How to Cook Rabbit for Saint Patrick's Day Food
I'll show you how to cook rabbit for Saint Patrick's Day Food and serve it with cabbage, carrots, & potatoes for a fun new way to celebrate this decadent holiday!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cottontail rabbits
- 6 cups water
- ⅓ cup Morton's Tender Quick
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 Tablespoons pickling spice (divided in half)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 pounds purple cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
- 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
- 2 cups baby carrots
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Whole-grain mustard
Instructions
- On a cutting board, cut the rabbit into 9 pieces with game shears. Cut the saddle (center portion) into 3 pieces. Cut the front portion (front legs) in half through the backbone. Chop each hind leg into 2 pieces.
- In my favorite small pot, add Tender Quick, brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons of the pickling spice, and garlic to the and boil for a few minutes until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Remove from heat and let cool completely in the fridge. Once it has cooled, place the rabbit pieces in a 1-gallon Ziploc bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat inside a 9 x 13 casserole dish and place in the refrigerator for 4 days. Check daily to make sure the rabbit pieces are completely submerged and stir the brine.
- After 4 days, remove the rabbit pieces from the brine and rinse well under cool water.
- Transfer rabbit pieces to a 6-quart pot and add just enough fresh water to cover the meat. Add the other 2 Tablespoons of pickling spice and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer for about 2 hours until the meat is falling off the bone.
- When the rabbit is done, remove it from the cooking liquid and transfer it to a cutting board to let cool. Shred the meat using 2 forks. Be careful to remove all small bones.
- Carefully pour the cooking liquid through a fine mesh strainer into another pot. This is to ensure you remove any remaining bones still in the liquid. Transfer the cooking liquid back to the pot and return to the stovetop.
- Add the cabbage, potatoes, and carrots to the cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Place the shredded rabbit in the middle of a large serving platter. Use a large slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to the serving platter. Ladle some of the hot cooking liquid over the rabbit meat and season with some black pepper.
- Serve immediately with a side of your favorite mustard.
