Jack Rabbit?

[JayStyles]

I have resently moved to a country home and loving it. I got permission to hunt the tree lines around my property. I have walked them a couple times. Flushed out a big Jack Rabbit the other day. Ive eaten Jack once before and it was as tasty as i had hoped. Does anyone know some good recipes for Jack Rabbit? Or is it a waste of time and ammo to hunt them?
On the other hand, not seeing any Cottontails and seeing a lot of Jack Rabbits, I know what distress call i will be using for winter Coyote hunting.

[jlmorgan]

Lots of good eating on a jack rabbit, just put them in the roast pan with a 1/2 " water in it, chop up some garlic and onions and give it a sprinkle of French onion soup mix and roast in the oven, try not to overcook as there is no fat and meat will be dry and tough. Hard to find in my area anymore!

[Roper]

My method is similar to jlmorgan, but I like to cook it long and with low heat. Slow Cooker (stew) style. As he said, add some liquid so it won't dry out. I also like to add some olive oil and a cup of red wine to the pan. Thyme, bay leaf and rosemary to spice it. Carrots.

[finsfurfeathers]

Can't forget to make some polenta to go with the rabbit. As mentioned slow wet roasting till cooked than some time under the broiler to brown a bit served over polenta call me for dinner. FYI if you need some help hunting them send me a PM

[Tim Tufts]

This isn't exactly my grandmothers recipe but pretty close.
She always used a pickling crock to maranade the jack rabbit down in the cellar for a few days.
I still have her "pickling stone" that she used on top of the meat to keep it under the brine.

Hasenpfeffer with Semolina Dumplings (Jugged Hare)
Once made, hasenpfeffer lasts a week inthe fridge.
Serves 4 to 6.
Prep Time: 2 days marinating time
Cook Time: 3 hours
MARINADE
· 1 cup water
· 1 cup red wine
· 1 cup red wine vinegar
· 1 tablespoon salt
· 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
· 1 tablespoon juniper berries,crushed
· 1 tablespoon crack blackpeppercorns
· 3 bay leaves
· 4 cloves
· 1 teaspoon dried thyme
· 2 green onions, chopped
HARE
· 1 jackrabbit, snowshoe hare
· 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
· Flour for dredging
· 2 to 3 cups chopped onion
· 1/4 cup sour cream
SEMOLINA DUMPLINGS
· 1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 6 tablespoons semolina flour(or use farina or Cream of Wheat)
· 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
· 1 egg, lightly beaten
· 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

___________

HASENPFEFFER

1. Bring all the ingredients for the marinade to a boil, then let cool to room temperature. While the marinade is cooling, cut up a hare into serving pieces. Find a covered container (plastic, ceramic, glass) just about large enough to hold the cut-up hare and put the meat inside. Cover with the cooled marinade. If you have leftover marinade, put that into a different container. Put everything in the refrigerator and let it sit at least 8 hours, but 2 days is better.
2. When you are ready to make the hasenpfeffer, remove the hare from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels. Save the marinade. Heat the butter in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot. Dredge the hare in the flour and brown well on all sides in the butter. Do this over medium to medium-high heat so the butter does not burn. Remove the hare pieces as they brown and set aside.
3. As the hare is browning, preheat the oven to 325°F and strain the marinade into a bowl. Add any excess marinade to the bowl.
4. Once you’ve browned the hare, add the onion and stir to coat with the butter. If there is not much butter in the pot left, add another tablespoon or two. Cook the onions over medium-high heat until they are soft and a little brown on the edges. Sprinkle salt over them as they cook.
5. Return the hare to the pot and add the strained marinade. Bring to a simmer, cover and put into the oven. Cook at a gentle simmer until the meat wants to fall off the bones: This will take 2 to 4 hours. To finish the hasenpfeffer, remove it from the oven and uncover the pot. Spoon off about a cup of the sauce and put it into a bowl. Add the sour cream to the bowl and mix to combine. Return the mixture to the pot and swirl it around to combine. Serve at once with the dumplings.

SEMOLINA DUMPLINGS

1. Once the hasenpfeffer has cooked for an hour or two, make the dumpling dough. Heat the milk to the steaming point and add the butter and salt. Start stirring the milk with one hand while you sprinkle in the semolina with the other. Stir well until the semolina absorbs the milk and forms a stiff dough. Take the pot off the heat and let the dough cool. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stove. once it boils, turn off the heat until the hare is done.
2. When the hasenpfeffer is ready, turn the heat off the oven but leave everything inside. Now it’s time to finish the dumplings. Mix the egg and nutmeg into the semolina dough. Let the dough stand while you bring your pot of salty water back to a boil, which won’t take long because you preheated it. Get a bowl of water ready — this is to wet your hands so the dumpling dough doesn’t stick to them.
3. Roll the dough into balls however large you want. I like rough tablespoons, or dumplings the size of a walnut. As you make them, drop each one into the boiling water. Do not crowd the pot. Once the dumplings start bobbing on the surface, let them cook another 2 to 5 minutes, depending on how soft you like them. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

[JayStyles]

Thanks for the recipes everyone. Looks like I will be doing more jack rabbit hunting in the near future.

[bellerivercrossbowhunter]

We Filet off the back straps & merinate them overnight & BBQ them to medium rare.

This will be the best steak you have ever had. It beats all other wild game meat & you won't belive how tender & flavourful it is.

We debone the rest of the meat & use for stew or save it up for sausage. We don't gut our rabbits just debone them all...

[terrym]

Jack hunting is definitely not a waste of time and ammo. We used to do quite a bit of it but they are near extinct where we used to do well. Now all we see are coyote tracks. Good fun and exercise over the winter.