Man’s best friend. If you are a dog person, you understand this phrase. (If you are a cat person, why are you even here? You should be in therapy NOW!)

Until last year, I had been without a dog in my life for almost two decades, and I thought that was OK. Since adding Muse to the household, I’ve forgotten what a joy they can be, as well as a functioning part of a working urbanstead and household.

To cut it short, I love my dog. Not in a “dress her up and treat her like she is one of my kids” way, but in a “I love my guns, I love my truck, and I love my dog” way. Only my truck and guns cannot interact with me.

So I wanted to make something nice for the dog that helps keep my farm and family safe. Since I had a surplus of rabbits and a shortage of freezer space, I opted to make her some dried rabbit treats. Here is the method I used.

Having the time, resources, and rabbits readily available, I decided to strike out into uncharted meat drying territory. A quick search showed nothing of the sort of methodology I had in mind, so I had to improvise. I wanted to used a crock pot to allow me to remove all of the meat from the bones before drying the meat. Deboning a rabbit is a skill I’ve yet to master to my acceptable level, and honestly, when I started this project, I had a streak of laziness in me. I’ve always considered laziness to be the mother of invention, not necessity.

• So take one rabbit, or two, depending on the size of the rabbit and the size of the crock pot. Just be sure to have the crock pot less than half full when the rabbits are in it.
• Add some garlic cloves. These help prevent fleas, right? They also add a nice flavor.
• Add a bit of chicken stock for moisture.
• Cook on high for 4-5 hours. It is done when you grab a leg bone (careful they will be HOT) and it pulls out cleanly, leaving all meat behind.
• Allow to cool and remove all of the bones. You will be left with a pile of meat that looks like lean pulled pork. Feel free to snack on this, setting some aside to dip in your favorite BBQ sauce. I did.
• Again with a lazy streak, I then put all of the meat into our KitchenAid stand mixer to combine the rest of the ingredients.
• Add spices your dog will like. Mine seems to like cumin, chili powder, home ground of course, a bit of salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
• Using a jerky gun to make for a uniform end product, lay out the jerky in strips on your racks.
• Dry on low (120-ish) for 2+ days. I wanted a VERY dry product, since I used no preservatives other than a pinch of salt (not enough to prevent spoilage). Some folks are ranting right now about safe temperatures. If this worries you, dry it at 155.
• After a couple days, test for dryness. Since rabbit is so lean, it should crumble like a cracker.
• Taste one. I ended up eating several. I wasn’t overly impressed.
• Feed one to the dog. Muse was following me around for hours begging. I think she WAS impressed.

I’ve priced out quality dog treats, and the non-grain ones are fairly pricey, more than I’d pay for a steak per pound. I love my dog, but I refuse to pay more for my dog’s food than I do for my family. The human ones. This batch, one rabbit, yielded about a pound of treats. MY cost consisted of about $4 for the rabbit, maybe $0.25 in spices, and about $0.25 in electric to run the dehydrator. Call if $5 per pound total. I call that acceptable, particularly when you consider the quality of the ingredients.

This makes me AND the dog happy…

db

OK, In truth, I tried making a batch of rabbit jerky for myself. I didn’t like the outcome, so opted to turn the failed project into a positive one. The dog DOES love the treats. I, however, find the texture far too dry and crumbly for my taste. The flavor is also a bit bland, but doesn’t seem to phase the dog any. And I will make it again for her. It was a simple process, and took very little actual time. And if you look at it as a dog treat, it IS a mighty fine thing, healthy, inexpensive, and well-received by the (new) target audience. I may even send some out as gifts for the family pooches around the holidays. And, I still keep tasting them to figure out what is wrong 😛

Hillbillys waste very little.

So, as Paul Harvey would have out it, now you know the REST of the story…