I first made this stew for my friends Joe and Dorrie in Ohio, last season. I called it Portuguese squirrel stew at the time, but I really have no idea whether this qualifies as Portuguese. All I know is that it’s damn good.
squirrel recipes
Kentucky Burgoo
Every region of the country has its big, burly stew, from gumbo to chili to cioppino. This is a Kentucky classic, done with a menagerie of wild game: Pheasant, squirrel and venison. Make a big ole’ bowl this weekend and you won’t be sad.
Braised Squirrel Aurora
This is one of my favorite dishes on the site: A classy, Spanish-inspired slow braised squirrel recipe. The dish is based on a Catalan rabbit dish, but I like it with squirrel better.
How to Cut Up a Squirrel for Cooking
Cutting up a squirrel for cooking is a lot like cutting up a rabbit, but there are enough differences to warrant these step by step instructions. Never eaten squirrel? Think chicken thigh… if the chicken had been eating nuts its whole life.
Hmong Squirrel Stew
Few cultures love to eat squirrel more than the Hmong, a group of Southeast Asian immigrants who arrived here in the US after the Vietnam War. This is a pretty standard stew loaded with fresh, vibrant ingredients: Lemongrass, ginger, chiles and lots of herbs. It’s like a squirrel pho.
Into the Squirrel Woods
Something about squirrel hunting touches me deeply. Moreso than anything else, hunting squirrels in the Eastern forests takes me back to childhood, to the woods that were my home when as a boy. I miss those days of exploration, but they all came flooding back recently in one epic day in Ohio.
On Cooking Squirrels
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