Turkey Alternative?

The squirrel melt. My daughter spotted this on web junk on tv.  She found it compelling in an eew-gross kind of way.  I'm intrigued.  While my choice of fat and cheese would differ, I love the woman's reasoning on the nuts!  And it's just a step away from rillettes and roulades. Squirrel: an excellent source of local meat.  You could sell bumper stickers in every state in the country: Eat local, eat squirrel.

Comments

[Claudia]

Hysterical! But practical, really, when you consider that squirrel meat is lean, nut- and herb/veg-fed, etc., etc., and many generations ago, a lot of rural Southerners ate Brunswick stew as part of their diet. But here's what I'm thinking - maybe a little Squirrel Waldorf Melt? Add the grapes or raisins (or even cranberry), a little chopped green apple, etc. to the mayo and nuts, topped with a little Brie, perhaps? Boursin? Herb goat cheese? ALL LOCAL, of course! Oh, man - that means I'd have to start killing off all the guys that hang out in my flower boxes and back yard - or get my cats to start doing it for me. Kudos to Ruhlman fille for finding that video. It's a riot, and I'm going to try to keep a straight face while I go brine the turkey later . . . (!)

[ruhlman]

Claudia, you're just brining now? Get to it! It should come out of the brine well before you cook it.

And it wasn't just southerners. My Grandmother grew up in Michigan and ate squirrel on a regular basis.

i think it's time for a book: all about squirrel.

[Faith]

My husband grew up eating squirrel. Usually squirrel and dumplings. His family reunion cookbook even includes a squirrel recipe!

[Bux]

Squirrel poached in water sounds a bit removed from rillettes. With mayo it sounds more like chicken salad or tuna salad. I know mayo works for crab cakes, but I would have liked squirrel confit in pork fat. Then again, what do I know. I'd never seen a skinless squirrel before, let alone tasted one. It looked a lot like a little rabbit though and rillettes de lapin is wonderful.

Sliced American cheese is a personal turn off (not a fan of tuna melts either) but what disturbed me the most was that she didn't toast the English muffins before topping them with the meat mixture. That means most of the muffin is going come out of the broiler just about raw. That's gross.

[Bux]

Squirrel poached in water sounds a bit removed from rillettes. With mayo it sounds more like chicken salad or tuna salad. I know mayo works for crab cakes, but I would have liked squirrel confit in pork fat. Then again, what do I know. I'd never seen a skinless squirrel before, let alone tasted one. It looked a lot like a little rabbit though and rillettes de lapin is wonderful.

Sliced American cheese is a personal turn off (not a fan of tuna melts either) but what disturbed me the most was that she didn't toast the English muffins before topping them with the meat mixture. That means most of the muffin is going come out of the broiler just about raw. That's gross.

[kristin]

While I do eat alot of weird things, I have to agree with your daughter Michael, ewwwwww!

[ZenKimchi]

That was hilarious!

"Just put his little butt in there."

I'd take her over Martha or Ray-Ray any day. It's a strange video, but I also respect her for preparing meat straight from the wilderness--and an unconventional one (to a lot of cultures) at that.

[McAuliflower]

Quick- get thee a Cafe Press store and make up the stickers... before I beat you to it ;)

[scott]

I've eaten squirrel my whole life. I'm visiting my folks in West Virginia right now, and there are about two dozen squirrels, which my dad has shot over the past few weeks of hunting season, in the freezer. I'll take a few home with me, along with some venison and a rabbit or two. The squirrels go into the pot for a game broth. When you get the bumper stickers made up, I'll buy one!

[farmgirl]

LOL, I had no idea people actually considered squirrel to be food until I moved to the wilds of Missouri. And yes, I've tried it (though I didn't hunt them myself). It was good! Of course, just about anything prepared the local way (rolled in flour and pan fried in homemade lard) is good!

[Tags]

Hey, if acorns can make Iberico ham taste so good, what's to stop it from making squirrels tasty? Just don't eat any that live near cornfields. Come to think of it, how come there weren't any squirrelumi recipes in Charcuterie?

[Skawt]

This T-day was quite successful. I did the majority of the cooking (of course), and while I have brined my own bird in the past, I simply find it easier to just buy a kosher pre-brined turkey. Yeah, it's more expensive, but sometimes my time is limited. This year my time was severely limited by an attack of gall bladder disease (gotta have it removed soon).

So I did my combo of dry rub and compound butter under the skin, stuffed the cavity with mirepoix, cover with foil and bake at 350F for the first hour, uncover and baste with chicken stock every 20 minutes until done.

Candied sweet potatoes (no pineapple or marshmallows, thanks, and I make it from scratch), mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing (courtesy of the wife), sauteed broccoli, cranberry sauce (my friend Katie), and my absolutely perfect gravy made fr0m strained pan drippings and chciken stock with roux. The seasoning from the bird was exactly right - didn't need to add anything to the gravy.

Dessert was my triple-glazed apple pie (one recipe I will take to my grave without ever committing to paper, sorry), pumpkin pie (Katie's mom), and fresh whipped cream made with vanilla extract, sugar and a touch of brandy.

[Nic Heckett]

I believe that squirrel was the main source of meat for East Coast Native Americans, rather than deer. It also sustained the early settlers and pioneers. Probably was served at the first Thanksgiving. I have never eaten it myself, but I understand it to be excellent, not unlike rabbit.

[Pat P]

When I was in college, my boyfriend, a hunter-gatherer, invited his roomate, who was fraternity bound and several of the roomate's sorority bound friends over for dinner. He made the most delicious squirrel stroganoff. At the end of the meal, the young women exclaimed that the meat was sooo delicious, and what may it be? Squirrel. Oh, such a goof. Then he produced the carcasses. Ewwww! I was the hippie chick who watched it all bemusedly. And it was delicious, by the way. Sweet and nutty, as would be expected considering the little ones' diet.

[Mel]

In the south, we'll eat just about anything including squirrel. The thought on the acorns is an interesting one but...

I look at them a little differently now - seems they are more pests than cute little furry things I once though them to be. We are often awaked to them eating everything in site including my house. I doubt the pretreated wood has the effect on the meat that the acorns they ate when I was a kid did.

If you've ever watched one tear apart the squirrel feeder you got him just because there is no food in it, be scared! A local radio host has the theory of the Giant Man Eating Squirrel that is evolving.

So yeah, eat those suckers. Another thought for the bumperstickers - Save the world: eat local, eat squirrel

[Claudia]

Fear not, Michael - I had a big brining window, and the turkey was perfetto - stunning, even! And, yes, I took it out well before cooking, and yes, I rinsed, patted and rested it. (I did a Herbs de Provence seasoning with a roasted creamed corn pudding/chipotle corn bread stuffing). But thank you for your brining concern (!)

[kitchenmage]

The Armadillo in Woodinville, WA used to serve something called "weasel on a stick," which I was always a bit afraid to order, lest it actually was. At the time, they were advertising that they were "Just as good as prison food!" and the waiters snarled and threw menus at you. Thus the trepidation about what the weasel actually was.

But my cats are the only ones eating squirrels around here, so far at least.

[Claudia]

So, kitchenmage - did you ever find out whether it was weasel, squirrel, or . . .armadillo? (!!)

:)

[Barbara Braun]

Where can I buy squirrel meat?