Have you ever cooked and rabbit only to discover that the meat was so dry and not at all a pleasure to eat? Maybe you had cooked it as you do chicken or any other meat….so what could be wrong?
The reason that rabbit meat leans toward being dry is because the fat comes off with the skin during processing and so you lose the natural moisture protection right there.
Here are some basic instructions on how to cook a pastured rabbit in your oven without having it dry out on you! But first I want to add a note on how Ma Ingalls in the “Little House” series kept her rabbit meat from drying out while cooking. And guess what? She did not have a young, tender, farm raised rabbit to work with! She had a big, ole, jack rabbit and it needed all morning to roast in the oven. No, “only 90 minutes”!
Her trick to keeping the rabbit moist was to lay strips of bacon over top of the rabbit. Not only did it help to keep the rabbit moist….Can you imagine the flavor it added to it? Yeah, hickory smoked! You just might want to try some of The Nolt Homestaed’s bacon on your rabbit!
Here are the instructions
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Remove your rabbit from the packaging, rinse thoroughly, and pat dry.
Remove any internal organs such as the liver, heart, or kidneys that might have been left inside the body cavity. Rub the rabbit lightly all over both the inner and outer surfaces with olive oil, melted butter, or lard. Season it with salt and pepper. If your recipe asks for additional herbs or spices, rub or sprinkle them over your rabbit at this stage.(Some excellent rabbit seasonings include parsley, rosemary, sage, bay leaf, lemongrass, and basil.)
Place your rabbit in the roasting pan on its side without a rack. Rabbit is too lean for the drippings to be fatty and any juices will help keep the underside moist.
If you wish, you can throw some veggies in such as potatoes and carrots.
Baste the rabbit every 20 to 30 minutes with more oil or butter to keep it from drying out. Turn it after 45 minutes to ensure even cooking.
Roast your rabbit until it reaches an internal temperature 160 degrees by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. The entire process will take about 90 minutes with a market raised rabbit of 2 1/2 to 3 pounds. Allow more time for a larger rabbit.
ENJOY!-Louise
