Oven Fried Rabbit

This recipe for 'Oven Fried Rabbit' is one of those great ways to get that fried taste without all the bad fats. To pull this off we are going to follow the three 'B's' brining, breading, and baking. This is one of my favorite rabbit recipes, the meat is juicy and tender and the breading comes out nice and crunchy. The three step process for this recipe is easy to follow and I am sure you will enjoy the results as much as I do.

If you have ever eaten rabbit then you now that it is pound for pound, the leanest white meat you can raise or purchase. The downside to having meat that is so lean is that if not prepared correctly it can be a challenge to make sure it is nice and tender. There are a few options to ensure that your meat is tender, one option is to use a marinade that not only imparts flavor but helps to tenderize the meat. Another option, and the one I use in this recipe is to brine the rabbit before cooking.

Brining the Rabbit

A brine is simply a combination of water, salt, sugar and spices, that are combine together and the meat is then placed in the brine for 8 to 16 hours to allow the meat to absorb the brining solution. What most people do not realize is that brines are used commercially everyday. One only has to look at the label of any packaged poultry product to see that it states ”this product has been infused with a sodium solution.” In plain English, that means it has been brined to enhance both the flavor and moisture content of the meat to keep it from drying out.

Baking rabbit without brining it can leave you with both a tough and dry meal, the exception to this would be if you were cooking the rabbit in the oven via a wet method (cooked in liquid). I use a couple of different brines depending on the meal I am looking to prepare. However, for this recipe I will be using my all-purpose brine as I want to coat the rabbit before baking. This technique is often referred to as 'oven frying' but it is in reality just baked rabbit.

Simple and easy to make, my all-purpose brine and is the base recipe for all my other brine recipes which I have mentioned in another article 'Brining, Adds Flavor and Juiciness to Chicken, Turkey, and Rabbit' at http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Brine. In my experience, I find it best to make the brine up the day before to make sure it is nice and cold before adding the raw meat.

All-Purpose Brine

8 cups water

1/2 cup kosher salt
1 Tablespoon black peppercorn crushed
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 bay leaves dried

In a large stock pot add all the ingredient except the cold water and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove the stockpot from the heat and allow to cool. After cooled down completely, place in the fridge overnight for use the next day.

Once the brine has been refrigerated, add your rabbit and allow it to brine for 8 to 16 hours. I usually place the rabbit in the brine and allow it to soak overnight or until I am ready to cook it the next day. Once you are ready to begin cooking, remove the meat from the brine and pat dry and place on a baking dish or platter until ready to use.

Coating and Baking The Rabbit

If you grew up in the 1970's like I did, you probably remember a product called 'Shake and Bake', which can still be found on supermarket shelves, but is not marketed as much as it was back when I was younger, so if you have not heard of it that's okay. Because this blog is all about saving money, I have my own recipe for homemade 'Shake and Bake' which can be found on my blog at http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Shake%20And%20Bake. If you do not want to make your own Shake and Bake at this time, then by all means try out the commercial version to see what you think, you can always make your own later.

Oven Fried Rabbit

1 recipe all-purpose brine

1 cup homemade shake and bake mix

6 to 8 rabbit hind quarters

salt and pepper to taste

Brine rabbit overnight.

When ready to cook the rabbit, remove from the brine and pat dry and place in baking pan or corning ware dish. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Pour shake and bake mix into a 1 gallon zip lock bag and set aside. Lightly salt and pepper the hind quarters, and add them one at a time to the zip lock bag and lightly the bag to ensure that the meat is throughly coated with the breading mix. Once coated place the rabbit in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick coating, and repeat the same process until you have all of the pieces coated with the shake and bake mix.

Cover the dish and bake the rabbit for 70 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for another 20 minutes to crisp up the coating. Now you may be able to cut the cooking time down by increasing the temperature, but I cook the rabbit at a lower temperature and for a longer amount of time to keep it from drying out. For example, you would typically cook chicken at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, however chicken is not as lean as rabbit. Feel free to experiment with the time and temperatures, and post a comment here, I would like to hear about your results. As always, I hope that you have found this article informative and beneficial for you and your family, if so please take the time to share it with your friends so that the can benefit as well.

