# Q: Side (belly) meat uses?



## denglish (Feb 20, 2013)

Dear HT Members,
I butchered my first rabbits last weekend. There were four of them and all were in the 5-6 lb live weight range. I froze most of the meat but also made oven-fried rabbit and last night we made hasenpfeffer. I was wondering what, if any, uses people have found for the belly meat. I ate some fried and then made a batch of jerky with the rest. The jerky was okay. Does anybody have any other cooking suggestions for the belly meat? Perhaps rabbit bacon?

Thanks


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## Treewhisper (Nov 24, 2010)

stirfry, rabbit sausage or dog food


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## RitzieAnn (Mar 5, 2013)

Like the sides? I just slice it for stir fry. If I'm too lazy to do that, it gets stuffed back into the rib cage & a friend of ours who feeds raw to his dogs comes & gets it. 

I haven't tried jerky, but would think it's not so good, since it's so lean, wouldn't it be more dry?


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## scarlet812 (Feb 18, 2013)

I've never had rabbit jerky, but my husband makes deer jerky and that is a very lean meat, so I would think it could be done. I love a teriyaki flavored jerky; we marinate the meat for about 24 hours before making it into jerky. Yummy!


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## FloridaHillbill (Dec 5, 2012)

RitzieAnn said:


> I haven't tried jerky, but would think it's not so good, since it's so lean, wouldn't it be more dry?



Jerky IS lean meat...and is a dried product. 

Rabbit makes fantastic jerky! I have folks that pester me on a regular basis for more. If you wanted a niche market to make money from rabbits, rabbit jerky could be the answer, depending on your local food regs. 

I've make it from whole cuts of meat as well as grinding it and using a jerky gun. I get better results, and a more uniform product, from the ground meat version.


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## dkhern (Nov 30, 2012)

i seperate the rib cages and freeze till i have enough for dumplings then put all of the ribcages in pot and boil till pull off bone tinder. let cool pull off bone and meat goes back into pot with dumplings and other stuff. bones go to dogs.


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## denglish (Feb 20, 2013)

When I made jerky with the belly meat it was a little oily but was also very tough and chewy. I gave some to my neighbor and he really liked it so maybe there is a market for it. I was thinking I might take about 6 belly flaps and smoke them and then stack them and cut it like bacon and see how my neighbor likes "rabbit bacon".


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## Fetherhd (Aug 16, 2012)

I leave it attached to the ribs as they are usually less meaty and it compensates for the person who gets this part in when roasted, fried or BBQed....(usually me!! the forequarter is my fav part of the rabbit)


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## TroutRiver (Nov 26, 2010)

For jerky, it's best to use lean meat that's very thinly sliced against the grain (think of a steak). That gives it a better texture and makes it less chewey and easier to bite. I would think rabbit belly meat would make pretty chewey jerky because of the grain, but I've never made it. Fat will make jerkey spoil (and depending on the animal, it may give it a gamey taste), so you want to use the leanest meat possible. 

I haven't had a ton of experience with rabbit meat yet, but I would think sausage might be your best choice if you saved the belly meat from several rabbits.


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