My local big game seasons are over, which just means I get to hunt a lot more. Small game hunting is almost a relief after chasing big game all Fall with mixed results. I enjoy its simplicity and the kids are sure to love the easier successes.
We went out Saturday morning and had almost-constant action walking the sagebrush. Cottontails were flushing and hiding all over the place, temps were in the single digits, and the kids didn’t complain about being cold even once. Here’s an article with some tips for hunting western cottontails.
We gutted the rabbits with the toolless method from the article above and we were ready to take them to the kitchen. Bowl games were playing, and rabbits were frying. It was a good New Years Day.
This recipe is good for all kinds of small game that is fairly tender right away. Dove, chukar, pheasant, grouse, and rabbit are all good options. I wouldn’t use it on jackrabbits without tenderizing the meat first — brining would be a good option.
It just takes four ingredients and some oil for frying.
What You Need
- Rabbits, quartered — one person can eat a western cottontail and be satisified
- Buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk, add about 1/4 Cup vinegar to 1 Cup regular milk)
- Peanut butter
- Flour — at least 2 Cups
- Frying oil — anything works, but peanut, grapeseed, and canola are all pretty good options
- Seasoning — Tony Chachere’s, Old Bay, Lawry’s, or salt and pepper
Use 2.5 times as much buttermilk as peanut butter. So, use 2.5 Cups buttermilk and 1 Cup peanut butter, and increase it to cover the meat — it should be pretty thick.
What You Do
Wisk together the buttermilk and peanut butter. Marinate the meat in this combo for 1 to 24 hours (keep in the fridge if you leave it for more than an hour). The buttermilk is acidic and the peanut butter is oily and salty, so it’s a perfect marinade.
Preheat your skillet or deep fryer. Use medium heat to start and increase as needed, just don’t burn the oil. In the skillet, use enough oil to be at least half an inch deep.
Season the flour generously, and season the meat, too. Dredge each chunk of rabbit in the flour. The marinade will help the flour stick.
Fry each piece of meat to golden brown on all sides. Remove from the oil and set on paper towels to drip.
Note: The meat is all good and tender, but the front shoulders don’t have much meat and more tendons, so serve the hams and saddles (backbones) first since they are much meatier and impressive.
