How to Clean a Squirrel
Squirrel season is always exciting for squirrel-hunting enthusiasts and there is no end to the ways one can prepare squirrel meat as part of a nutritious meal for your family. Organic and fresh, you know that the meat has not been adulterated in any way as opposed to meats you'll find at the grocery store. Cleaning a squirrel is a snap once you get the hang of it and the pattern can be adapted for cleaning other small game you may need to dress out. Read the following article for information on how to clean a squirrel.
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Instructions
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Lay the squirrel on its back in front of you on the floor or on a table preferably. Have the back legs toward your body with the head away from you.
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Place the point of your fillet knife at the rib cage between the squirrel's front legs and holding the skin up with one hand; make a slit and cut straight down the belly towards the hind legs.
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Reach into the body cavity and pull out the entrails very carefully, making sure not to squeeze or pierce the bladder or the bile duct as this will ruin the meat. Place the entrails in a trash bag and use for fish bait if you wish.
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Cut the head and the front and hind legs off at the elbow and knee joints and discard in the trash bag. Cut off the tail and discard. Make a slit up the entire back and peel off each half individually.
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Wash the carcass immediately in cool running water or a bucket of fresh water to clean any blood or residual tissue from the meat.
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Soak squirrels in a bowl of vinegar and water on arrival home from your hunting trip. This will take the gamy wild taste from the meat and also soften the meat especially, if you have a squirrel older than one year, as these may be a little tough. Soaking in cold vinegar water will also cool the squirrels down fast.
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Tips & Warnings
Field dress your squirrels as this cools the carcass down quicker than leaving the guts inside the cavity.
Resources
- Photo Credit squirrel image by michele goglio from Fotolia.com