Additional Resources

'Brining, Adds Flavor and Juiciness to Chicken, Turkey, and Rabbit' at http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Brine, August 12, 2015.

'It's Shake and Bake and I helped...Sorta' http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Shake%20And%20Bake, August 13, 2015.

Episode 3 - Buffalo Style Hot Wings

2 pounds chicken wings

1 cup all purpose flour

½ cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon red pepper

• Line a few baking or cookie sheets with aluminum foil sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray.
• Combine flour, paprika, salt, black pepper, red pepper, garlic powder and onion powder in one gallon plastic bag or container and shake to mix thoroughly.
• In a large bowl or plastic container whisk together the eggs and milk to make your egg wash.
• First, we are going to submerge the chicken wings in the egg wash. The amount of wings you soak at a time depends on the size of your bowl, but I would not do more than 8 or 10 at a time.
• Next, transfer the wings to the plastic bag with flour; seal the bag carefully and shake to coat the wings evenly.
• Place the wings on foil lined baking sheets sprayed with non-stick cooking oil in a single layer and place them in the refrigerator to rest for 30 to 40 minutes. Halfway through the resting process, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
  • Resting the wings in the fridge helps the egg wash and seasoned flour to stick to the chicken pieces resulting in a better crust. You can skip this step if you wish, but I find it makes for a more crispy coating.
• Remove the wings and spray the top layer with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, then turn, spray the wings lightly again and bake for an additional 20 – 25 minutes or until the wings are golden brown and crispy. While your wings are cooking prepare your sauce.
• When wings are golden brown, remove from the oven and place in a bowl and pour ¼ cup of sauce per dozen wings and toss for 15 to 20 seconds, then place on a serving dish and serve.

Note: If you are using fresh chicken wings trim the tips and cut at the joint; if you are using are looking for something more convenient you can use pre-cut wings and drumettes found in the frozen section of your supermarket.

Buffalo Wing Sauce -  Melt 2 – 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter and mix with ½ cup hot sauce. I prefer Louisiana hot sauce, but Franks, Tabasco or any sauce you prefer will do.

Barbecue Wing Sauce I - Mix 2 – 3 tablespoons chicken stock with ½ cup barbecue sauce of your choice. Commercial barbecue sauces tend to be extremely thick; combining it with chicken stock thins the sauce allowing it to be tossed with the wings to ensure a delicious an even coating.

Barbecue Wing Sauce II – Mix ½ cup ketchup, ¼ cup cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and ½ teaspoon black pepper, garlic and onion powders in a mixing bowl and mix until creamy and thoroughly incorporated.

Garlic Ginger Wing Sauce – Mix ½ cup rice wine vinegar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons Asian chili sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon ginger paste and minced garlic, and ¼ teaspoon onion and garlic powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Honey Mustard Wing Sauce – Mix ½ cup Dijon mustard, ¼ apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup honey, and 2 teaspoons Louisiana hot sauce in a mixing bowl and mix until creamy and thoroughly incorporated.

Jamaican Jerk Wing Sauce – Mix ½ cup ketchup, ¼ cup lime juice, 2 tablespoons Jerk seasoning, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and ½ teaspoon black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic and onion powders and ½ scotch bonnet pepper minced, seeds and veins removed in a mixing bowl and mix until creamy and thoroughly incorporated.

Louisiana Wing Sauce - Melt 2 – 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter and mix with ½ cup Louisiana or Tabasco hot sauce and 2 teaspoons creole or cajun seasoning.

Mambo “Mumbo” Wing Sauce - ½ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 to 3 teaspoons Tabasco, and 1 teaspoon paprika.

Sesame Ginger Wing Sauce - Combine ½ cup hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons Louisiana hot sauce, 1 teaspoon ginger paste and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds before serving.

Teriyaki Wing Sauce – Mix ¼ cup rice wine vinegar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and ½ teaspoon ginger paste and , ¼ teaspoon onion and garlic powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings as necessary.