Processing for the first time tomorrow.

[GLENMAR]

I am nervous. :/ There are 7 to be done. But the good news is that Saturday there is an Italian lady coming over to cook the rabbits in a very
traditional Italian dish with polenta and mushrooms. Complete with salad, wine and dessert.


ETA: Any wise words of encouragement????

 

[Hens and Roos]

Good Luck, it gets easier and faster after the 1st couple. Make sure you have everything you need set up before starting. Make sure your knives are sharp. Wear gloves to protect your hands and maybe a long sleeve shirt when handling the live rabbits- they can leave some pretty good marks on your hands/arms

We used a 5 gal bucket to set the rabbits in to make it easier to put them down. We washed the bucket in between each rabbit and our hands as well so everything was clean for the next one. Rinse the carcass off before putting to cold water as you start the next one. We used 2 big kettles with cold water to put the meat into once skinned and inners taken out. Be very careful removing the bladder(don't squeeze) so the meat isn't contaminated.

Hopefully you have someone who is helping you. It makes it so much nicer, a friend of ours helped me both times we processed. We were able to process a rabbit in about 10 minutes start to finish. We took turns skinning and gutting so that one person wasn't getting tired.

 

[P.O. in MO]

Butchering day is not something I look forward too just something that has to be done. I have butchered 4 or 5 litters now and as Hens and Roos said it does get a little easier. I look at it this way, I am not a vegetarian, I have tried it and as I said, I am not a vegetarian. I dispatch my rabbits by cervical dislocation with a home made contraption similar to the rabbit wringer. It is quick and if it hurts its only for a second. My rabbits are treated very well up to this point and it provides me with meat that is not full of antibiotics or processed in some giant meat processing plant that are all becoming very lax on how they handle our food. This was sent to me today from Sum of Us.org about the current situation:

'The USDA is still rushing ahead with plans to slash poultry plant regulations and privatize inspections -- even though the federal governments own independent oversight office has warned against it.

The new poultry regulations would replace government safety inspectors with factory employees and let plants dramatically speed up production. Chickens and turkeys will be allowed to soak in contaminants like feces and pus, and then washed in chlorine. The USDA insists that the new rules wont hurt consumers, but last week the Government Accountability Office released a report revealing massive flaws in the USDAs study. Meanwhile, independent studies show that the new rules will increase consumers risk of exposure to foodborne illnesses like salmonella and that workers will be at risk of serious injury.'

It is sad that it has come to this. Anything to increase profits. I have 8 to butcher friday when it cools down here a little and another 7 about a week later. My freezer has been lacking rabbits for about 2 weeks so this is good. Good luck tomorrow. I hope it goes well and you start to get the hang of it. The more you do the less time it takes. PO

 

[VickieB]

I bought my first rabbits at the end of March. We had our first litter the first of May. I dispatched my first rabbits six to eight weeks ago. I have since dispatched 54, and have 6 I need to dispatch in the next couple of days. It does get easier. Raising the rabbits was the first adventure. Harvesting the rabbits was the second (it WAS hard, but when you remind yourself that for every animal you raise for meat at home you save another animal the inhumane treatment they receive in these large meat processing plants. Treat your animal with love and respect and dispatch them in a way that is quick and as painless as possible.) The next adventure is in the kitchen! So far I have found that I LOVE fried rabbit legs. It is a lot like the thigh meat on a chicken WITHOUT the fat! The best of both worlds! I use the small front legs to make Buffalo wings. My men love it. I use shredded rabbit meat to make some awesome Rabbit Chimichangas. Also, anytime I make something with ground beef now, I use half 94/6 beef and half ground rabbit, very lean and my family doesn't have a clue! I've used it for chili and spaghetti. I didn't know how this was going to turn out 6 months ago but today I'm glad I took the plunge!


After letting the rabbit rest in the fridge for 2 to 4 days, I prepare it for freezing. I'll set a few rabbits aside to freeze whole. The others are cut up then, put on baking sheets in a single layer, and frozen. After they are frozen I bag them up according to pieces. That way I can pull out what I need and the exact amount needed when it's time for dinner.

 

[Bossroo]

I would make sure that any animal that is processed is rested in the refrigerator for several days until rigor mortis passes ( limbs become stiff after culling, then become limp after rigor passes) or you will experience very "tough" meat at dinner time.

 

[sawfish99]

Bossroo - I respectfully disagree. This is something we have specifically tested at our house. In my experience, the rabbits rested in the fridge are actually worse because the meat tends to dry out prior to freezing. I consistently slaughter and immediately package then freeze. I have not had a single customer complain about tough meat. And we use about 3 a month in our house and never have problems.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I would make sure that any animal that is processed is rested in the refrigerator for several days until rigor mortis passes ( limbs become stiff after culling, then become limp after rigor passes) or you will experience very "tough" meat at dinner time.

I HAVE found this to be true! If we don't rest it prior to cooking, the meat is very tough!

 

[sawfish99]

WMR - How do you normally cook the rabbit? I'm just curious if how much the method of prep matters for rabbits

We almost always slow cook a in an oven roaster or crock pot.

 

[CritterZone]

WMR - How do you normally cook the rabbit? I'm just curious if how much the method of prep matters for rabbits

We almost always slow cook a in an oven roaster or crock pot.

You are using the best method available to cook any meat that may become tough. The slow roasting or cold smoking process helps to break down the connective tissue and makes for a more tender end product.

 

[Bossroo]

Bossroo - I respectfully disagree. This is something we have specifically tested at our house. In my experience, the rabbits rested in the fridge are actually worse because the meat tends to dry out prior to freezing. I consistently slaughter and immediately package then freeze. I have not had a single customer complain about tough meat. And we use about 3 a month in our house and never have problems.

I guess that my experience in working for years at a University Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital and necropsying everything from a Killer Whale to a shrew ( including several thousand rabbits used in antibody production / testing/ research ) don't count for much. My bad ! However , I did notice that all animals seamed to become quite stiff mere hours after expiring. To prevent a carcass from drying out, place them in a bowl with water covering the entire carcass then cover tightly with saran wrap. Or, put the carcass in a large plastic baggy with some water added and air squeezed out.