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A rabbit is not only valuable fur. From it you can prepare many dishes that are not only excellent in taste, but also dietary and healthy. But for meat to become a table decoration, you need to know how to choose the right carcass and prepare it, including how to marinate a rabbit for smoking. You can smoke both hot and cold, each of them has its own nuances and technology features, this also needs to be clarified in advance.
Is it possible to smoke a rabbit?
There are many recipes for rabbit dishes. Its meat is valued for its excellent taste, health benefits and very affordable price. There are no obstacles to smoking it either.During the process of smoke treatment, meat acquires its original taste and aroma, preserving the texture and beneficial substances contained in it.
Smoked rabbit is served both as an appetizer and as a main course.
Benefits and calorie content of smoked rabbit meat
Rabbit, along with chicken and turkey, is considered dietary meat. Even after the smoking procedure, it is completely free of carbohydrates, but it is distinguished by a high protein content (17 g per 100 g) and approximately half as much fat (8 g per 100 g). The energy value of meat after smoking is only 150 kcal per 100 g.
Rabbit meat can be included in the diet even for those who adhere to a diet or build a menu according to the principles of healthy eating.
Principles and methods of smoking
Smoking rabbit meat, like other types of meat, is carried out in two ways - cold and hot. Each has its own nuances. The only thing they have in common is preparation.
The recipe for cold smoked rabbit is more complex in method and technology, requires a smokehouse of a certain design, and takes more time. But after it, the rabbit retains more healthy substances, since it is treated with smoke at a lower temperature. This also ensures that the meat does not lose its natural consistency, its own unique taste is not “clogged” with smoke and spices. Another advantage of cold smoking is a longer shelf life.
The main differences in the principles of the two smoking methods are as follows:
- The design of the smokehouse itself. During hot smoking, the burning wood is located in close proximity to the meat; during cold smoking, this distance can reach up to 1.5-2 m.
- Temperature. With the cold method it is a maximum of 30-40°C, with the hot method it varies between 110-130°C.
- Time. Depends on the size of the pieces of rabbit meat. If they are small, you can hot smoke them in a few hours. Cold smoking lasts for 1.5-2 days.
- The process itself. Hot smoking allows the use of “liquid smoke”, which gives the meat a characteristic smoked taste and aroma. Cold is strictly “natural” and does not allow even the slightest deviations from the process technology.
Hot smoked meat turns out to be very tender, juicy, crumbly, and literally melts in your mouth. Cold smoked rabbit is noticeably “drier”; it is valued for its pronounced “meaty” taste.
Selection and preparation of rabbit for smoking
The quality of the finished product naturally depends on the raw materials. When choosing, be sure to focus on the following nuances:
- Carcass size. In this case, more does not mean better. Young rabbits are physically unable to reach large sizes. The “giant” carcass belongs to an old rabbit; after smoking, the meat will be tough.
- Smell and color. High-quality meat has a uniform pink color, there are no spots of other shades or dark blood clots. As for the smell, fresh rabbit has a rather specific aroma - it is enough to smell it once so that it is not confused with anything else later.
- External viewd. It is worth refusing to buy either a carcass that is clearly weathered in appearance, or an overly wet one, as if covered with mucus. Both options are not fresh, which is very undesirable for smoking.
- Preliminary processing. A carcass is selected that has been skinned completely and efficiently, without flaps, and its internal cavity must be thoroughly washed.
Frozen carcasses should not have excessive amounts of ice, snow, or blood crystals. This indicates repeated freezing or violations of the process technology.
The rabbit for smoking must be selected as carefully and meticulously as possible.
As part of the preparation, the carcass is thoroughly washed in cool running water. Then it is cut into 4 parts so that the ribs can be pulled out. The resulting pieces of meat are hung for ventilation at a temperature of no more than 10°C. Otherwise, the rabbit may deteriorate. As a rule, several hours are enough for ventilation.
How to marinate a rabbit in kefir before smoking
There are many recipes for marinades for smoking rabbit at home. When marinated in kefir, the finished product is very soft, tender and juicy. Necessary ingredients for marinade for 1 kg of rabbit meat:
- kefir 2.5% fat content or higher - 1 tbsp.;
- granulated sugar – 1 tbsp. l.;
- finely ground sea salt - 2 tbsp. l.;
- olive (or other refined vegetable) oil – 2-3 tbsp. l.;
- garlic – 4-5 cloves;
- fresh mint – 8-10 leaves;
- ground black pepper - to taste.
