This is a follow up post to my hunting adventure. Being the first time I have tried such a meat I wanted to share my experience about eating it.
The meat we harvested from a single squirrel is enough for a couple meals. We decided to cook it in the crockpot for about twelve hours on low. The smell of the meat the next morning had a nutty smell to it. Must have been the diet of this forest squirrel. It was deep in the woods and probably only ate tree nuts.
I added well water, apple cider vinegar, some salt and pepper and then came back to check on it the next morning.
Going through all the bones I carefully worked the meat to make sure nothing hard was inside. I kept coming across bones but luckily none got into my sandwich.
Once the meat was throughly deboned I toasted a bun and my usual vegetables. And added some cheese and onions to sandwich bread. Some spicy mustard and mayo was added to the bread as well. Some extra mayo and mustard was added to the plate just to dip my vegetables in.
I enjoyed the sandwich and plan on using the rest of the squirrel meat soon. Not sure what I should do with the other quarter or so pound of it, but I will find a use. Might just eat more of it with my veggies.
Special thanks to @ryulincoln for getting me the meat. I am giving him half the rewards to this post.
He says some people will trade deer meat for squirrel meat. I think I need to eat some more of it to really tell if I like it or not. But my stomach handled it okay and I feel good the next day.
Any particular taste notable on from the meat? Like if you were blindfolded you would know the difference if what you are chewing is chicken vs pork?
I ate snake meat but it was hard to tell if I was eating a slimy version of chicken, it had a subtle smell even when cleaned properly.
Some exotic foods I tried were rabbits, snakes, and monitor lizards. There are other types of meat I wouldn't mention on casual conversation but the hint is that I live in Southeast Asia so we got some interesting animal meat sources around.
Never going to try eating bats.
Hmm, its similar to pork but the diet of mostly nuts gives it a very mild taste. It's easy to eat when slow cooked like I did in my crockpot.
I tried snake as well, had rattlesnake and it was pretty good too.
Have not tried lizard but I have had rabbit and snake now. Hehe I'll need to try lizard simetime.
Sounds healthier than pork meat. Got me more curious about what squirrels taste now. Lizards are smelly to clean and the taste needs getting used to. I found the meat only good when it is cooked by someone used to handling the meat like breeders and local hunters.
Crickets are ok. Healthy, crunchy, and juicy when spiced right. These things are omnivores and mostly infest near crops. If you ever travel to a place that serves them, ask where they were taken and note what field crops nearby do organic farming. Pesticides and insecticide use may cause some chronic or acute poisoning.
Yeah I think it would be, pigs tend to eat everything and anything while squirrels only eat nuts, fruits and vegetables it would seem.
Interesting about the lizard, I will keep that in mind. The lizards around where I live are very small and not enough meat to even use for eating. They will make good bait for catching fish though.
Crickets are on my list to try. I may try some cricket flour before I try to eat one whole. Seeing those spiked legs makes me think they will grab on my mouth and throat and make me choke.. Not sure if thats something I need to worry about but it comes to mind when eating them.
Good point about sourcing them, that is very important. We try to source our meat as best as possible as you are eating what they ate or were exposed to.
thanks for the insights to these other meats.
awesome.
Thanks alot
I'm imagining filleting that meat, removing all the bones, I didn't know squirrels are really meaty that Much, it's a stunning dish and looks delicious. Was it difficult to catch the squirrel?
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 11/22) Liquid rewards.
We took the skin off and removed its head and organs. Leaving just the meat and skeleton. Then I slow cooked it for 12 hours on low and removed the bones by hand very slowly.
As for how we got it, my friend shot it with a rifle during small game season out at an WMA.
Very interesting - I have not tried it myself, but I know it's popular with some cultures in the SW Wisconsin area. I've been to a few local game feasts (preCovid, of course), but I don't remember squirrel. I'll have to look into it more...sounds interesting to try. Thanks for the share
I saw some small game hunters that really get into the squirrel meat. After seeing my friend harvest the meat I was amazed how much they got on them.
Yeah people eat squirrels around here too, and I almost went to a wild game dinner like what I think you are describing. I should try to go to one after the covid stuff but once I passed by and it was so busy I was shocked.
Yeah, everything is so different now. The wild game feast we used to attend was held by our local food co op and was buffet style. The wild boar, pheasant, and even the venison was done very well. I'm not much of a hunter myself but love the food. Sadly, I'm not sure when those days will return at our cooperative, but hopefully someday.
Yeah sounds like what we have here. I would love to try more wild game. So far I have had rabbit, snake, squirrel and deer but that's about it.. many more things to try.
Oh I never tried it seems cow meat or pork at a first sight
Yeah right it does look just like normal meat. It has been a nice treat and is easy to to eat.
What kind of food was that, sir? It has never been seen in our country.
Squirrel, really? You dont have them there? I see them all over the United States.
I just wanted you to know, the thumbnail of this post totally looked like a squirrel between two buns.
Aint that funny that we see what we want to see? haha...
It does look like a foot hanging out or the tail or something.. was just a piece of pepper though.
I've never eaten squirrel meat. I think I would have to be quite hungry to get myself to try it.
Its not bad at all, I have just about finished off the container I had of it.
I feel ya, it may not be peoples first choice but good to know its something that can be enjoyed.