Thread: Very bad rabbit smell if not gutted immedietely

Originally Posted by MB

I'm pretty ambivalent about eating them. At best, tastes like bland chicken, at worst, tough/dry grass flavoured meat. I've discovered a few good recipes though, KFB and bunny biryani. I've posted these recipes up previously.

Yeah bunny meat is nothing special, but it is a nice cheap source of lean free range white meat. Can be really nice if cooked right just like lean chicken. I usually poach them and shred into sandwich material, no different to shredded chicken. Add mayonnaise, onion, salt and pepper. Also good in spicy soups. There is a recipe out there for Hmong squirrel soup where I substitute squirrel with rabbit.

I always gut fairly soon (within an hour or 2) but only keep clean shot rabbits.
I just do the ol knick on the tummy hold front and rear legs and give it a flick away from me and the guts flys out.
While I am certainly aware of the smell I cant say I have ever had the meat taste like it? But then I keep them clean and always brine or soak in milk before preparing for cooking.

Originally Posted by JessicaChen

Yeah bunny meat is nothing special, but it is a nice cheap source of lean free range white meat. Can be really nice if cooked right just like lean chicken. I usually poach them and shred into sandwich material, no different to shredded chicken. Add mayonnaise, onion, salt and pepper. Also good in spicy soups. There is a recipe out there for Hmong squirrel soup where I substitute squirrel with rabbit.

Sure. We don't buy meat from the supermarket, so do utilise rabbits fairly frequently.

Just found this web page which claims that "When the stomach and intestines are left in a rabbit, they have a tendency to taint the flesh in an unpleasant manner. Even more important is to remove the strong smelling glands by the rectum."
https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/answers...-rabbits-24998

Still curious about why and how the intestines taint the flesh without any nicks and just by existing in the body cavity, but at least something out there confirms my suspicions.

@veitnamcam While I am certainly aware of the smell I cant say I have ever had the meat taste like it? But then I keep them clean and always brine or soak in milk before preparing for cooking.

Yeah the soaking probably helps. I left my 'tainted' meat in the fridge overnight and most of the bloated gut smell has gone (but still not as nice as meat from my insta-gutted bunnies), so I think soaking it will help get rid of any lingering smelly taste.

Originally Posted by JessicaChen

Just found this web page which claims that "When the stomach and intestines are left in a rabbit, they have a tendency to taint the flesh in an unpleasant manner. Even more important is to remove the strong smelling glands by the rectum."
https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/answers...-rabbits-24998

Still curious about why and how the intestines taint the flesh without any nicks and just by existing in the body cavity, but at least something out there confirms my suspicions.

Yeah the soaking probably helps. I left my 'tainted' meat in the fridge overnight and most of the bloated gut smell has gone (but still not as nice as meat from my insta-gutted bunnies), so I think soaking it will help get rid of any lingering smelly taste.

OK, this applies to all animals, including humans. Rabbits may be more susceptible, I don't know.

The intestines contain bacteria. This is normal and helps digest food. If those bacteria translocate out of the gut in to the rest of the body, then you become unwell. To prevent this happening, cellular mechanisms exist to keep the bacteria where it's supposed to be. In death (or even sickness), there is a breakdown of these cellular mechanisms and bacteria can move to other parts of the body. It's for this reason that I want meat and gut separated ASAP from any animal I shoot. Same applies to fish, but since my fish go on ice, this will slow down bacterial translocation and I usually wait until I get home to fillet them. Having said that, if I know I'm going to prepare a fish as sashimi, I get the guts out straight away. The old European ways of leaving an animal "hanging" with the guts in seem pretty crazy to me.

Originally Posted by MB

Sure. We don't buy meat from the supermarket, so do utilise rabbits fairly frequently.

The average cheap supermarket meat is even worse than tainted rabbit!

i always skin and gut within minutes of killing bunnies. but then again i mostly use it for pet food so i dont think "the boys" mind too much.
the hare i shot with the 7mmRM was nt worth attempting though ( it was the shot of a lifetime at near on a km but still vaporised it)

Originally Posted by Sarvo

Better to do this - dont even need a knife
Pinch and pull the soft part of stomach skin where it joins the pelvis
Just tear it up a inch or 2
Then do what he does and give it a good flick
All gut gone
Learn't that trick in the Hunter Hills 50 years ago when Cousin was managing Waihao Forks Station

Just my 2 bits @JessicaChen Shot rabbits professionally for the chillers in Oz back when l was over there Shearing in the 80's, needed 200 a night to make it worth while, my chiller tally was 35140 over 4 yrs ,always used the nick & flick method as it is easy,quick, clean (all had to be head shot).Always gut & clean any game as quickly as possible for best meat preservation/eating.

Even while Pro shooting them & now l still like a properly cooked feed of rabbit, have always soaked over night in salty water brine, as my Old Nan used to do, she used to brine all home butchered meat & game, min of 4 tablespoons of salt per 1 quart (4 cups of water), & l have always done the same , soaking also helps in properly cleaning carcass& removing any hair etc, always remove silver skin film on any meat .

I grew up on a farm eating mainly all our own home grown/butchered/prepped meat & vegetables out of choice because it was far superior to what stores sold ,always taught to treat all game/home butchered for the plate the same as you would treat stuff at the supermarket wrapped in plastic ,you would not pick up from the store or choose to eat poorly processed,poorly cooled,ungutted, lamb/beef, due to rapid spoiling/bacteria growth & even the finest cut of plastic wrapped lamb/beef etc would taste like shit as well .

Even Pro shooting for chillers in the middle of Oz we had to gut immediately Roos,Pigs & Rabbits & all had to be kept & monitored to make sure they were cooled & air spaced while travelling to the chiller & internal gut cavity temps taken at chiller door to stop spoiling .The highly lucrative professional pig chillers in Oz were decimated over night because it was found Week End cowboy's were not gutting immediately or air spacing carcasses.

TLDR if you are hunting for the plate treat the game animal & meat the same as you would expect the plastic wrapped stuff you buy,chase a cow/sheep around the paddock for a hour then wound or gut shoot it & leave it ungutted & uncooled before eating & even the best plastic wrapped cut will taste like shit .Even with rabbits,birds & all upland game always make sure all carcasses are air cooled not shoved into a bag on top of one another for best eating quality.

Lots of great advice here @JessicaChen, shoot a few rabbits and prepare them well and you’ll really enjoy it. Certainly don’t let a couple of jaundiced old bastards like me put you off!

Had a chat with the wife just now and she says, you know what hubbie, you’re gonna got get us a bunch of bunnies and make us a big bloody rabbit & black pudding pie! (She watched the video....)

I proudly brought home the first rabbit I shot with a combo 22LR/410, expecting Mum to cook it.

Instead I was told to bury it immediately in the pet sematory under the lemon tree.

Must admit it was smelling up a storm after being in my bag for five hours.

Originally Posted by gonetropo

i always skin and gut within minutes of killing bunnies. but then again i mostly use it for pet food so i dont think "the boys" mind too much.
the hare i shot with the 7mmRM was nt worth attempting though ( it was the shot of a lifetime at near on a km but still vaporised it)

It’s hard to work out the lead on a running hare at that distance!! Awesome shot!

slice ACROSS kidneys...grab skin each side and pull apart...best done soon as shot,will come right off if pull hard enough...or if just want back wheels n back straps,pull apart then stand on front wheels to keep back clean and finish off.... gutting easy with no skin on them...but if taking backwheels n back steaks its not really needed. just take back legs off at ball joint,like you would a deer.... worst part of hares is how the blood sticks so quickly and seems to stay stuck.