To prepare the marinade, mix all the ingredients after chopping the garlic and chopping the leaves. When the salt and sugar are completely dissolved, the pieces of rabbit meat are coated with the resulting mixture and placed in a plastic, glass, enameled (any non-oxidizing material will do) bowl.Pour the remaining marinade over the meat, cover with cling film and put in the refrigerator. You can start smoking after 10-12 hours.
Not only barbecue meat can be marinated in kefir
Marinade with ginger for smoking rabbit
If you marinate a rabbit for hot smoking with ginger, the meat will acquire a very original flavor, which many associate with oriental dishes. For 1 kg of rabbit meat you will need:
- drinking water – 2 l;
- vinegar 6-9% strength - 3 tbsp. l.;
- garlic – 4-5 cloves;
- granulated sugar – 1 tsp;
- dry ground or fresh grated ginger - 0.5 tsp;
- bay leaf – 3-4 pcs.;
- salt - to taste (some people prefer not to add it at all, but usually 1.5-2 tsp is enough).
All marinade ingredients are mixed in a saucepan, after chopping the garlic. Then it is put on fire, heated to 50-60°C, and the contents are cooled to room temperature. Pour the finished marinade over the meat so that the liquid covers it completely. Keep the bowl in the refrigerator for two days. Turn the pieces several times a day so that they are soaked in the marinade as evenly as possible.
For the marinade, you can use both fresh and dried ginger; in the second case, the rabbit will turn out spicier
How to marinate rabbit for smoking with spices
The main components of this marinade are lemon juice and coriander. To prepare it for 1 kg of rabbit meat, you will need:
- drinking water – 1 l;
- freshly squeezed lemon juice – 40-50 ml;
- granulated sugar - 2 tbsp. l.;
- coriander seeds or greens (dried or fresh) - 0.5 tsp;
- salt – 1 tbsp. l.;
- garlic – 5-6 cloves;
- bay leaf – 2-3 pcs.;
- spices (ground ginger, cloves, saffron, fennel seeds, ground red pepper) - to taste and optional.
To prepare the marinade, water with salt, sugar and spices must be boiled. Then cool to room temperature, add chopped garlic and lemon juice, mix thoroughly. The rabbit for smoking is poured with the resulting liquid and marinated for two days.
Coriander has a specific taste that not everyone likes; this must be taken into account when choosing such a marinade.
Quick marinade for smoking rabbit at home
This “express recipe” is suitable for smoking rabbit, both hot and cold. The quality of meat does not suffer from the short duration of processing. The rabbit turns out very tender and juicy.
Required components:
- white wine – 120 ml;
- liquid honey – 150 ml;
- olive (or other refined vegetable) oil – 150 ml;
- ketchup – 120 g;
- dry ground garlic – 1 tsp;
- dry mustard – 1.5 tsp;
- salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
- ground black pepper - approximately 0.5 tsp.
To prepare the marinade, you just need to mix all the ingredients. The rabbit pieces are thoroughly coated with this mixture and placed in a suitable bowl. You can start smoking after 8 hours.
How to smoke a rabbit correctly
It is quite possible to cook rabbit smoked both hot and cold at home, even without a special smokehouse. It will be successfully replaced by homemade structures.
How to smoke a rabbit in a hot smoker
To get a hot smoked rabbit if you have a special smokehouse, you must follow the following algorithm:
- First, you need to pour small wood chips into a metal container, after soaking them in water for 15-20 minutes. For smoking, fruit trees are most often used (apple, cherry, pear), as well as birch, alder, oak, and beech. In this case, spruce, pine, and other conifers are not recommended - the finished meat will turn out “resinous” and taste bitter.
- Place the grate inside the smokehouse, having first thoroughly cleaned, washed and wiped it. Place pieces of meat on it so that they do not touch each other or place the whole carcass.
