Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <meat><barbecue><rabbit>
Title: How do you prepare a rabbit?
Question: A family member gave me a couple rabbits to cook and I'm not sure how to prepare them. I'd prefer something on the smoker or grill. Do I marinate, rub, brine? I'm just not sure how to prepare it.

Answers:
sents: text: For Easter, a friend and I cooked rabbits.
text: We marinated for 72 hours in buttermilk, dijon, rosemary, and sage (NO SALT).
text: Then boned them out and spatchcocked them (sort of a butterfly, with skewers to hold the flat spread out shape), seasoned, and roasted at 350 until done.
text: Moist, flavourful.
text: Served with parsnip puree, rosemary potatoes roasted in duck fat, and sorry
text: but I forget the other veg we used.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/None/
score: 8
sents: text: I can't tell you what to do
text: but I can tell you one thing not to do:
text: don't chop up the bones, they're very brittle and if you do you'll end up with little shards of bone all over the place; especially bad if you make a rabbit stew; joint the bones instead.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/516/clarke ching
score: 7
sents: text: You need to be careful to make sure it doesn't dry out, as they generally aren't particularly fatty.
text: If you joint it so that the pieces aren't too thick, or splay it out well, you should be able to grill it so you get a good taste on the outside and cook all the way through before it goes dry.
text: Marinading can help, although I just like rabbit rubbed with salt and pepper.
text: I've not used a smoker before, but I suspect you'd have to leave the meat in their for too long to get a good smokiness, so that may not work.
text: I've made rabbit pie before, with sausage meat and rabbit mixed together, which worked rather well.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/564/cowfish
score: 4
sents: text: Cook it using any chicken recipe.
text: Used to make fried chicken for my kids using rabbit.
text: Also jambalaya and stew.
text: We all loved it.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/7092/Frankie
score: 2
sents: text: If making rabbit stew, soaking the rabbit in salted water before disjointing it will make it easier to prepare.
text: Also cooking it slowly, at a low to medium heat will keep the meat tender.
text: If cooking from a whole rabbit, once the rabbit has been gutted the insides should be cleaned with vinegar and it should be thoroughly rinsed.
text: Marinating it will also keep the meat tender.
text: I'm not sure
text: but I think smoking it would dry it out too much.
text: Stewing works best ime, but if roasting it it needs a lot of basting and checking to make sure it's not drying out.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/552/Gerbil
score: 1
sents: text: Rabbit is pretty lean, so you'll need a slow wet technique.
text: I've made a great Spanish rabbit stew, which is basically rabbit joints, tomato sauce and about 2 cups of dry cured olives.
text: I'll look up the recipe and edit tomorrow.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1148/Chris Cudmore
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
Rabbit is a lean meat that can dry out easily, so use a slow wet technique for marinading or cooking. A marinade of buttermilk, dijon, rosemary, and sage without salt is good, and you should baste often when roasting. Stewing is a popular option, but smoking might dry it out too much. For stew, soak the rabbit in brine first to make it easier to prepare.
When cooking rabbit, a wet cooking technique is best to avoid drying out the meat.