Yesterday I wrote about canning rabbit. Today, I’ll cover what it actually tasted like, and what I did with the first jar I opened.

As I mentioned before, the smell while it was processing was VERY yummy, reminiscent of chicken soup, only without all the extra herbs. Since we use a LOT of canned chicken from the store, this would work into our food storage VERY well. Being that it is completely controlled by me, from conception to the table, including however long we would store the jars before using them, this becomes a more healthy option.

I was very excited about giving this a try. My grandparents had lots of home-canned meats while I was growing up, and we never thought much about it. These days, the thought of home-canned meats instills fear and denial as to the safety of the product. Just this morning, I was speaking about the canned rabbit post with a friend from WV, and she wanted to know what kept it from spoiling. My reply of “The same thing that keeps it safe when you buy it from a can in the store”, failed to instill any trust in her. She said in no uncertain terms that she’d NOT be trying it, I think more from it being a home-canned meat product, rather than being a rabbit. We’ve come so far as a race to have lost touch with where we originated.

Opening the jar, the first thing I realized was that it smelled GOOD! Grabbing a leg bone to pull the rear leg quarter out, all I was able to pull out was the bone itself, the meat was THAT tender. Excellent!

Using a fork, I was able to get all of the meat and bones out of the jar, and easily separated the meat and bones into two piles as I did it, leaving the lovely broth in the jar. Who needs store-bought bullion when you have this? When I opened the jar, I had no idea what I was going to make with the rabbit. Not wanting to waste the tasty broth, I decided to go with my old stand-by – chili.

Since everything is pre-cooked, use the broth to re-hydrate the peppers, add in the spices and rabbit and serve. It’s a very easy to make dish, and is Paleo, having nothing but approved ingredients. I allowed it to cook down a bit, and found it very much the consistency of pulled pork in BBQ sauce. Since I’m the only one in the house that will eat rabbit, I had plenty for my meal, and enough for breakfast the next day.

Yes, I eat chili for breakfast, don’t you?

The canned rabbit is a success, and I’ll be converting more of the bunnies to shelf-stable long term-storage food. I’ll probably try adding some spices to the next batch, as salt only is unimaginative, though very flexible. I tend to eat my canned meats right from the jar at room temperature, they make great quick Paleo snacks. I usually carry a pint jar of chicken thighs in my truck for a quick meal whenever I know I’ll be on the road all day. There is no reason I cannot extend this to the rabbit as well, and if I pre-season it a bit, all the better for the quickie meals.

So be sure to add a pressure canner and rabbits to your list of things to do….its easy, provides a long-term storage option for ANY meat, and delivers a consistent, quality product that makes for convenient meals. And factoring in the re-useable jars, my cost per quart is about $3 per quart, about the same price as a 12 oz can of store-bought canned chicken. When you consider the quality of the meat going in, this wins, hands down.

db

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