- Smoking rabbit meat, periodically checking the readiness of the meat and releasing the smoke accumulating inside. Focus on a bright brownish-golden color, dry “glossy” surface. The specific smoking time depends on the size of the pieces of meat and how intensely the fire burns.
Important! After smoking the rabbit, you should not eat it immediately. The finished meat is kept in the open air for several days, choosing a place where it will be well ventilated.
Recipe for hot smoked rabbit stuffed with lard
In this case, the cooking technology is no fundamentally different from that described above. The only difference is that before pouring the marinade, the pieces of rabbit meat need to be lightly beaten, and just before smoking, several cuts should be made and the meat should be stuffed with small (about 1 cm in diameter) pieces of garlic and bacon.
Rabbit for smoking is stuffed in the same way as any other meat.
Recipe for smoking rabbit in a barrel
You can smoke rabbit meat in a barrel with any marinade, following each of the recipes described above. The main difference is that a home-made smokehouse is used, not a store-bought one.
It is constructed from one or two barrels stacked on top of each other. A hole is cut out in the bottom to which a pipe is connected for the entry of smoke, and in the lid there is a hole for its exit. As a rule, a firebox is installed in the lower barrel, and pieces of meat are hung or laid out in the upper barrel for smoking. A damp burlap or other fabric is placed between the upper and lower barrels to prevent the rabbit from becoming covered in soot.
The design of a homemade barrel smokehouse is quite simple.
How to smoke a cold smoked rabbit
Cold smoking a rabbit requires a lot of time and effort. The process must be continuous; a special smokehouse is required, equipped with hooks, trays, grates, and holders. The maximum temperature inside the chamber is 25°C.
At the end of the process, cold smoked rabbit meat is also ventilated
Cold smoked rabbit at home is prepared according to the same algorithm as for hot smoked rabbit. The carcass is cut up, marinated, after the specified time, the pieces of meat are removed from the liquid and the excess is allowed to drain off. If desired, the meat is pre-beaten, then stuffed with bacon. The prepared pieces are placed on a grill or hung in a smokehouse.
Smoked-boiled rabbit recipe
Smoked-boiled rabbit, as the name suggests, is prepared in several stages. First, the meat is marinated. To do this, for 1 kg of rabbit meat you will need:
- drinking water – 1 l;
- salt – 80 g;
- allspice – 2 tsp;
- bay leaf – 2-4 pcs;
- spices - optional.
Cooked smoked rabbit is prepared as follows:
- Cover the meat completely with marinade and keep it under pressure for 3-4 days, ensuring a constant temperature of 5-6°C.
- Remove the rabbit pieces from the liquid, rinse in cool running water, let dry, and cold smoke for 24 hours.
- After the specified time has passed, place in a saucepan with boiling water and cook for about half an hour. Dry the meat well.
- Cold smoke the rabbit for another two days.
The taste of boiled-smoked rabbit is not as rich as after smoking. But the meat is particularly juicy.
Boiled-smoked rabbit can be distinguished from simply smoked rabbit by its less saturated color.
How long does it take to smoke a rabbit?
The time it takes to smoke a rabbit depends on the method chosen. Hot smoking is much faster, about two hours is enough. The cold lasts for at least two, preferably three, days.
You can assess the readiness of smoked rabbit meat by piercing a piece of meat with a knitting needle or a long sharp pin. If it goes inside easily, without applying force, and after that no cloudy foam appears on the surface, the delicacy is ready.
Storage rules
In any case, smoked rabbit is a relatively perishable product. Cold smoked meat will last in the refrigerator for a maximum of 2 weeks, hot smoked meat - 2-3 days. Freezing increases the shelf life to 2-3 months, but you can defrost smoked rabbit again only once.
In the attic, basement, cellar, or other similar place - dark, cool, with good ventilation, the rabbit, if hung, can be stored for up to a month. After this, the “shelf life” can be extended further by briefly smoking the pieces again for about a quarter of an hour using juniper wood.Do not stand longer - the meat will become excessively tough.
Conclusion
When deciding how to marinate a rabbit for smoking, you have many options to choose from. There are recipes that give meat original flavor and aroma notes during the smoking process. But for smoking to be successful, you need more than just the right marinade. It is important to adhere to the technology of a certain method of preparing meat and to select high-quality “raw materials”.
