smoked rabbit

[wild bill]

just wondering if anyone has tried smoking rabbit before and if anyone has a brine or marinade. i kept the loins from the rabbits i got last weekend and want to try smoking them. i would think you could use any marinade that would work for turkey or goose breasts. so does anyone have any marinades?

[Salmonsmoker]

Bill,

In the old days, the brine was to preserve the meat and many of the older books suggest brines strong enough to do just that. Today we use refrigerators to preserve food so brine-strengths can be reduced to a level that enhances the flavor without making food too salty.

A basic brine for most foods - perhaps a starting place - is 1 cup seasoned salt (There is a recipe for seasoned salt in the Other forum - don't use 1 cup of plain salt or it will be too salty) to 3 QTS of water. For Rabbit, I prefer to replace the water with cider - gives the rabbit an excellent falvor - and then use apple or other fruit wood for the smoke.

[wild bill]

thanks salmon. i will give it a try. did you ever grind mushrooms with your venison burger?

[Salmonsmoker]

Wild Bill,

I have added dried morrel powder to burgers - gives them an excellent flavor. Also, dired cherries make an excellent addition.