rec.food.perserving

Squirrel Confit (preserved squirrel)

This preparation will work with older animals very nicely; younger and
more tender animals may be better on the grill, or dredged in flour and
fried or baked. 

Skin and clean two large squirrels.  Wash the carcasses free of blood, and
pat dry.  Disjoint into four leg sections, one saddle (just above the 
pelvis) and one rack (the ribcage).  Using large kitchen shears, snip off 
the lower part of the ribcage and any parts of the saddle that are not 
directly attached to meat, such as the pelvis.  Reserve the rack; you can 
prepare it as you would a Frenched rack of lamb if you wish by scraping 
the ends of the bones clean, and cutting down the center of the backbone 
lengthwise to create two sets of "squirrel chops".

In a small saucepan, simmer down the bones and the edible internal organs
(heart, liver minus the green gallbladder, kidneys, lungs, diaphragm) with
some carrots, onions and bay leaves to create a small amount of fragrant
demiglace.  Reserve. 

Rub the joints all over with a good quality salt and some herbs to taste;
I like to use the "Herbs du Provence" blend with some thyme, lavender,
basil and oregano.  Leave them in the refrigerator overnight.  The next 
day, rinse them briefly and dry thoroughly on paper towels.  

Prepare enough clean rendered fat (duck or goose fat is ideal, but clean 
pork or bear lard will do; beef tallow is undesireable) to completely 
cover all of the squirrel parts to be preserved.  Gently boil the 
squirrel parts in the fat on a low simmer for an hour to an hour and a 
half, checking and stirring frequently to avoid parts sticking to the 
bottom of the pan.  When the meat is tender and falling off the bone, 
remove and drain all the fat if serving immediately. 

Roast the reserved, Frenched squirrel chops seperately to medium 
doneness, with the broth demiglace as a sauce.  About 5 minutes in a 425F 
oven should do, or you can pan-fry the chop sections in a skillet.  After 
the chops are cooked, you can slice them into individual tiny chops as a 
garnish for the confit dish if desired.  

If you wish to preserve the squirrel meat, debone the cooled, cooked meat
and put it in a clean glass jar.  Strain the fat, and pour it over the
meat.  Make sure there is at least 1/2" of melted fat above the level of 
the meat, and store it in a cool, dark place, ideally the refrigerator.

In medieval times, potted game was kept in this way for up to a year, and 
remained sweet and free from decay.  Modern recipes advise taking more 
stringent safety precautions and storing the finished confit in the 
refrigerator and using it within a month.

To serve squirrel confit, heat it, drain the fat well, and serve it with 
a crisp salad of spring greens, garlic mashed potatoes and freshly baked 
bread.  


Squirrel in the style of French hare

Disjoint the carcass as described in the earlier recipe, Frenching the 
rack and splitting the backbone down the middle.  Remove the thigh bone 
and the shoulder bone from the hind and forelegs, keeping the forelimb 
bone intact.   Make stock from the bones; you may need to enrich the 
stock with additional meat or bones from a larger animal, or leftover 
chicken, veal or pork.

To bone a squirrel (or any small animal), use a small, sharp knife to cut
all the way around the end of the bone below the "knob", severing tendons
and muscle attachments.  Scrape downwards with the blade to push the flesh
down on the bone. 

Stuff the pockets created in the legs with lightly sauteed wild mushrooms
and spring garlic or onion greens.  Dredge the stuffed legs lightly in
seasoned flour and brown in a small amount of hot butter in a covered
skillet.  Add enough wine and well-reduced stock to keep the liquid about
1/4" deep around the stuffed legs, and braise until the meat is completely
done and runs clear when pierced. 

Roast the rib chop and saddle sections, deglaze the pan juices with wine 
and stock, and serve as a garnish to the stuffed legs.   This makes a 
very attractive presentation.


Basic squirrel cooking tips:

Squirrel is a savory dark meat, flavorful, sweet and very tender when the
animals are young.  Older animals belong in a stew or confit; very young,
tender animals might be simply grilled on a charcoal fire with a few
sprigs of aromatic herbs to enhance their natural fragrance and delicacy.

Squirrel meat tends to be somewhat low in fat, though not as much so as 
rabbit - much will depend on the individual animal's diet, age and 
breeding condition.  

Excellent flavor pairings with squirrel:  bacon, lemon juice, sour cream, 
arrugula and other bitter spring greens, earthy root vegetables such as 
potatoes, turnips and celeriac, horseradish sauce, wild and domestic 
mushrooms.

