# How long after butchering........



## Jeffery8mm (Jan 30, 2006)

How long do you wait after you process your rabbit till you eat it. Heres why I ask.... Tonight I processed my first litter of rabbits ever  . My wife took one of them and fried it. It was tough, not tender to me at all. The rabbit was a 9 week old NZW. We always allow our venison that I bring home to age about 3 to 5 days. The rabbit we fried was killed at 7 pm and was in the frying pan at 7:15 Pm. Mayhaps we should have "aged" the meat. I figure we cooked it so soon that rigormotise had not even set in yet, causing the toughness. What are your thoughts on this??

Thanks

Jeff


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## LAPinell (Jun 3, 2006)

My mom and I butcher our NZW and wait about two hours afterwords to eat them (if we eat them right after the butchering). I asked her why one day and she explained that rigamortis(sp) (the stiffening of the muscles after death) had to be gone through, that you don't want to eat a rabbit during that process. That's probably why the rabbit was so tough.
Also it might have been the way your wife cooked it. I know the first time my mom cooked rabbit, we didn't want to touch it - not only was it tough but it tasted odd. After a while she found some good recipes for it (the casserole is especially good) and now I'll eat it knowing what it is. (If you let my dad know what it is, he wont eat it even though he eats about everything.) Also she made broth with the meat, and its real good too. 
Let me know if you want to see the recipes and I'll ask my mom for them and any advice to go along with them.

LP


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

with poultry and goats you eather want to cook the meat EMEDEATLY after butchering BEFORE rigger starts, or you need to wait at least a day or two till after its all done, then both ways you need to cook it right,
the amino acids or what ever it is in the muscles that tighten things up are what makes it tough, so you need to eather cook BEFORE which amounts to Kill, clean fast, and emediatly into the pot, or put on ice, in bags in the fridge for a day or two,


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## scribbage (Apr 19, 2006)

I've cooked a fresh kill - several times --- but i've used a slow cook - oven process. Cook til it falls off the bones - Yummy and Tender.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Perhaps the cooking temperature was too hot. Rabbit is a very dense meat, with less moisture and less fat than chicken. If you fry it you may find that lowering the temperature a bit results in a more tender meal. You certainly processed it quickly enough that rigor mortis should not have had time to set in. 

You may find that rabbit is nicer if it is seared, deglazed with a bit of apple juice and then covered and cooked on low heat. Fresh thyme is especially good with rabbit.


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## Jeffery8mm (Jan 30, 2006)

I think Maggie is right about the temp thing. Even my wife said the grease was TOO hot!!

Experimentation, right?

Jeff


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## CountryHaven (Jul 17, 2005)

24 hours. It is the best if refridgerated for 24 hours prior to cooking or freezing. I just slaughtered a pen yesterday and am preparing to make stew tonight and put the rest in the freezer. (Pelts can be frozen as well to hold up until you have enough for a batch to tan.)


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