Jackrabbit Recipe Ideas

[kevan]

Yes, I eat them! And they are quite tasty! I bag the black-tailed jackrabbits here. The thing to remember is that jackrabbit is a hare, not a rabbit. Hare is basically a red meat, not a white meat like cottontail. So, with jackrabbit, beef recipes tend to work better. Jackrabbit prepared right can taste like beef, lamb, goat, venison, dark meat turkey, or a combination of two or more depending on what it's been eating. I've never had one yet that tasted bad. The key is to skin, gut, behead and wash right as soon as you bag one and get it on ice. Then go get another. Don't carry it around all day. That is what makes the meat tough and taste bad. Now, the secret to preparing it is to first soak it in water to which you've added a cup of malt or red wine vinegar for half an hour. Then, from there, use your own ideas. One method is to cook in a crock pot with milk, mushrooms, and brown gravy. Then add a generous dollop of sour cream for the last few minutes. Delicious! You can also slice the raw meat very thin and use in a stir-fry. In a wok, the jackrabbit really comes into its own. I fry in oil along with a few generous shakes of Thai fish sauce (known as nam pla or Vietnamese nuoc mam). Jackrabbit goes nicely with Asian vegetables such as straw mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, bok choy, and Chinese cabbage. If you like it spicy, add a few heaping tablespoons of Tuong Ot Toi Viet-Nam Garlic Chili Sauce from Huy Fong. You can find this in Asian stores or order direct from Huy Fong. You can also opt to add the Tuong Ot Toi at the table to your bowl and it will taste even better. Fried jackrabbit is delicious and you only need to dust it with flour and Konriko or Zatarain's creole seasoning for an excellent meal.

If you prepare jackrabbit right, you'll find it's an excellent but overlooked meat.