Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

Squirrell???? How do cook these little suckers with out them being so tough???

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

You can fry it in a pan.

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

I put the pieces [3 or 4 squ] in a crock pot. Either make your own bbq sauce w/ equal amts of Coke and Catsup for a start or use store bought. After about 6-8 hrs on low, I carefully lift the pieces out and let cool. Then, since I'm a nut about bones and gristle in my meat, lol, I strain the liquid to remove those two things and put it and de-boned meat back in c. pot. Then run on high w/ lid off to thicken sauce if needed. Works the same on rabbit and it's good!

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

Just like Southern Fried Chicken!:D

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

coke and ketchup? seriously? what do you do just mix it together and be done with it? I've gotta try that!

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

They can be tough and rubbery if cooked too fast. Long and slow with lots of moisture in a crock pot or a pressure cooker gets it done a bit faster.

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

The younger ones are the ones you want to fry. The older ones are too tough unless you pressure cook them and then that is no guarantee. I use the old ones for dumplings.

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

The young ones are the ones you want to fry -- and they can get tough and rubbery if fried too long or too fast. The old ones I make dumplings out of. You can pressure cook them but that is no guarantee that they will be edible. I will have to try the BBQ recipe -- it sounds delicious!! My dad loves squirrell but there was only so much my grandmother did with them.

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

Cut up into pieces and throw them into water. Don't forget the back of the squirrel and not just the legs. Now bring to boil and let boil/simmer for at least an hour. Keep testing the meat until it is more tender. This will also help to get more hair off of the meat.

Then take out of water and pat dry. Run through an egg wash and batter up with seasonings and flour of your choice. Then fry till crunchy. That is good eating. :D

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

I gotta go catch me some squirrel...

Question: Whats the best way to catch these guys.... snares?

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

Ummmmmmmmm ........ we shoot ours. My Dad and I use a .410.

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

I use a 20 gage with 2.75" #7.5 shot through a modified choke .

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

When I was a little tyke, my grandmother used to tell me that if I could get really close I could sprinkle salt on their tails and they would hold still so I could catch them. I spent many, and I mean many hours in her backyard with a salt shaker...LOL.

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

:eek:Ummm...you gotta shoot'em first

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

I too boil them until tender with a fork. Use the squirrel in cut-up pieces. I find about a cup of cider vinegar in a large boiling pot of water leaves them ready to fall off the bone, and very tender. They are then ready for a quick trip to the BBQ grill with the sauce of your choice, or brushed with beaten eggs, rolled in flour, and fried SLOWLY in a skillet with melted butter. Yum, yum!!

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

I use a cast-iron dutch oven. It has a heavy lid, and works similar to a pressure cooker, also similar to crock pot only faster. I cut the squirrel up in pieces, dredge in seasoned flour, then brown in the dutch oven. If you're doing a whole mess, take the brown pieces out and set aside as you do more. When all brown, put em all back in, add half a beer, cover and simmer for at least an hour. Others who have responded are correct in that there is a lot of variability with squirrels. Some are very tough, usually older ones, some very tender. Anyway, after simmering until tender, cool and debone the meat. Then add onions, mushrooms, a little more liquid, and make like a stroganoff. It is delicious.

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

Anything can be made tender and breaded and fried.Just debone it and beat it with one of those meat tenderising hammers.Heck,if they work on aboloney and squid,they will work on anything.

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

with a .22 or shotgun

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

i like to soak it in a brine overnight,
basic salt pepper seasonings brine

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

Parboiling is a sure way to make squirrel tender...Simmer it in water , covered, over low heat long enough and the toughest old squirrel will become tender..

However, my favorite recipe will do the the same thing, and I think the flavor is better than when simmered in water..

Shake the squirrel, skinned and disjointed, in a bag containing flour and whatever seasonings you prefer..I usually use salt, coarse black pepper and poultry seasoning...

Brown the floured pieces in a skillet in a combination of butter and cooking oil..

Place the browned pieces in a single layer in a baking dish...Pour some liquid in the dish to a level of about 1/2 inch deep...I have used wine, beer or chicken broth...Water would be okay too, but I think the other liquids provide better flavor....Slice up a medium onion over and around the squirrel pieces..

Cover the dish with foil and bake at about 300 degrees for about two hours OR until VERY tender.. You may have to add a little liquid if it cooks down too much...When tender ,remove the foil, turn up the heat a bit and let the squirrel brown on top... Thicken the drippings from the baking dish with flour or cornstarch and make gravy..

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

I basicly fry mine in a pan with butter,other then that in the crockpot just like bear meat,cover meat 3/4 up with water cook 4 hours med add potatos, carrets,spices cook another 4 hours(or so).squirrel dosnt take as long and I change the temp alittle.
You basicaly need to do it and find what works best for you.
O-ya.Bear meat stinks up the place when cooked like this but it melts in your mouth(somewhat):D;)and is the only way I will eat it.

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

Dyllan,

I've been killing squirrels for longer than I can remember, I 58 now. I've fried, boiled and fried, made stews out of them, wraped them in aluminum foil, you name it I've tried it. However, just this squirrel season, I was told of something so simple in their preparation to tenderness that it's embarrassing to think I never thought of it.

An old friend told me to get unflavored meat tenderizer, coat each squirrel heavy with it, put in a closed container and place in frigfor about 24 hours. Beforecooking, wash each one off.It was my turn to cook at our hunting club and I had 18 squirrels to cook, I tried it and it worked on most. I must admit, some of them couldn't be tenderized if left in the frig for a year, but most will. As some have told you, preboiling helps, but I believe you lose a lot of the flavor doing this.

dog1

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

I hunt squirrels all the time with dogs. The best way I have found t cook them is the way my mother did. Cut the squirrels up and flour them. Fry them in a skillet and set aside. Once you're through frying take a pressure cooker and add the water. Line the cooker with aluminum foil and add fried squirrel in. Fold the foil over and cover with lid. Once the cooker starts pressurring up let it go for around 20 minutes. Cool it down and you have squirrel as tender as KFC original. UMMMMMM good....

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

Steve.....DAYUM...!!!... That sounds good..!!...

I'd try it except for two little problems...

# 1 I don't have any squirrel thawed out ...

#2 My wife andI split up and I think SHE got the pressure cooker...[:@]...

Maybe I can talk her out of it, or if not, I'll buy another...;)...

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

I had some last night. I seasoned whole suirrels with brisket rub ad put them on the grill to the side of the fire and let them smoke about 20 minutes then I wrapped them up in foil pouring a little beer in there before sealing them up, put back in the pit to the side of the fire, kept heat around 250 dg. cooked them for another 1 1/2 hours. Took them out and they just fell apart, my buddys were licking there fingers they were that good.

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

me and my best friend shoot alot of squerals and we cooked em on rocks and in our soup cans boiled of course hmmmmm we put bbq sause on em and we did em all kinds of ways but you cant cook em too fast or youll be eating tree bark and roots and other stuff youll find in the bush

RE: Squirrells,,,, tough little suckers???
 

I use them in a stew. They come out tender. Yeah, I put one on the BBQ once. It was the first and last time.