Anyone who hasn’t had squirrel doesn’t know what they’re missing. Given the choice between properly cooked squirrel and a properly cooked rib-eye steak, it will be a flip of the coin as to which one I’ll take.
You ain’t lyin’. My grandmother on my father’s side had 20 acres of pecan trees behind her house. No shortage of squirrels. She would fry them and then make a gravy and smother them in that gravy and make grits as a side and you could pour that gravy over the grits … hoo boy.
Funny you should mention. Not that we are at that point, but the little tree rats are everywhere here in Arlington, TX.
One of our offspring got his mother a gift, one of those clear plastic bird feeders. I dutifully mounted it outside our dining room window. All was sublime, until the little bushy-tailed bastards started to raid the feeder. Snappy salute, “Yes dear, this means war”. The ensuing tactics and strategy of adding plastic shields and painting the with corn oil is a story unto itself.
Decades ago, I got one of these so I could practice while wearing all my Highpower Rifle competition gear–
One of the little bastards went at the bird feeder like he was on crack. Chewing at the plastic, even chewing on the wood mounts like a beaver, little wood chips falling over the side. 853 to the rescue. 8gr. pointy pellet at +/- 450 fps., hit right behind the shoulder, range about 30 ft. Heart shot, no exit wound. Quiet but deadly.
Squirrel is excellent in a gumbo. If you serve yourself, and you’re not sure what the piece of meat is, leave it in the pot. It might be the head that’s customarily served in some places. If you do happen to put it in your bowl, ask for a nut cracker, so you can enjoy the brain.
Nothern squirrels are tough little bastards, extremely difficult to skin, and their muscle sacs are very tough . . . gotta score ’em with a sharp blade and let the meat soak in brine overnite.
THEN an experienced cook can make a great meal of ’em, preferably fried with pan gravy.
My grandmother (who raised 8 kids during the Great Depression and never threw ANYthing away) made great shepherd’s pies with squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, or anything else she could find. Good eatin after a good day’s work.
Except in Florida where ‘Tree Chicken’ is Iguana ? I’ve heard squirrels referred to as Tree Rats ….
Especially by pecan farmers.
That’s the biggest reason I got a BB/pellet rifle.
Ain’t no shortage of them around here.
I’ve eaten more than my share of squirrel and rabbit. I don’t care what anybody calls it. I call it good eatin’.
Anyone who hasn’t had squirrel doesn’t know what they’re missing. Given the choice between properly cooked squirrel and a properly cooked rib-eye steak, it will be a flip of the coin as to which one I’ll take.
You ain’t lyin’. My grandmother on my father’s side had 20 acres of pecan trees behind her house. No shortage of squirrels. She would fry them and then make a gravy and smother them in that gravy and make grits as a side and you could pour that gravy over the grits … hoo boy.
I’m no fan of grits, but for the rest, an unqualified yes!
You weren’t properly raised or acclimated to outstanding Southern cuisine…
Funny you should mention. Not that we are at that point, but the little tree rats are everywhere here in Arlington, TX.
One of our offspring got his mother a gift, one of those clear plastic bird feeders. I dutifully mounted it outside our dining room window. All was sublime, until the little bushy-tailed bastards started to raid the feeder. Snappy salute, “Yes dear, this means war”. The ensuing tactics and strategy of adding plastic shields and painting the with corn oil is a story unto itself.
Decades ago, I got one of these so I could practice while wearing all my Highpower Rifle competition gear–
https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2016/05/the-daisy-853-part-1/
I also have an air gun scope mounted on it.
One of the little bastards went at the bird feeder like he was on crack. Chewing at the plastic, even chewing on the wood mounts like a beaver, little wood chips falling over the side. 853 to the rescue. 8gr. pointy pellet at +/- 450 fps., hit right behind the shoulder, range about 30 ft. Heart shot, no exit wound. Quiet but deadly.
Squirrel is excellent in a gumbo. If you serve yourself, and you’re not sure what the piece of meat is, leave it in the pot. It might be the head that’s customarily served in some places. If you do happen to put it in your bowl, ask for a nut cracker, so you can enjoy the brain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNltR4iCRCA
Should be fairly simple to build.
Nothern squirrels are tough little bastards, extremely difficult to skin, and their muscle sacs are very tough . . . gotta score ’em with a sharp blade and let the meat soak in brine overnite.
THEN an experienced cook can make a great meal of ’em, preferably fried with pan gravy.
My grandmother (who raised 8 kids during the Great Depression and never threw ANYthing away) made great shepherd’s pies with squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, or anything else she could find. Good eatin after a good day’s work.