SKINNING RABBITS

[tiercel]

Skinning first then gutting has one drawback. If the rabbit has been shot or caught with a lurcher, there is a chance that the gut has been punctured. If the gut has been punctured and the rabbit is left un gutted for any lenth of time, 10 mins is enough it leaves a taint on the meat that makes the rabbit inedable. That is why i always gut a rabbit as soon as its caught.

[old rooster]

If you are carrying a lot of rabbits about you're only too glad to get rid of the guts as soon as possible

 

I can carry 30 gutted rabbits with my kit but get a bit of a sweat on with many more.

[arjimlad]

Can someone help me with what to do to get the blood out of the meat. I clean the skinned carcass under a tap but this still leaves blood.

 

I have tried soaking it in salty water which does draw the blood out, but the meat absorbs a lot of water.

 

When in a freezer bag the bones can puncture the bag and that can lead to bloody water dripping out everywhere ! This is embarrassing when bringing meat into work for colleagues for example.

 

What's the best way of getting all the blood out & drying the meat before freezing it ?

 

Thanks

[jim_whitson]

I'm not sure about rabbits per se, but in general you're meant to slit the

creature's throat as soon as you kill it, to drain the blood. I'd guess that

bleeding and gutting it in the feild would do the job, but others here must

know about rabbits in particular... Hope that helps. :-)

[arjimlad]

Thanks Jim, I'll give that a go. I usually paunch the rabbit in the field.

[Axe]

I was taking a gander at an old cook book last night and noticed that it mentioned hanging the rabbit for 3-4 days. After reading some of the posts about gutting as quickly as possible to avoid nasty tastes etc. I assume that the hung rabbit should be gutted first.

 

Is it better to hang for the 3-4 days? and is there a specific way to hang?

 

Appologies if this sounds a daft question, but i've always been used to getting my meat on Polystyrene trays!!!!

 

Cheers n Beers

 

Axe.

[game_boy]

If you want to get rid of the blood try this. Once shot cut the head off and hang it off a fence to let it drain out. Then paunch it a little later on. Usually I leave the rabbits for about 10-15 minutes while I shoot some more then the organs absorb alot of the blood and the p*sh bag is easier to drain I find. Other than that I dont know what else you might do.

 

I only hang my rabbits over night alowing them to chill down in the shed then cut them up for the dogs the next day. Never thought that hanging would apply to rabbits just a 24 hr job if anything.

 

cheers,

gb.

[Guest Mr Pieman]

Arjimlad,

to stop the meat being a bloody mess in the bag, why not put it in something else?

 

I put the meat on a polystyrene tray with a small absorbent mat underneath it. The mat soaks up any excess meat juices or blood, leaving the bunnies looking very edible and tidy - presentation is everything

 

As for the cost, its negligible, I just add 5p to the price to cover the tray and mat!

 

Incidentally, I sell a lot of rabbits to Blgium and they INSIST the guts are left in - if they are paunched they won't take them. I think the meat 'tainting' thing is personal preference and have never noticed any discernable difference IMHO

 

Cheers

 

PP

[Rabbitbowler]

Do you use anything for preserving the pelt's i have allways wanted to try a fox but i thought the smell might be over powering in my shed

[mr fixit]

ok guys answer me this one,if you prepare "A" rabbit how do you get the smell off your hands???,if you do several,why when you answer the call of nature the next day do you get a blast of "eau de rabbit guts",sorry if this upsets some of our delicate readers,but its a fact of rabbit preparation that iv'e noticed for years and and never found an answer to,cheers ,terry

[RAMMER BURT]

:Das soon as i shot a rabbit out with the guts as long as the **** bag is undamaged the meat should be fine then i soak the meat in salt water over night then straight in the freezer i always use latex gloves when gutting and a peg on the nose even after all this time of shooting and gutting game i cant stand the smell

[Axe]

ok guys answer me this one,if you prepare "A" rabbit how do you get the smell off your hands???,if you do several,why when you answer the call of nature the next day do you get a blast of "eau de rabbit guts",sorry if this upsets some of our delicate readers,but its a fact of rabbit preparation that iv'e noticed for years and and never found an answer to,cheers ,terry

I recently watched Saturday Morning Kitchen rather the Irish girl on after and she gave out a tip for getting rid of odours from your hands....simply rub them on a stainless steel object. It works on all sorts Garlic, Ginger, Fish, etc. so why not rabbit.

 

If you look in Tesco's and the like they sell hollow stainless egg's for this purpose, of course you could always use a small stainless tube or similar.

 

Maybe its worth a go?!

 

Regards,

 

Axe.

[Dunkield]

I was given one of those 'magic' stainless steel bars they work a treat!

 

Anyone who wears contact lenses will know about the pain of putting a finger into your eye after handling chilli's even after a good scrubbing with soap. Use one of those bars and you are fine.

 

They sell them in most large hardware shops.

[johnskevena]

OK, heres how you skin for keeping the pelts.

 

Make an incision from the end of one leg, under the ********, and up the other side.

 

Ease off the skin to the tail, trim the sinews back around the tail to expose the tailbone, and pull the tail from the bone as shown here between your finger and thumb.

 

Pull the skin back over the head

 

Cut off the ears at the base and peel back over the head, trimming round the eyelids, nose and lips, being careful not to cut them.

 

Peel away sinew from the skin (pay particular care around the hindquarters as the skin in this area is easily torn), and flesh from round the base of the ears.

 

Finished tanned skin. (no, the skin is from the actual bunny in the picture and not one I did earlier!!)

