Prepper Knowledge... Three Ways to cook up a Squirrel

My mother is at war with the squirrels in her yard. For some reason, she gets upset when they raid the bird feeder. I don’t see how any squirrel could resist such a fine meal of nutritious seeds, served up on a platter or should I say, tube feeder with holes in it. She has some of the fattest squirrels around the neighborhood, I swear. I bought her a Daisy Red Rider BB gun a few Christmas’ ago but she is a terrible shot and the squirrels have learned to head for the trees as soon as the back door opens.

As I was thinking about those fat squirrels, just before I decided to write this article, I started thinking about how tasty those little critters can be if one had good recipes to follow. I am also aware of the possibility that some day, squirrels just might become a stable food source if shtf for my family.

Think about this for a minute, squirrels are plentiful. Squirrels live everywhere and can be killed with a decent BB / pellet gun (if you’re a good shot.) I do recommend using a good BB / pellet gun or a small gauge shotgun so the animal doesn't suffer. You definitely want one shot / one kill. I personally have a Benjamin hunting .22 caliber gas piston pellet gun. It is a killing machine and a powerful and accurate weapon. I will say that some pellets are not as accurate as others, so it pays to practice and pay the extra couple of dollars for the quality ammo. It does make a difference.

During these tough times, squirrels are a legitimate food source that people have been eating, pretty much since the dawn of time, I reckon. I ate my first squirrel when I was a boy living in West Virginia and I remember spitting out shot gun shot as I ate the animal. It is why I happen to be a fan of the single pellet shot to the head or chest, but you have to practice to be good enough to do this humanely.

So, I have decided to “dish” up a few recipes for you to try out, should you find yourself in the mood to try one of these tasty critters. I suppose we should start with a tutorial on how to field dress a squirrel. It would be difficult to describe it in words so I searched You Tube and I found this video posted below. A warning to the squeamish, this video is graphic. Remember, you are skinning and gutting an animal.

Learning how to clean wild game is a prepper's mainstay. Now that you have your squirrel cleaned, here are some tasty recipes for you to try out at home.

Broiled Squirrel

1 squirrel
1 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
Melted buster for basting
Lemon wedges

Cut squirrel in half and rub with salt and pepper. Brush with butter and broil. Baste and turn frequently until well browned. Total broiling time will be about 45 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy.


Squirrel Fricassee

2 squirrels
1 ½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
½ cup flour
½ cup shortening
½ to ¾ cup water
1 ½ cup milk
1 teaspoon grated onion

Drain well and cut into serving pieces. Combine salt, pepper and flour and dredge squirrel in mixture. Heat shortening in a heavy skillet. Brown pieces slowly, about fifteen minutes. Add ¼ cup water, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer until tender ( about 30 minutes ). Add remaining water as needed. When done, remove to platter. Blend seasoned flour into fat remaining. Add milk gradually and cook until gravy thickens, stirring constantly. Add onion for flavor. Serve hot.
(Recipe courtesy of Barbara Ford, Hackensack, Mn)

Squirrel Potpie

Wash meat thoroughly. Quarter and soak in salt water for an hour. Rinse. Put into a crock-pot with a quart of water and a chopped up onion. Cook on low for six to eight hours. Remove from crock-pot and salt and pepper to taste. Add ½ cup cornstarch to broth and heat and stir until a gravy is made. Add squirrel meat, gravy and some mixed veggies from a can to a round cake pan, layer with biscuits from a can and bake at 350 degrees until biscuits are done. Enjoy your potpie!
(Recipe courtesy of Florence Hamilton, Backus, Mn)

There you go. Some people call them the rats in the trees but there is absolutely nothing wrong or disgusting about eating a squirrel.