I gave a whole rabbit to SB a week or so ago, and he let me know a few days later that he ended up smoking it whole – something I’ve not yet tried, but wanted to do.
One of the things that I was concerned with is that rabbit, being a rather lean meat (but not 100% lean!) , it tends to dry out rather quickly. Most smoking techniques also push products towards the dry end of the scale, so I shied away from making a whole rabbit into the equivalent of rabbit jerky WITH bones. I’m sure I’d eat it, but the presentation tends to go out the window.
SB was VERY proud of the end result. It only took a single taste to realize how justified he was in his pride, the smoked rabbit was magnificent! A lovely smoke flavor, slightly sweet, a little salty, all offset the leanness of the rabbit, and yet it was still moist! Smoked rabbit shouldn’t be this moist! Even my wife and kids tried it and raved! I now had a recipe for cooked rabbit that ladies of my house would eat, happily!
When I asked him his secret, his simple reply made me want to smack myself – he brined it! I’ve been brining turkeys and chickens regularly, I should have thought of this! DOH!
According to the Ultimate Source of ALl Knowledge, Wikipedia (a joke, but this time it’s is pretty close):
In cooking, brining is a process similar to marination in which meat is soaked in brine before cooking. Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. The brine surrounding the cells has a higher concentration of salt than the fluid within the cells, but the cell fluid has a higher concentration of other solutes. This leads salt ions to diffuse into the cell, whilst the solutes in the cells cannot diffuse through the cell membranes into the brine. The increased salinity of the cell fluid causes the cell to absorb water from the brine via osmosis. The salt introduced into the cell also denatures its proteins. The proteins coagulate, forming a matrix that traps water molecules and holds them during cooking. This prevents the meat from dehydrating.
And the last line was all I cared about.
So I am currently brining four more rabbits to be smoked off tomorrow. SB volunteered, how could I say “no” ?? See below for the simple recipe.
The main ingredient, at least the one that does all the magic, is salt. And talk about a magical substance, it does so many things it’s almost unreal. It preserves food, it cleans, it can be used as an antiseptic, it flavors food (duh!), used as an exfoliant, acts as a mordant (without looking it up, what is a mordant? I knew that answer decades ago from reading Foxfire books), the list goes on and on.
It is said we use salt in more than 14,000 different ways.
Many of them are right in your home. Power goes out because Hurricane Isaac ended up turn east and hammering you? Use salt to preserve the meat in your freezer before it spoils. Grease fire? Salt can put it out. Sore throat? Gargle some salt water.
My point is, salt is something you should have on hand, and in fairly significant quantities. Currently , it is almost inconsequential in cost, so stocking up a few pounds shouldn’t kill your wallet. While brining the rabbits, I saw our salt dish was running low, so I topped it off. Checking our salt inventory while in the pantry, I found we have 4 partial containers of various types, and a whole container of Mediterranean sea salt. Total weight is about 8 pounds, some good for direct consumption, some barely OK to eat.
In my opinion, not enough. I’ll be increasing my salt storage soon. And since it stores indefinitely (as long as you keep it dry), you’ll have it when you need it, and you will eventually use it up, so you may as well buy it now. I’ll be getting more…. again, just my opinion. *shrug*
As to the simple brine recipe:
For every cup of water used to cover the item to be brined, add 1 tablespoon of non-iodized salt. Be sure to cover the item completely. Times vary:
- Rabbit: 1-2 days
- Shrimp: 30 minutes
- Whole chicken: 3 to 12 hours
- Chicken parts: 1 to 2 hours
- Quail or doves : 2 hours
- Turkey (12 to 14 pounds): 24 hours
- Pork chops (1-inch thick): 4 to 6 hours
- Whole pork tenderloin: 6 to 12 hours
- Whole pork roast: 2 to 4 days
Additionally, you can add in other flavors, such as garlic, onion, peppercorns, hot pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, mustard seed, coriander seed, juniper berries, ginger, cinnamon, clove, vanilla bean, or about any flavor you think might taste good. A sweetener, such as brown sugar, honey or molasses can add some sweetness to help contrast the saltiness the brine gives the meat. I tend to avoid sweeteners now due to my Paleo diet, but I used to add honey all the time. Alton Brown brined a turkey once, and s the reason I started doing it.
I love Alton 🙂
An update – the four brined rabbits that were smoked after turned into a family miracle! The girls ALL ate it, loved, and went back for more! Smoked rabbit that was brined yields a moist, tasty treat that is very similar to good smoked bacon.
I call THAT a winner!