Thread: Hare jerky?

Originally Posted by MB

Agree with gutting straight away if for no other reason than the smell is awful with delay. What does aging do to the meat and how'd do you cook it? Cheers.

I always use to gut my hares as time allowed, sometimes the next day, was ok. Then my girlfriend told me to look after my ducks and geese and hares better and it will taste better - so I do. I quickly open up the skin across the back legs, drop the knife, and skin the legs using my thumbs, real easy when warm, push across the back and then take it off to the back/tail. Then grab the skin and literally pull it down towards the head in a tube. Once it gets past the ribs I pick up the knife again, cut through the back steaks at the last rib, cut carefully down both of the last ribs, give it a twist and the front falls off. Split up the tummy, pull the guts out still attached to the front bit, split the pelvis, deal to arsehole so it stays with the guts, job done! When I get back home I take each leg off like a deer, take the back straps off and remove the silver skin. Then put all the nice tidy bits on a rack in the fridge for about 10 days. If you cover it with a tea towel it doesnt tend to dry off on the outside. Make sure there are gaps between each bit, and the rack keeps it off whatever you've got under it.

Then treat it like good venison steak, fry it fast and hot, medium rare. Or put the legs in a camp oven on the fire for the day. Throw in some onions etc, some flavouring like you do for a stew, dont have to be too adventurous or a master chef, just make it like grandma use to, a few veggies etc. After a day slow cooking on top of the fire, its amazing.

But the one method I really like is to grab one of those off the shelf Teriyaki Sauce/Marinade mixes from the supermarket. Marinade your back steaks whole for about 30 minutes, and save a little bit of the marinade. Then quickly grill just one side of the steak on one of those grill frypans that have the ribs along the bottom. You dont want to cook it, just get the process started and brown one side quick and fast. Then with it hot, roll it up in a rasher or 2 of bacon and put just an little extra marinade on the steak half way through rolling it. Then put it on an oven tray and cook it on bake for about 30-35 minutes @180. Absolutely delicious and oh so easy to do.