Possum Jowel Gumbo
Mmmmmm....
/s
Posted on 02/19/2022 9:11:38 PM PST by nickcarraway
Most New Yorkers may consider them rats with fluffy tails, but, elsewhere, squirrel has become a chic new menu item.
As part of a growing ethical dining trend, chefs have begun serving up dishes made with the North American gray squirrel, an invasive species.
“My original starting point with gray squirrel was taste. But it’s also great for the environment,” renowned Scottish chef Paul Wedgwood told the Guardian of the inspiration for adding gray squirrel to the menu of his Edinburgh restaurant Royal Mile in 2008. “It’s mellow, nutty and a bit gamey. It’s just a really nice flavor, and it’s easy to match,” added Wedgwood, who has even made squirrel haggis. “Anyone who’s doing rabbit could just easily swap in squirrel.” In addition to being a tasty alternative for some more commonly used meats, eating squirrel in the UK also offers moral flavor: The rodent is significantly to blame for causing the local extinction of England and Wales’ native red squirrel in large swaths of the nation.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
when you’re dining on squirrel... you might’ve chosen poorly at the ballot box
Squirrels taste fine…nothing wrong with eating them.
Possum Jowel Gumbo
Mmmmmm....
/s
Why not? Cats and snakes live healthy lives dining on rodents. Protein in any form is useful.
Possum is NASTY. Right down there with Canadian geese. Big red squirrels are the way to go. Not enough meat on grey to butcher.
If a meat is gamey I’m out. I like gamey not even a little bit.
Break it up with rodent on a stick!!!
I love squirrel. Cooked properly with a good gravy its delish.
I believe you.
Possums are just plain nasty creatures all the way.
No gray squirrels only. Even skinni gmthem they have a gamey stench to them
It’s just the opposite where we are- grays have way more meat than the red squirrels which are half their size. Reds around here aren’t much bigger than a chipmunk.
They should taste good too as they have been getting fat on bird seed and grain. I’m still looking for a wayto make them less gamey tasting. One suggestion was soak in vermouth overnight. Gonna try that next. But really, these squirrels stink when processing them- hard to describe the odor-like a really sweaty wet animal- quite pungent. Pressure coo,ingmthem makes them very tender, even the front ,egs, but I tried them fried 2 ways recently and they were very tough- someone with false teeth likely,couldn’t eat it cooked that way. Unless I’m getting really old squirrels or something, I dunno why they were so game and tough
Beware of French cooks offering snails.
He was referring to fox squirrels, which have red fur and are frequently called “red squirrels” in their territory. This is because the actual red squirrel isn’t in the same range. An actual red squirrel is smaller than the grey ones.
And you have to look out for shotgun pellets as well, if you hunt your own.
Ah OK. Those are large. They might be more tender too if they don’t squabble constantly like grays do chasing each other around all day fighting over food. Imwonder,if,theirmfood,I wonder,,, makes them less gamey tasting too.
I use a .25 cal pellet rifle- does a great job and doesn’t fragment so no stray lead to watch out for. I have a .22 pellet rifle too, but it’s a bit too underpowered for hunting in my opinion (although there,is a,pellet,that looks like it might get the job done, havent tried it yet thohgh) The .25 is a beast for small game with the righ pellets.
Wow,that post got mangled, meant to say at the end “I wonder if their food source makes them less gamey too?”
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