and Kraft singles on a Wonder Bread squirrel hash sandwich!? Christ Almighty!
But at least they ate it…
Well, I’ve raised, harvested, and eaten my own chickens and meant to do the same with rabbits (till a neighbor’s dog got in and killed ‘em all).
For as many squirrels as I have raiding my bird-feeders, I could eat ‘em for a month and not run out! And I would, too…if I could shoot a gun inside town limits. Well…and if I were a hunter. Oh…and if I had a gun. [sigh]
I really enjoy your site…I’ll be back!
Good Eats!
A wonderful blog. This is my first time visit, and certainly not my last. Squirrel is great – much underated, mainly I think because people see it as a fluffy rat.
I have never eaten or hunted squirrels but this posting has made a believer out of me. I have heard of squirrel pie, but I really did not know that squirrels were such a popular game meat until reading this post.
I stumbled upon this site after I’d already started squirrel dinner in a crockpot. The weekend before I’d made a squirrel cobbler (the recipe is in the L.L. Bean wild game cookbook) and it was very good, but I wanted to try something different (it’s also Thursday and I don’t have much time to cook on weekdays, as I work in NYC and live in NJ). Will report back. . .
Well, the squirrel was very tasty in the crockpot (lightly browned pieces with one can mushroom soup, vidalia onion, red wine, carrot, sour cream last hour). BUT the bones nearly ruined it. Long-period crockpot cooking dissolves the ligaments that hold bones together, and squirrels have many, many tiny ones. I should have remembered this! (Or listened to my wife!) I will either roast them whole from now on or stick with the recipes that require the meat to be removed from the bone before combining it with other ingredients.
Squirrel season usually is during deer season i always take a .22 or .410 and there have been times, i was able to make squirrel stew for the whole camp. (i’m drooling again)! — Mike T.
I’m in Arkansas for another 6 weeks and live in a quiet city full of oak trees, and there are dozens of squirrels around. I’m thinking of catching some, but an article I read online about rabies is putting me off. But if and when I do, I plan on making a squirrel stock in our slow cooker. I imagine that would be the easiest and most delicious product of squirrel.