Rabbit Recipe

We've been busy trying to get the rabbit manure and compost into the garden beds to ready the soil for the coming Spring, despite the rain and cold that keep appearing. To give an example about how bipolar Georgia is right now, it was almost 70 degrees when I got up yesterday morning and it was below freezing overnight.

In the meantime, I was selecting some rabbit recipes to try and I was asked, "How do you know whether a rabbit is a fryer or roaster when it calls for one or the other in the ingredient list?" I thought I'd answer that here in case it is helpful for anyone else.

A fryer is a young rabbit, usually at 10 weeks or less and weighing around 3.5-5lbs (live weight, of course). This category is finer in grain/texture and is the most tender for cooking. Roasters are usually around 10 weeks to 6 months old with weights ranging from 5.5-8lbs or so. They are a little more coarse in grain and firm. Stewers are basically adult rabbits, those that would be considered seniors on the show table. They are older than 6 months and are usually greater than 8lbs. The name of the age group is kind of an indicator as to how best to cook them. Stewers can be more tough, although these rabbits may be best for fur quality if they are processed in their prime coat.

And here is a good starter recipe for someone wanting to try rabbit for the first time. It is the simplified version from Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett. He said it won prizes and children love it, too:

Alice Bennett's Crispy Oven-Fried Rabbit

1 fryer rabbit (2- 2/12 lbs dressed and cut into pieces)
1 egg, well-beaten
2 cups of potato chips, finely crushed
1/4 cup of butter

1. Dip rabbit in beaten egg and then coat with potato chips
2. Melt butter on a shallow baking pan
3. Put rabbit in pan and bake at 375 for 30 min
4. Flip pieces and bake for another 30 min or until meat is tender and juicy

So glad it's Friday! Hope everyone is having a great week!