Brilliant post :blink:

[stevethevanman]

Hi, I think I am the newist kid on the block and as far as skinning rabbits goes I just skin them to get the meat out, I am not concerned about keeping pelts, and using special skinning methods or any thing like that.

 

And as far as eating cats goes, It just makes me shudder.

[Mosbergman]

dont knock any sort of meat till you try it!

 

Alot of people think that rabbit is not an eating meat!¬!¬¬¬!!!!

[dusk2dawn]

I tend to slice the rabbit from kinda in between the back legs upwards, then take hold of the front legs in one hand, and the back legs in the other, then quick it a short, sharp swing which normally removes them

 

 

If you hold the rabbit as described then "pre tension " by arching its back , it before flicking it away from you its easier as this opens the cavity D2D

[chunk]

I always gut mine on the farm. Lay them on the cold garage floor overnight, then skin them in the morning. I take a small bag of disposible rubber gloves for gutting. Slit the belly and scoop it all out. The gloves then can be turned inside out as they come off. No goopy steering wheel.

When i skin i fill the sink with cold salted water for them to soak in a while. Cut the glands out at the tail root.

Wash up with ordinary detergent, and can honestly say there is no rabbit smell on my hands or anything else. Just done some this morning. Think its the salt water that does it.

[blackthorn]

ok guys answer me this one,if you prepare "A" rabbit how do you get the smell off your hands???,if you do several,why when you answer the call of nature the next day do you get a blast of "eau de rabbit guts",sorry if this upsets some of our delicate readers,but its a fact of rabbit preparation that iv'e noticed for years and and never found an answer to,cheers ,terry :o

sitting here with my head rested against my right hand after gutting and skinning a couple of rabbits, reading this, started sniffing my hand yep your right there is a slight odor not enough to put me of this cheese and onion sarnie tho

[steverimfire]

ive tried several methods, the end result is the same, one mistake i wont make again is putting the knife in too far in the stomach, oh the smell! not nice skinning pregnant rabbits either, one thing i always do now is wear thin disposable gloves, the smell on your hands is hard to wash off

[Quist]

I've got a pair of stainless hooks I use for deer and rabbits. The hook is a rounded z shape with one end pointed for piercing the deer's hocks.

I hang the hook over a branch at chest height and stick the rabbits head in the V of the other bit of hook.

Then I pinch the chest fur and make a cut. Then pulling the skin away, I get the tip of the knife under and cut down towards the bum hole a little ways.

Then I pull the fur apart and tear so that I leave the guts still inside their skin but all exposed round each side.

Then cut the stomach skin till the guts start to spill out.

Two fingers up into the chest to hook out heart and lights.

Check the liver for spots as it comes out.

With the guts still hanging intact squeeze bladder to empty and push finger down into bum cavity from the inside. You will feel all the currants pushing forwards and you can shove most of them out.

One cut and it all drops to the floor and the bunny goes in the bag.

 

When I get home, out comes the board and the chopper. One chop each paw and head.

Then tear skin at chin and peel back around first one leg then the other. Then pull it round the back and grasping both forelegs, pull skin back untill you get to tail.

Grab chopper. One chop at rear of rib cage, one chop at rear of saddle, one chop either side of spine leaving about 5mm of spine in centre with skin and tail still atached.

 

Sounds longer than it is. Takes about 2 minutes to pouch and about three minutes to skin and joint.

Not fancy but, when you've got a whole lot to do, quick and dirty is best.

[lurcherboy]

ive tried several methods, the end result is the same, one mistake i wont make again is putting the knife in too far in the stomach, oh the smell! not nice skinning pregnant rabbits either, one thing i always do now is wear thin disposable gloves, the smell on your hands is hard to wash off

 

 

Wash hands in tomato juice :unsure:

 

 

 

 

LB

[pin]

Each to their own...

 

Apprehend

 

Your chosen method to make them stay still long enough. Pee them out, do this now and you can't split the full bladder when paunching. Hold by font legs and press thumb and forefinger down-over belly. Repeat until all pee out.

 

Paunch

 

In at end of rib cage, one sharp stab then angle knife upover so you don't split the **** sack. Out with the guts pinching just below the livers to keep intact.

 

Skin

 

Remove front and rear legs at first joint, remove head. With rabbit on its belly pinch a good clump of fur/skin half way down its back and lift, with right hand and knife cut longitudinally under left thumb and forefinger. Grab the cut you just made, hooking fingers in both sides and pull apart.

 

Finish

 

Nick the tail bone and remove the rest of the ****. Remove the scent glands and remove the heart/lungs.

 

Done :unsure:

[Bigmike]

Each to their own...

 

Apprehend

 

Your chosen method to make them stay still long enough. Pee them out, do this now and you can't split the full bladder when paunching. Hold by font legs and press thumb and forefinger down-over belly. Repeat until all pee out.

 

Paunch

 

In at end of rib cage, one sharp stab then angle knife upover so you don't split the **** sack. Out with the guts pinching just below the livers to keep intact.

 

Skin

 

Remove front and rear legs at first joint, remove head. With rabbit on its belly pinch a good clump of fur/skin half way down its back and lift, with right hand and knife cut longitudinally under left thumb and forefinger. Grab the cut you just made, hooking fingers in both sides and pull apart.

 

Finish

 

Nick the tail bone and remove the rest of the ****. Remove the scent glands and remove the heart/lungs.

 

Done

I live in Whitby and have worked with a lot of fish and smoked fish - your hands can stink, those "stainless bars of soap" are amazing. The smell is just gone, don't know how, but they work. A great thread but as has been said there are more than one way to skin a cat!

[Sundowner]

I do it the same way pin does it. But in future I think I'll try these funny gloves