The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Food processing => Topic started by: Bodger on August 05, 2009, 08:56:25 pm
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I recently saw a post by a Johnny Rambo type character on how to joint a rabbit. Well I ask you? He'd got 4 of the most evil looking knives, an axe and a humungous meat cleaver :o
These are the tools that I use
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab.jpg)
Even the secatuers are a bit of overkill, as you can snap the bones of the feet and cut them off with a knife.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab1.jpg)
Cut the feet off with the secateurs at the equivalent to our wrist.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab3.jpg)
and tidy up with the knife.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab7.jpg)
Don't forget to do all four ;D
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab8.jpg)
I always cut the tail off at this stage.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab10.jpg)
Now this is the bit where you need to take a bit of care. Pull the skin up and nick it with the point of the knife being careful not to go into the body cavity.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab11.jpg)
Then just widen the hole with your fingers.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab12.jpg)
The you just peel it like a glove.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab13.jpg)
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab17.jpg)
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab18.jpg)
Pull the fur right down over the head and then just cut the neck right the way around with the knife.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab20.jpg)
and just cut the head off.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab21.jpg)
I always use the secateurs or a knife to cut down through the pelvic region.
JOINTING
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab23.jpg)
I use a knife to cut the back legs off.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab24.jpg)
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab26.jpg)
Two nice joints - voila :thumbup:
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab27.jpg)
Then I cut the ribs and forelegs off.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab30.jpg)
Which leaves me with the fore-quarters and saddle. I dont cut the front legs off, simply because they are just too small but this leaves 4 nice joints.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m180/kcooper2006/rab32.jpg)
The bit in my hand is the tail bone which I got rid of.
The whole process took about 5 minutes and more to the point I still have all my fingers.
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Excellent! Very good description and great explanatory photos too. Now if only that cat would bring a whole one back ;) ;D ;D
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I recently had rabbit in cider and honey at a local restauarant. Anybody got a recipe?
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I recently had rabbit in cider and honey at a local restauarant. Anybody got a recipe?
First, kill your rabbit..... (!)
;)
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Heres a short write up that I did quite some time ago.
Last Friday we called at a delightful little cider farm just outside Hereford. The cider goes under the name of what I presume is the name of the farmers, thats 'Newtons'
As we drove into the farmyard the farmers wife was coming out of the yard with two horses that she was turning out. The farm has some good old fashioned red stone outbuildings and in an enclosed yard on straw, they had a good quality beef suckler cows with their calves. it was good old fashined but very practical set up.
But anyway, as usual I digress. I bought a two litre bottle of their medium sweet cider, which when I got it home, was a little too sweet for my taste. Not wishing to waste it, the other night I decided to use some of the cider for cooking. I put a fresh caught rabbit ( minus the skin :) ) into a covered casserole dish and poured about two pints of cider in with it. I then added two two chopped onions and about half a pound of mushrooms.
I popped this into the Rayburn and to be quite honest, I literally forgot all about it. :oops: When I finally remembered, I took it out fearing the worst, but returned to it to find a very brown but tremendously tender rabbit.
The cider had reduced into a very tasty and sweet sauce and the mushrooms and onions which had cooked in the cider and the juices from the rabbit were delicious.
Give it a go sometime