Now I am aware that you Merkins eat Mr Tufty but it appears that we British are about to become a nation of tree rat scoffers.
A TV programme the other night demonstrated how to prepare and roast these cute little buggers.
These guys took roasted squirrel into a very posh pub and served it up, the patrons were amazed at how good it was and the pub landlord along with quite a few others intend making squirrel a regular dish.
Restaurants also are cottoning onto the idea.
Personally I like squirrels and thinks it’s bloody outrageous
I was actually looking for a cite about something a guy how works here said during lunch, about some tribe where they cook hedgehogs but I wasn´t paying much attention so I don´t have enough details about it.
I’ve eaten squirrel, it was OK - sort of like rabbit, but yes, actually a bit nutty-tasting.
The specimens they caught on that TV show were gert bigguns though - the one I ate had about as much meat on it as a couple of chicken wings.
Hey, if you fry it up like chicken, it tastes like chicken…
Pretty good, but chicken’s too cheap to bother with squirrels right now. Maybe in the post-apolcalyptic, dystopian world of the future. But I wouldn’t mind the city ones being hunted more often, myself. I’ve thought about putting several squirrel’s heads on pikes around my birdfeeders, just to see if they get the message, but I wouldn’t want my neighbors to think I’m weird.
Growing up in rural PA I knew plenty of folks who ate squirrels (and rabbits.) I have never tried them. I was weirded out (only a little) to find that in Peru they eat Guinea Pigs.
I’ve got a wonderful recipe for rabbit and/or squirrel. It’s pretty damn tasty, too!
I usually only make it in the winter, and we prefer rabbit.
Baked Rabbit (or Squirrel)
2 Rabbits (or 8 Squirrel)
Oil - for frying
1 C. Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
Clean (If you get the rabbit at a farm, they are always already cleaned…unless you ask for them not to be…and there’s no reason for you to do that!) and wash an appropriate number of squirrels or rabbits, about 1/2 animal per person. Squirrel will take more per person.
Cut into serving pieces.
Thoroughly mix flour, salt and the peppers in a paper bag, add the squirrel/rabbit pieces, a few at a time, and shake to coat well.
Remove from bag, and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
Heat oil in a cast iron chicken fryer, until moderately hot, add the meat pieces, and fry until crusty brown, turning as needed.
Remove meat and set aside when done, reserving grease.
Add about 4 Tbsp. of the oil from frying, along with all the brown crusty pieces, and 3/4 C. of water to the fryer.
Return meat to the pan.
Cover and bake at 350F. for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the meat pulls easily from the bones.
Don’t let it overcook, or it will become hard and tough
Remove the meat to a serving platter, reserving all the drippings in the skillet.
Add 2 Tbsp. of the seasoned dredging flour to the pan drippings and heat on the stove top, stirring constantly, until the flour begins to brown.
Add 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Remove from the heat, add 1 1/2 C. of milk and stir thoroughly, then return to the heat and simmer until the gravy is thickened.
Serve with hot biscuits.
Cooking time, for both frying and baking, will depend on the age of the animal.
Young squirrel or rabbit will need less time, old squirrel or rabbit may need more, maybe 1 1/2 hour of baking.
Check often for tenderness and don’t let it overcook and become tough.
This thread reminds me of one of my favorite quips from Garrison Keillor (this was from some years ago, and I paraphrase):
“A recent poll says that 30% of Californians would consider voting for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now consider is kind of a funny word. I would consider eating squirrel, but under circumstances which I would prefer to avoid.”
Like Garrison, I think I’ll pass on the squirrel for now.
I grew up eating both rabbit and squirrel - my father, brothers and I all hunted so we had game fairly regularly during the season. My mother used a recipe very similar to the one above.
Just watch out for shot - you may chip your tooth.
Here’s a wonderful article in the NYT Magazine about the intermittently waged grey squirrel eradication campaign in Britain. Turns out the cute 'Merkin buggers were deliberately introduced in the Victorian Era by members of the landed gentry, who initially kept them as curiosities and pets from the former colonies, but tired of them and released them into the woods… but now they outnumber their timid red cousins by more than 10-to-1.
It’s a lost cause, although with aggressive human intervention, small enclaves may yet be preserved for the native reds.
