When people talk about eating unusual meats like possum (aka Opossum) and coon its often as a joke and the hillbilly jokes begin. The reality is that there aren't that many people who still eat that kind of meat anymore but there may come a time when its necessary for survival. If you are ever faced with eating certain animals WTSHTF it will make the whole experience better of you know how to dress them out and prepare them to eat. I don't intend to go through each step of dressing every animal but I will attempt to tell you some info that might help with the process and give a few cooking tips that will make the meat easier on the palate:)
First and foremost is the possum. a possum should be trapped live if possible and "cleaned out" to sweeten the meat by penning it up and feeding it for a week on corn and leafy greens. Traditionally they are scraped like a hog rather then skinned like other furry animals. If they are skinned it is done much like a pig as well. To scrape a possum, get a pot large enough to dunk the whole possum. Fill it with hot water and a scoop of fine wood ashes. Wet the possum under warm running water before dunking so it will be easier to get the scalding water to penetrate the hair. When the pot gets to a low boil, grasp the possums tail firmly in your gloved hand and dunk the possum in the boiling water for about two minutes. Remove the possum and begin scraping with a sharp knife tilted to an angle to keep from cutting the skin. Scrape all the hair from the animal similar to shaving it while trying to keep it from cooling too much. If it is hard to scrape just dunk it for another minute. When the possum is scraped clean then slit the animal open from throat to vent and remove the innards. There are scent glands on the possum that HAVE to be removed. They are reddish brown and can be found under both front legs and the small of the back. They are about the size of a bean. Cut off the head and the tail if you like. Some people like to roast the tail on a stick over a fire until its crisp. Clean ALL the fat from inside the body cavity. Now wash the animal well and submerge it in a large pot of salted water overnight. If you don't want to scrape the possum then just skin it but be sure to remove the glands and all the fat. It still needs to be soaked overnight. Before cooking the possum it needs to be parboiled for about an hour. Place in a large pot of water and use a low boil just to tenderize the meat.
Pat the possum dry inside and out. Mix your spices (Thyme, salt, pepper, garlic) with a little flour and rub them all over the dressed animal inside the cavity and outside. It can be roasted with just sweet potatoes or you can mix potatoes and apples. Add a little wine or broth to the roasting pan and cook the possum uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes per pound. Baste it about every 15 minutes with the pan drippings.
Another way to cook the possum is on a grill or spit. Parboil And season it as above. Baste with a good BBQ sauce while it cooks cavity side down. When the possum is almost done flip it to the skin side down and crisp up the skin to eat like pork skins.
Another animal that you might be faced with eating is a beaver. Beavers are vegetarians and don't need to be fed out like a possum. A beaver will need to be skinned. Be sure to carefully remove the pelt and save it. After removing the pelt you will want to split it open and remove the innards. You can save the kidneys, heart and liver for eating. The tail should be discarded or fed to the dogs. After skinning remove all the fat from the inside and outside of the beaver. There are glands that must be removed. They are in the armpits, along the inside of the thigh and on the small of the back. There is another gland called a castor that is in front of the sex organs on both male and female. Remove it being careful not to puncture it. Most of the other glands will come off when you remove the fat if you can't distinguish between fat and glands. After skinning and dressing soak the beaver overnight just like the possum.
A beaver can be stuffed and tied shut just like a turkey then roasted at 325-350 degrees for 3-4 hours depending on the size of the beaver. If you prefer to make a stew with the meat just debone it and cut it in pieces then use as you would in any beef recipe. If it is a small young beaver you can cut it into pieces and flour then pan fry. Make gravy and continue cooking the beaver pieces in the gravy until tender.
A raccoon (aka coon) is dressed out just like the beaver. Don't forget to remove fat and glands. It can also be roasted or cooked in the same manner. It is also often Bar-B-Qued or made into a hash then served over rice.
Three other small game animals are common. They are the rabbit, the squirrel and the woodchuck. All three are dressed the same except the woodchuck has the glands that need to removed on the front and rear legs and has more fat to be removed. They are all prepared the same. Older animals can be parboiled before finishing cooking but for the most part they are all three prepared using any chicken or small game bird recipe. The heart, kidneys and livers are used to make "kidney" pie.
I won't give individual recipes here for each species but here is a favorite recipe for tender deboned strips of squirrel, rabbit or woodchuck:
Pan fried Parmesan encrusted tenderloins with pasta and vegetables in an Alfredo sauce
I use fresh or rehydrated vegetables. Usually I use a mixture of asparagus, jullienned carrots, mushrooms and brocolli florets. Rehydrate or chop fresh in small pieces. Boil pasta until al dente. Add the vegetables at the end and cook leaving al dente as well. Drain and set aside. Make an Alfredo sauce by melting some butter then adding flour to thicken. Add cream or milk to make the sauce. Stir in white pepper, nutmeg, salt and garlic if you choose. Finely grate some Parmesan cheese into the sauce and stir until melted. Toss with the pasta. Set aside and keep warm until the meat is finished.
In the meantime, take strips of the meat (rabbit, squirrel, woodchuck or chicken) about the size of a tenderloin and lightly beat it with a meat tenderizer to flatten. Dip in a milk and egg mixture then roll in a mixture of ground herbs, salt/pepper, Parmesan cheese and Panko bread crumbs. Pan fry in a little oil until crisp and golden. Place strips on top of a bed of the pasta and vegetables in Alfredo sauce. Top with more grated Parmesan and serve with salad and hot crusty bread.
A recipe for the organ meats is to lightly season and flour them and brown them on the stovetop in a little oil. Set aside. Leave underdone because they will continue cooking later. Make a gravy with the pan drippings and add chopped leeks or onions, diced carrot, potato and or turnips. When vegetables are almost done add the meat back to the gravy. Diced hard boiled eggs can also be added. Warm up and pour into your favorite pie crust then top with a second crust. Bake in the oven until warm and bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
I don't expect everybody to run out and start eating possum or beaver. I do think that when food is scarce that it is better to be prepared then to be faced with eating strange game and not know how to prepare it. Especially leaving the glands or too much fat on the meat can ruin the dish. The recipe for Parmesan encrusted tenderloins and liver pie are both favorites at our house. We raise and eat rabbit regularly. I didn't include any directions for preparing birds but there are also many, many wild game birds that are actually fine eating. Perhaps that's a separate post.
Southern Wood Elf