Bon appetit,

Tanith Tyrr
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wonderful stuff once again, Tanith. I've been meaning to post the
classic Brunswick Stew recipe here, made with a chicken and one or two
squirrels, and this thread seems an appropriate place to do it. Older
squirrels are just fine for this since they will be stewed.

	BRUNSWICK STEW

	1 3-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces
	1 or 2 squirrels, cut into serving pieces
	8 cups fresh or canned chicken broth (I make this
	   from the leftover chicken parts, wing tips, neck and
	   backbone, giblets, whatever - just simmer them 
	   with selected herbs for an hour or two)
	Salt and pepper to taste

	1/4 cup uncooked bacon
	1 cup chopped onion
	2 cups peeled ripe tomates
	2 cups peeled, diced raw potatoes
	2 cups baby lima beans, preferable fresh

	2 cups of corn kernals
	1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce, or to taste
	2 tablespoons butter

1. lace the meat in a large kettle and add the broth. Bring to a boil
and add the salt and pepper. Simmer until tender, about and hour,
carefully skimming surface fat and foam. Remove meat from kettle, but
let stock continue to boil to reduce slightly.

2. After cooling, remove meat from bones and discard bones and skin.

3. Return meat to kettle and add the bacon, onions, tomatoes,
potatoes, and lima beans. Simmer for one hour, skimming as necessary
to remove all excess fat. Stir frequently so stew does not stick.

4. Add the corn and cook ten minutes longer. When done, stew should be
a thickened mass. Stir in the worcestershire and butter. Serve piping
hot.

Yield: Six to eight servings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you see the squirrel getting the senior discount on the subway, then 
it is an older animal.  An AARS card found in its possession is also a 
likely indicator.

Assuming your squirrel is not collected on the subway and has no cards in 
its possession, here are the standard tests for age.  None of them are 
foolproof, so do them all and get a general impression.  

1.  Ear pliability.  A younger animal will have soft, pliable ears even 
after rigor mortis sets in.  An older animal will have dry, stiff ears.

2.  Fur condition and tightness to skin.  An older animal will have 
drier fur with more hollowness to the individual hair shafts, and the pelt
will be tighter to the muscle.  The skin may also be thicker, and show 
less of a fatty deposit on the underside.

3.  Teeth size, coloration and wear.  Older animals have worn, smoother 
and yellower teeth.  Whiter, smaller, sharper teeth are the sign of a 
younger animal.

4.  General muscle tone, flexibility, tenderness.  A younger animal will 
retain more pliability even when dead, and a finger poked deeply into a 
haunch will cause the meat to dent in and then rebound more quickly.

Age matters somewhat less than diet and condition.  An older animal that
is still fat and tender can be very good eating indeed - look for yellow
fat deposits around the kidneys and haunches to indicate a better chance
of tenderness.  But even an old, tough squirrel has a lovely sweet flavor
that can be beautifully brought out in a simple stew with lemon juice,
spring lily bulbs or fresh garlic greens and potatoes. 

I've tasted all manner of exotic game from around the world, and in truth,
plain old American squirrel still ranks up there with my very favorites.  

Regards,

Tanith Tyrr
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To these, I add the suggestions of a co-worker and lifelong squirrel
hunter (his name is Marty Skinner):

Size: Don't use a scope when hunting them. Mature squirrels (3-4
years) are noticeably larger.

Greyness: Yes, even grey squirrels go grey. Check around the light fur
on the belly and also around the whiskers, the hair on an older
squirrel will be greying.

Tail: Young squirrels have spikey tails. As they age, the tail
lengthens, the hair continues to grow, and it become more full.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Serge,
Just came up with a new recipe this last weekend and tried it on a
group of people I had over with great results.

Squirrel Casserole

5-6 Squirrels (Boiled til done)
2 Cups Corn Flakes
1 Stick Butter
2 Cans Chicken Broth
1 Cup Flour
1 Bag Medium Egg Noodles
1 Large Bag Shredded Mozarella Cheese
1/2 Cup Durkee/Frenches Fried Onions
1 Tsp Thyme
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Onion Powder
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Black Pepper

Boil Squirrels til done, then cool. 
In saucepan, melt 1/4 stick of butter over medium heat, add
cornflakes, garlic powder and onion powder. Heat until just crispy (it
goes fast) Put cornflakes in bottom of casserole dish. 

Boil noodles, drain and set aside.

In saucepan, melt remaining butter, add flour and brown a little. Add
chicken broth and mix until it thickens. Add thyme, salt & pepper,
then pull the meat off squirrel and add to sauce. Add noodles and mix
thoroughly. Pour mixture over cornflakes and coat the top with cheese
and fried onions. Bake at 250F - 300F for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!
Chuck


