What are the best cuts of meat from a possum ?

Well, a clued up operator cancelled our fly in trip before we moved to level 3 and I decided to walk in to the local hills. Instead of steaks and cast iron campovens, I had dehy and a tiny billy. Unfortunately, i found I had just single serve packets and I thought of a plan to eke out my food supplies.

A few minutes after I had tucked myself down in the pit, there was a rustle. Brer possum had come out to lick down the empty tin foil and cans I'd left under the corner of the fly. Sitting up in my sleeping bag, I reached forward and stuck the end of the suppressor 6 inches from its head and POP !

Come morning, I looked forward to harvesting a good feed from the night's takings. But, on opening it up, I found that, unlike on a hare say, the backsteaks were vestigial triangular pieces. Also, the guts were right there and its lucky I didn't run the knife through them. The back legs had a fairly standard layout and seemed to offer the most clear meat, virtually as much as a hare but less than a wallaby, of course.

So, my question is, which parts do people take ? Back legs only ? Front ? Flaps ? Is there as secret "must have" cut ?

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I cooked it up with bacon fat, garlic, shallot and turmeric for an hour and although still a little rubbery on its own, I mixed it with the "cottage pie" slurry and it certainly didn't detract from that worthy scoff. Anyway, I wasn't hungry afterwards.

It's only been 1 day and it has come to this already?

I think the intestines would have been tastier?

My mates mum in the 60s soaked the legs in a vinegar mix over night ,then flowered and deep pan fried it tasted like chicken which was flash in those days . But she was a teen in holland like my dad in the war so did it real tough and knew how cook to survive . And people are worried about lock down today .

Dogs seem to like possum...


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I used to avoid carrying too much food by taking a trap and setting it outside the tent. The possum would set off the trap in the night, I would wake up, and kill the possum. In the morning, I would skin it and wrap the legs (front and back) any other larger bits in aluminium foil and leave in the tea billy fire hot coals for 20 minutes. Unwrap the aluminium foil and eat, just like chicken. The important part is to make sure the anal glands are cut out and not damaged in the skinning process or the possum carcass is inedible due to the stench.

The A-Hole?

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Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

I'd probably consider something vegan if I got hungry enough to eye up a possum.

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Thats going a bit far mate, Some vegans might look tasty....

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Originally Posted by Bagheera

Well, a clued up operator cancelled our fly in trip before we moved to level 3 and I decided to walk in to the local hills. Instead of steaks and cast iron campovens, I had dehy and a tiny billy. Unfortunately, i found I had just single serve packets and I thought of a plan to eke out my food supplies.

A few minutes after I had tucked myself down in the pit, there was a rustle. Brer possum had come out to lick down the empty tin foil and cans I'd left under the corner of the fly. Sitting up in my sleeping bag, I reached forward and stuck the end of the suppressor 6 inches from its head and POP !

Come morning, I looked forward to harvesting a good feed from the night's takings. But, on opening it up, I found that, unlike on a hare say, the backsteaks were vestigial triangular pieces. Also, the guts were right there and its lucky I didn't run the knife through them. The back legs had a fairly standard layout and seemed to offer the most clear meat, virtually as much as a hare but less than a wallaby, of course.

So, my question is, which parts do people take ? Back legs only ? Front ? Flaps ? Is there as secret "must have" cut ?

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Attachment 133964

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I cooked it up with bacon fat, garlic, shallot and turmeric for an hour and although still a little rubbery on its own, I mixed it with the "cottage pie" slurry and it certainly didn't detract from that worthy scoff. Anyway, I wasn't hungry afterwards.

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The best bits are the pieces that don't have tire marks on them

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Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

You could have a point there. Bit like those Burger king vegan burgers that came out about the same time as this virus. I wonder if there's a link?

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I would rather they come out with a meat burger that tastes like veges....good for goose, good for gander....

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Originally Posted by Bagheera

Well, a clued up operator cancelled our fly in trip before we moved to level 3 and I decided to walk in to the local hills. Instead of steaks and cast iron campovens, I had dehy and a tiny billy. Unfortunately, i found I had just single serve packets and I thought of a plan to eke out my food supplies.

A few minutes after I had tucked myself down in the pit, there was a rustle. Brer possum had come out to lick down the empty tin foil and cans I'd left under the corner of the fly. Sitting up in my sleeping bag, I reached forward and stuck the end of the suppressor 6 inches from its head and POP !

Come morning, I looked forward to harvesting a good feed from the night's takings. But, on opening it up, I found that, unlike on a hare say, the backsteaks were vestigial triangular pieces. Also, the guts were right there and its lucky I didn't run the knife through them. The back legs had a fairly standard layout and seemed to offer the most clear meat, virtually as much as a hare but less than a wallaby, of course.

