We had some squirrel harvested at Thanksgiving time in Missouri while at deer camp, and I was wondering what is the best recipe around for squirrel these days? Answer: Squirrel Pies by Hank Shaw. And if that doesn’t sound awesome to you, Hank has many other great squirrel recipes.
First, clean them and remove the scent glands. Or try this method from Meat Eater:
https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/small-game/video-how-to-skin-a-squirrel-in-1-minute
Hank Shaw is one of my favorite game cooking writers and we have all of his books. If you don’t subscribe to his site, you should.
Now the way of a man with a woman is hard, so if you find yourself needing a little solitude you get get up off the couch and do something useful like putting food on the table for the family, as that’s one thing they don’t often complain about a man doing, even if they’re just squirrels. So go out and get some squirrels for the pot.
If Hank doesn’t inspire you enough, there’s the World Championship Squirrel Cook Off, held every September in Springdale, Arkansas. Squirrels are versatile could be in the kitchen. They soak up flavors beautifully. We have experimented with a range of recipes, from squirrel steaks to soups, eventually deciding on tamales fried in bear fat, paired with a crema made from ancho chiles, red chiles, red peppercorns, chili powder, and tomato bouillon. These culinary experts competing in Arkansas crafted everything from squirrel and waffles to squirrel al pastor, and each dish was a delight.
Ingredients
DOUGH
1/2 cup acorn flour
1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour, or regular AP flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup duck fat, lard, butter or shortening
FILLING
3 tablespoons bacon fat
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1 cup minced yellow or white onion
3/4 pound shredded and chopped squirrel meat
1 cup diced Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored
1/2 cup toasted, chopped black walnuts
1/2 teaspoon Cavender’s seasoning, or black pepper
1/2 cup warm squirrel stock
2 teaspoons molasses
1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
Instructions
MAKE THE DOUGH
Mix the flours, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a small pot, heat the milk until it’s steaming, then turn off the heat. Stir in the fat until it’s mostly melted in; a few bits that aren’t melted are fine.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry with a fork until it’s a shaggy mass. Knead this all together until you have a smooth ball, then shape it into a cylinder. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set it in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
MAKE THE FILLING
Heat the bacon fat in a large pan over medium-high heat and add the cabbage and onions. Saute until softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Salt this as it cooks. Add the squirrel meat, apple, walnuts and Cavender’s seasoning (or black pepper), stir well and cook for a few minutes.
Stir the sorghum syrup in with the stock until combined, then pour this into the pan with everything else. Stir this well and let it cook another few minutes so the ingredients absorb the liquid. Turn off the heat and let the filling cool.
MAKE THE PIES
If you have a tortilla press, get it out and cut a heavy plastic bag apart to make two plastic sheets that you’ll use to keep the dough off the metal of the press. If you don’t have a press, lay out a work space and flour it well.
Cut the dough into anywhere between 8 and 10 pieces, trying to keep them about the same size. Put half the pieces back in the fridge. Roll a piece into a flat, disc and set it on a piece of plastic on the press. Put the other piece of plastic over it and squash the dough into a thin disc. I find that I do one squeeze, then adjust the dough so it’s perfectly centered in the tortilla press.
If you don’t have a press, roll the dough balls into flat discs about 1/8 of an inch thick.
Remove the dough from the plastic and put about 1/4 cup of filling on one side of the disc. Sprinkle some shredded cheese on top if you’d like. Fold over the dough to make a half-moon and seal. Crimp the edges with a fork and set on a floured baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Bake at 400F for 25 minutes. Move to a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before you eat them. Best served hot, but they’ll keep for a week or so in the fridge and are pretty good cold, too.
NOTE: I start with meat shredded off squirrels used in making stock. You can do this, or braise squirrels in salty water until tender, or you can just cut meat off the bones of raw squirrels and chop that up. All of these methods will work.
Other Squirrel Recipes to Try from the World Championship Squirrel Cookoff
including tacos, enchiladas and one we really want to try, squirrel and dumplings
https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/squirrels/world-championship-squirrel-cookoff-recipes