Bountiful Bunnies

Rabbit Ribs and Bunny Bacon

Since I’m snowed in for about 6 months, the food that I’ve stockpiled for the animals has to last. One problem though, I’ve kept too many bunnies. It seems to be a common issue among small farmers, feeling the need to keep the ‘good ones’ for future breeding. Though I didn’t want to - I knew I’d need to make cuts.

This one has been deemed a keeper for next year’s breeding

I kept a 4 does from a spring litter that exceeded 8 lbs by fall. Those are some big buns! As I learn about rabbits and their meat, I’ve learned that as a consumer there are different sizes. ‘Fryers’ ring in at 3.5 to 5.5 lbs live, ‘Roasters’ are 5.5 to 9 lbs live, and ‘Stewers’ are a minimum of 8lbs and over 6 months of age. That doesn’t seem very old, but for perspective, rabbits can start breeding as early as 3 months.

I decided to harvest two of the four that I kept. My preferred method to dispatch is a gunshot which unfortunately renders the head useless. My scale broke a couple of months ago so I don’t have specific numbers but they were easily over 6lbs processed. In addition to the bone-in meat, I kept the heart, liver, kidneys, fat and furry hide.

Curt quartered the meat, separating it into 5 parts. Front legs, back legs, loins, ribs, and bacon. I gave the bacon a quick 1-hour brine in salted water before starting the smoker. I cold-smoked it for two hours using mesquite chips. I then moved the meat over to a parchment-lined pan and baked it on low for over an hour- with the belly flaps on the very bottom. I usually like to braise rabbit to keep in moisture, so this felt like a risk. I was happily surprised when it came out of the oven tender.

Bunny bacon. It even sizzled in the pan.

For being a good kitty Luci got the heart, and I made the liver and kidneys into a pâté. The ribs were actually big enough to eat as ribs. Tiny but delicious! The loins were shredded and put onto a pizza. We ate the back legs like a serving of bone-in chicken, with a side of rice. The bacon made a wonderful breakfast, and the rest became a stew.

Man, that’s a lot from one bunny! I’ve tanned the hide and am waiting until I find the right design inspiration before I make it into a hat.

I’ve inserted a ‘paywall’ below, as an example of where paid subscribers will get exclusive content.

If you’re reading this, you’ve chosen to support my work with a paid subscription - MEGA thank you, You Rock! Here’s one of my drawings. I think I’ll have it printed on a silly shirt.