Smoked Rabbit


 

James Tucker

TVWBB Fan
Has anyone ever tried to smoke a rabbit and if so do you have a good recipe?

I usually do rabbit on the stove at a low simmer in a large covered pan with a variety of herbs and spices in a gravy like sauce. As rabbit is very lean I was wondering if it would work on the WSM.
 
James--

Yes, and it works. Since they're so lean you can:

marinate them first in an oil-based marinade (they take well to fresh herbs, citrus zests and juices, red and white wines, mustard, all the aromatics), saving some marinade to use as a baste

marinate them in straight red wine or white wine, augmented with an herb or several if desired, and/or crushed aromatics;oil, then apply a rub and smoke. You can use an oil-based mop if you wish


rub and drape with bacon or mop or baste


I'm sure there are other approaches as well. Been quite a while since I've done rabbit. I smoke to 160 internal with a pit temp of 225 or so. I always cut the rabbit before marinating; it allows better penetration and the pieces are easier to work with, but you don't have to. I always use smoked rabbit in something else, usually as an entrée rather than a main dish, like a fricassee, a white bean salad, or ravioli or agnolotti. Got anything in mind in particular?
 
No nothing in particular, I actually only had rabbit for the first time a few months ago. An Italian guy at work gave me his mom's recipe and I tried it and liked it quite a bit. Have done it a few times now and am really looking for something kinda new. Any ideas or favorite recipe would be appreciated.
 
Here is a simple treatment with a few options. I use cherry wood for smoking.


Oil

Salt


Rub:

1 Tbls brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbls freshly ground white pepper

1 1/2 Tbls dried thyme

1 1/2 Tbls celery seed

1 tsp dried marjoram


Marinate the rabbit pieces in decent red wine overnight (optional). A couple hours before smoking, lightly oil the rabbit, lightly salt, lightly rub, and return to the fridge. Smoke as noted above.

If desired, pull the meat off the bones and make a quick stock of the bones. Make a fricassee of wild mushrooms using shallot, a little of the wine you used for the marinade, and a little balsamic. Chop the rabbit meat up coarsely into small pieces and mix into the fricassee just to heat it. Serve over polenta.

Another option: mix some Dijon with the oil first to coat the rabbit.

Another option: make a mop of Dijon whisked with a little red wine (you can add minced fresh herbs here); whisk in oil slowly to emulsify. Mop two or three times but wait 30 min or so before you mop the first time.

Of course the rub herb/spices can be changed, increased or added to. Onion and garlic powders, rubbed sage, dried savory; or you can spice up the whole thing with ground chilies. The one I use for the white bean salad is like the above but with onion, a little garlic, black pepper, and ground hot chilies.
 
Thanks Kevin I will be trying this recipe Monday. It's a holiday weekend here in Canada so I'm off Monday which gives me another day of cooking and drinking!!

Today I'm cooking some beef ribs for a friend and a nice pork loin roast bone in for me and the wife.
 

 

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