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Broiled Rabbit or Squirrel
Clean well, and put in salted water for at least one hour-then wipe dry. Have a hot fire, heat your gridiron, have the rabbit wiped very dry and 1 broil, turning often. When done, place on a platter with melted butter; season with salt and pepper, and garnish with slices of lemon. Serve when first cooked.
A bare-bones grilling formula that assumes a young animal, an open fire and a cook who knows when meat is done. The gaps are worth filling before you light anything.
- Age of the animal is the hingeThis method only works on a young rabbit or squirrel. An older animal broiled over a hot fire turns to leather; those are for braising, fricassee or Brunswick stew, not the gridiron.
- GridironA grate of parallel iron bars set over coals; some versions were hinged so the meat could be clamped and turned. A charcoal grill with the grate close to the fire is the direct equivalent; a domestic oven broiler with the rack about 4 inches from the element also works.
- Split and flattenThe recipe does not say so, but broiling works best if the animal is split down the back and pressed flat so it lies against the bars. Otherwise the thick saddle will be underdone when the legs are charred.
- The salted waterAn hour in salted water was believed to firm the flesh and draw out blood, and hence to temper gamy flavor; about 1/4 cup salt per quart of water is a reasonable strength. Drying thoroughly afterward is not optional — wet meat steams and will not take color.
- DonenessRabbit and squirrel are very lean and both were historically cooked well through. Take the thigh to 160F; much past that and it dries out fast. Figure 20 to 30 minutes over a moderate-hot fire for a young rabbit, turning every few minutes as directed.
- BastingThere is almost no fat in either animal. Brush with butter or oil during cooking rather than saving all of it for the platter, or the surface will dry before the interior is safe.
- Handling wild gameWild rabbits and hares can carry tularemia, which is contracted through cuts in the skin while skinning and dressing, not from properly cooked meat. Wear gloves for the cleaning, and skip any animal that seemed sick or sluggish.
- YieldAs a rough guide, one rabbit will serve two and a squirrel one; the recipe itself gives no quantities, so scale the butter and lemon to what you cook.
Rabbit and squirrel belonged to the everyday American table well into the twentieth century, which is why a general household cookbook can print them without a word of explanation. Squirrel in particular was a staple of the rural South and the Ohio Valley — it is the meat generally traced as the original basis of Brunswick stew — and both animals reached city markets through game dealers before hunting seasons and sale restrictions tightened. The gridiron treatment here is the shortest possible route: young animal, hot fire, butter and lemon, no sauce. The instruction to "serve when first cooked" fits the general practice for broiled meats, since lean meat off a coal fire cools and stiffens within minutes.