So, my question is, which parts do people take ? Back legs only ? Front ? Flaps ? Is there as secret "must have" cut ?


I cooked it up with bacon fat, garlic, shallot and turmeric for an hour and although still a little rubbery on its own, I mixed it with the "cottage pie" slurry and it certainly didn't detract from that worthy scoff. Anyway, I wasn't hungry afterwards.

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I always thought the best way to use possum meat was to leave it in the creek until the eels came then eat the stones from by the stream instead.....

My lab eats the head first...maybe she knows best.

aahh the good ole days , possum and pukeko stew.........(not).....
isnt the tastiest and tenderest bit the old boot that you threw in the pot?

I guess it all depends on how hungry you are, but I would just stick to the back legs.

Across the throat, plucked and skinned hundreds but never so hungry as to eat one, Wallaby now that’s worth a chew.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

You could have a point there. Bit like those Burger king vegan burgers that came out about the same time as this virus. I wonder if there's a link?

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Good point, I know a couple of Vegans and the tricky bastards served me up 'tricken' one night, was pretty hungry and went for it. First shovelful was mean, then the second I clicked something was not quite right, then it hit me and I felt dirty.

Thanks for posting about this, I can say that possum's quite low on the list but if needs must, there's plenty of them out there and it's good to know the a, b, c of prepping them.

Take whatever meat you can get, put it all through the mincer and mince the lot, then marinate it for about 2 days and hope the smell goes away. Throw in mince with some rice risotto.

Thats what I would do, but I hope it never comes down to that.

I have big fat rabbits tormenting me from across the road, I will bowl them over at the risk of discharging a firearm in a built up area if I get desperate enough.

Well, it sounds as if not many people have tried possum and it's even less popular than mountain oysters. It really wasn't that bad, just another red meat and not too dry. Must be a lot more difficult "bush meat" being eaten all over the world. We don't know how lucky we are. I would rather it had been venison eye fillets but I just couldn't figure out where they were living this month.

It is clear that people have not tried possum or have prepared it very badly. If it is prepared properly, it is just like veal. It has a very mild flavour that is improved with cranberry sauce.

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Originally Posted by 40mm

Good point, I know a couple of Vegans and the tricky bastards served me up 'tricken' one night, was pretty hungry and went for it. First shovelful was mean, then the second I clicked something was not quite right, then it hit me and I felt dirty.

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yes you should feel dirty...... you were violated .....call SVU

I've eaten a lot of possum and I rate it fairly highly. Like someone mentioned earlier it is best to cut out the two glands filled with the thick white, stinky fluid in the soft flesh under the tail... without having them leak over the meat. Once you've experienced the contents of these glands you will know why folks like to avoid them in their meal. They contain what seems to me to be a super-concentrated essence of possum.

Some possums have tasted somewhat 'gamey'. I think this was mainly due to gut taint. It appears that if the guts are left in the carcass for more than a short time, the earthy flavour can reach the front legs and backsteaks....and maybe beyond if left long enough.

Keeping the fur off the meat is a challenge if you are fussy. Otherwise they could be classified as a great source of dietary fibre.

I have been surprised at how relatively tender a big old possum can be. And some carry a decent amount of fat too, which is something I appreciate.

I generally will not eat the liver from a possum nowadays as I believe that is where residue of poison is likely to be concentrated if they've had a less than lethal dose of it (I often won't eat pig liver for the same reason). And if I know for sure that someone has been laying poison, I will generally not hunt possums in that area. If a possum looks skinny or 'unwell' I won't butcher it.

The best feed of possum I can remember was my first taste of it. Dad had taken us out spotlighting for small game and we got some rabbits and a possum. Dad was crumbing and frying some rabbit legs, and we decided to try some of the possum. It was a revelation. Tender, juicy and delicious. Much better than rabbit. That was probably around 1970.

Rupert described possum as tasting like veal. I had some veal tonight oddly enough, and I reckon Rupert's assessment is pretty good. Prior to tonight, I guess I would have described possum as maybe like a bit of mild rabbit or chicken.

I know possums do things that aren't popular and I agree that control is needed. However I can't help but regard them as a resource.

I still get the occasional possum, but I don't pursue them like I once did. Our dog is no longer with us, but when she was here we fed her a lot of possum. Sometimes we fed it to her raw, but often I'd just skin and gut the possums and throw them in a big pot and cook them outdoors. When cool, I'd pour the nutritious liquor around the roots of special plants, and I'd pull all the meat off the bones and pack it into bags to freeze for Lizzy the dog. (A mate of mine wrote a song about Lizzy if you are interested in that kind of thing.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlxUPyI-MFY&t=2s )

https://i.imgur.com/CrFtRVh.jpg