The Other Dark Meat

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

The newest "FAD Meat" - Raccoon.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/59566.html

[suitcase_sally]

Well, if you think about it, why waste the animal after the pelt is harvested? I understand opossum is quite good, also. I have a canning book from 1982 that lists it and other delectables.

[suitcase_sally]

http://www.weird-food.com/index.html

[wwubben]

Roasted racoon is delicious.

[woodsman]

You MUST check this guy's adventure into eating different animals:
beast feaster

i eat meat. i love meat.
though i sometimes felt like i hadn't explored all that meat could offer - i was a textbook steakaholic, so this is my photographic documentary of an animal eating quest - 52 beasts in 52 weeks.
from the tame to the weird, the regular to the exotic - let the feasting commence!

[Tracy Rimmer]

I've had raccoon, and didn't like it at all. It was gamey in the BAD way, to me. Too strong and there was a nasty aftertaste.

I do like game meat, as a rule -- prefer it to "domestic" for the most part, but this was just too much.

[Bonnie L]

Originally Posted by Tracy Rimmer

I've had raccoon, and didn't like it at all. It was gamey in the BAD way, to me. Too strong and there was a nasty aftertaste.

That's what I've heard from others, so I haven't tried it yet - not sure if it's worth the bother. Besides, the last raccoon got blown away with a 30-30 - not much meat left!

We've had another that's been hanging around. It got one of my stupid hens that hid instead of going back in the coop. We're short on meat right now - maybe I'll give it a try if we catch it. I'll make sure dh uses the .22 this time.

[big rockpile]

My wife when I first moved in with her.I brought her a Coon to fix.She says I'll cook it but I won't eat it.

Well come Supper time she sure put away her share.Seems while she was cooking she was tasting and liked it.

big rockpile

[wittey]

I used to go coon hunting in the late 70's.
The small or younger ones taste a heck of a lot better than the Old big ones.
Oh we BBQ them.

[Old Vet]

Every year Gillette Ar they have a Coon Supper. I was their and asked to leave when I said Here kitty kitty. But the meat was surprisingly good.

[Old Swampgirl]

I like racoon if it's cooked right. I parboiled mine first with bay leaves & seasoning. This makes it tender & gets rid of some of the fat, if it's an old fat one. Then slow roast it in the oven with occasionally basting it with a sauce made with some seasonings in Balsamic vinegar & white wine. Serve with dirty rice and baked sweet potatoes.

[MELOC]

i've had it roasted. i ate from the back strap and i thought it was pretty good. it tasted very much like beef to me.

[Michgranny]

I have tried raccoon and I thought it was stringy and greasy! Yuck! My husband loved hunting, he always cooked and ate whatever it was. Some I liked, some were ok and some were Yuck!

[Oldcountryboy]

I ate it once and loved it, till I found out what I was eating. My aunt stewed one till nice and tender. Then she deboned the meat and place the meat in a dressing mixture using the meat and broth and baked it. It was absolutely delicious till I found out what I was eating.

[forfreedom]

At least we will not starve here in Florida... Ewww...

I am willing to take on a couple of liberty minded homesteadeaders as house guests to rid my acre of racoons

[foxtrapper]

As usual, it's all in the preparation.

Regardless of that, an old boar of any animal will have a much gamier less pleasant quality than a young'n.

[Ken Scharabok]

Had roasted raccoon once. A bit greasy, but OK.

At one time coon hunting as a cash crop was a big time activity in the local area. Was told a well tanned, large pelt might bring you $12, when wages might have been $1 a day. My neighbor has said when he was a kid they ate so much raccoon he is surprised he doesn't have rings around his eyes.

My Dad lived in the Ozarks near Mountain View for a couple of years around 1920. About 13 at the time. Family had one of those crack-barrelled .22 short rifles. His father would give him one bullet and tell him to out to get meat for the table. Primarily raccoon, possum and an occasional squirrel. (He said .22 shorts were sort of a currency among boys his age.)

I have oft thought one way to catch chicken ground predators was to put a hole in the wall at the base and secure a live trap inside.

[Michael Kawalek]

One time Australian opossum came in to be analyzed for Salmonella contamination. I had to ask "why do we have to import opossums?"! What is this doing to our domestic opossum industry? I thought it was a clear case of opossum dumping!

[LamiPub]

Originally Posted by Oldcountryboy

I ate it once and loved it, till I found out what I was eating. My aunt stewed one till nice and tender. Then she deboned the meat and place the meat in a dressing mixture using the meat and broth and baked it. It was absolutely delicious till I found out what I was eating.

My oldest ds, age 20, shot a raccoon a few weeks ago and butchered it and threw it in the freezer. I don't mind squirrel but for some reason just can't bring myself to cook or eat raccoon. He and other ds, age 18, went to their friends last Sunday night after church and cooked up that coon. He stewed and deboned it and put in a casserole with corn, stuffing, etc. My 18 yo told me it was pretty good! I am still not convinced.

[Ken Scharabok]

I usually enjoy Andrew Zimmern's TV program where he goes around the world eating exotic local cuisine. For some (OK a lot) of them I'd have to have a barf bag handy.

See if your local library can get an inter-library loan of Unmentionable Cuisine by Calvin W. Schwabe. Several recipes for raccoon in it.

Also a recipe in Wild Food Cookbook by Frances Hamerstrom.

Off subject, but was watching one program where the host was being served nutria in LA. They mentioned it was a fresh road kill. He asked how they knew it was fresh. Reply was when they went to town they would stop and draw a caulk circle around any nutria road kill. On the way back if one didn't have the circle they knew it was fresh.