Muskrat

[dozer]

Has anybody smoked muskrat before, if so do you have a recipe for it?

[hal4uk]

I had some Muskrat Love once...

[Quarlow]

No but I smoked a barn rat once with my shotgun. Wasn't much left so no recipe was required.

[KevinG]

I've got 6 recipes for muskrat, none of them smoked, and never tried any of them. Don't think we've got them critters down here, at least I've never run across them.

[Caribou]

Welcome to the forum Dozer!
I looked a little on google with not a lot of luck.
I wonder if a smoked rabbit recipe would work?
Hopefully someone in the forum can point you in a good direction with some more ideas.
Carolyn

[dozer]

Thanks for the replies hopefully someone has something. KevinG if you have some recipes please post them.

[hal4uk]

Hey Dozer...

from wikipedia...
Muskrat meat is said to taste like rabbit or duck. In the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, there is a longstanding dispensation allowing Catholics to consume muskrat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent (when the eating of meat, except for fish, is prohibited): because the muskrat lives in water, it is considered equivalent to fish.[9]

Why not just try using a rabbit or duck smoking recipe?

[KevinG]

Thanks for the replies hopefully someone has something. KevinG if you have some recipes please post them.

I'll dig em up and put them on as soon as I get home.

[KevinG]

OK, here they are. Nothing fancy.

Fried
1) Cut pieces into serving sizes
2) Soak in vinegar for at least 2 hours in the fridge preferably overnight.
3) Rinse and dry
4) sprinkle on some salt and pepper then coat with flour
5) Put some oil in your pan, just enough to coat the bottom (I suggest bacon grease) and 1/2 chopped onion
6) On high heat brown on all sides
7) Turn heat down to low and cook for another hour or until cook through

BBQ
1) Cut pieces into serving sizes
2) Brown in hot grease on all sides (bacon grease again)
3) Place in a roasting pan and cover with your favorite BBQ sauce and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until tender. (Baste often)

Baked
1) Cut up in quarters
2) parboil with 1 chopped onion for 1/2 hour
3) Drain
4) Coat with flour
5) Wrap each piece in bacon and place in a roasting pan
6) Add 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup water
7) Bake in oven at 375 until cooked through

Fried
1) Cut in quarters
2) Soak in salted water overnight
3) Rinse and dry
4) Sprinkle with salt and pepper
5) mix 2 eggs with 1/2 cup of milk
6) Soak pieces in egg/milk mixture
7) coat pieces with cornmeal
8) Brown all sides on high heat in hot grease (again bacon)
9) Reduce heat to low and cook for another hour or until cooked through.

After reading the other 2, they are very similar to two of the ones listed above. Hope these will work for you.

[dozer]

Thanks KevinG for the recipes,I'll try them. Our local Lion's club does a Marshhare Night (muskrat) every year which is a sell out with a long waiting list for tickets.( someone has to die before you can get a ticket) Muskrat is very good the way do it but it's a guarded secert how they do it. I'm going to try one of your recipes and add smoking to it. Thanks again, Bob.