# How many average size Gray Squirrels do I need for a stew that will feed four people? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874 "2003-10-11T18:19:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/1 "2003-10-11T18:19:53Z")
How much table meat does an individual, dressed out gray squirrel yield on average? If I harvest the squirrels in a suburban back yard vs the woods is there any chance they will have eaten anything that will remain dangerous after cooking? Where are some good squirrel stew recipies? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/2 "2003-10-11T18:29:40Z")
> [@](#): > > How many average size Gray Squirrels do I need for a stew that will feed four people? The answer, according to my husband, is “all of them” He had a squirrel “incident” once. Seriously, they may carry Trichinosis, so the meat has to be well done. Urban animals inherently have a more chemical laden diet, so its possible they could have ill effects. Also have you ever tasted squirrel? I’m told its NASTY!I however, have no personal experience. ---
**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/3 "2003-10-11T18:30:14Z")
Well, a 4-5 pound chicken boiled is more than enough meat. So possibly enough squirrels that combine to 4 pounds after being skinned? Why would you want to eat squirrel? ---
**Author:** ![Herge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Herge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Herge)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/4 "2003-10-11T18:34:32Z")
Practical joke? ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/5 "2003-10-11T18:34:57Z")
May the ghosts of Grumble Gray and Custer haunt you And bite your backside! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/6 "2003-10-11T18:35:43Z")
> [@](#): > > If I harvest the squirrels in a suburban back yard vs the woods is there any chance they will have eaten anything that will remain dangerous after cooking? Yeah, they might have eaten poison. Many people in this area at least put out poison for mice, rats, and squirrels. Many specifically target squirrels because the little tree rats love to eat phone and cable lines. I don’t like squirrel meat, but then I am not fond of any sort of game. ---
**Author:** ![Herge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Herge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Herge)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/7 "2003-10-11T18:37:04Z")
Some people here in England eat Pidgeons. Now there’s a diseased animal for you. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/8 "2003-10-11T18:37:46Z")
Oh, and the Master speaks: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_014.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_014.html) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/9 "2003-10-11T19:07:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lynn Bodoni \* > \*\*Oh, and the Master speaks: > > [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_014.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_014.html) \*\* Why does the squirel become more tender with hanging it up for a few days? Wouldn’t that dry it out? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/10 "2003-10-11T19:11:17Z")
ANY meat will become more tender if it’s hung for a few days. I’m not sure of exactly why. I think that the proteins break down, but don’t quote me on that. I just know that it’s common to let game hang for a couple of days after dressing it, and I know that the best grade of beef is always labelled “Aged”. ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/11 "2003-10-11T19:38:34Z")
_On Food and Cooking_ by Harrold Mcgee, p.98, Aging: “Like cheese and wine, meat benefits from a certain period of “aging,” or slow chemical change, before it is consumed. Its flavor improves and it gets more tender. Exactly what happens during aging is not known, but the general impression is that the muscle’s own enzymes are the principal agents. As lactic acid accumulates in the tissue after slaughter, it biggens to break down the walls of lysomes, the cell bodies that store protein-attacking enzymes. As a result, these enzymes, whose normal function is to digest proteins in a controlled way for use by the cells, are liberated and attack the cell proteins indiscriminately.” -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/12 "2003-10-11T20:26:35Z")
I’d allow two squirrels per person; there’s not a lot of meat on them, although at this time of year they will be about as plump as can be, having built up reserves against winter scarcity. I’d recommend cooking only the hindquarters; wrap them in (unsmoked) streaky bacon (maybe put a sprig of sage or rosemary inside the meat before wrapping it), pack them into a casserole dish on top of a bed of chopped onions, mushrooms and red peppers, cover with some chicken stock and a dash of sherry, sprinkle a few peeled chestnuts on top (just for the irony), cover and bake in a low oven for four hours or so. ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/13 "2003-10-11T21:51:53Z")
Mother-in-law coming over again? ---
**Author:** ![Hombre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@Hombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hombre)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/14 "2003-10-11T22:12:53Z")
If served with ample side dishes a squirrel per person should be ok. Meager maybe but two would probably be too many. I’ve eaten many urban squirrels with no side effects (that I know of). They are best when parboiled. ---
**Author:** ![quothz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/da6949/32.png) [@quothz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quothz)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/15 "2003-10-11T22:31:24Z")
Two and a half pounds of cleaned, skinned squirrel will make Brunswick stew for four, according to my rather old copy of _The\_Joy\_of\_Cooking_. ---
**Author:** ![quothz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/da6949/32.png) [@quothz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quothz)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/16 "2003-10-11T22:39:56Z")
As for a recipie, search at [allrecipies.com](http://allrecipies.com) for Brunswick stew and substitute the squirrel for chicken. You may have to adjust the recipies if you want only four servings. ---
**Author:** ![peri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/67e7ee/32.png) [@peri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peri)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/17 "2003-10-11T23:21:36Z")
2 squirrels for 4 people. Seriously. Stews generally have potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables that strectch the meat. Can be made with one, but the gravy will suffer. What? I happen to like squirrel stew. ---
**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/18 "2003-10-11T23:49:56Z")
Here’s a pic of the recipe Quothz mentioned in the 1962 edition of ‘The Joy of Cooking’, and worth posting for the taste-tempting illustration alone! Yep, call me creepy, call me ghoulish, but don’t call me late for supper! ---
**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/19 "2003-10-12T00:04:38Z")
Whoops! God forbid I forget the recipe portion. ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874/20 "2003-10-12T00:11:58Z")
Don’t know 'bout squirrels, but up here in New England come tourist season some folks can throw one clam in a pot a feed a hundred people chowder. Sometimes they just dip the clam in the pot, then save it for the next batch. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-average-size-gray-squirrels-do-i-need-for-a-stew-that-will-feed-four-people/206874.md?page=2)