# Jack Rabbit



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

It's been over 30 years since I had any jack rabbit. I shot a couple while coyote hunting north of Evanston on a cold and snowy winter day; baked one and made salami out of the other. Just didn't care for it and hadn't eaten one since.

With all the positive remarks by UWN members lately about eating jacks I've been thinking about trying them again and this would be a great time to do so. This year there's an abundance of grasses and forbs and the jack rabbit population is high. As-a-matter-of-fact there are enough jack rabbits out there that a hunter can be selective and harvest young jack rabbits only.




My brother and I deboned 5 jacks and packaged the meat, around 11lbs, for salami. More on that later.


An average-sized jack rabbit was cut up into pieces and soaked in lightly salted water with a splash of vinegar for 24 hours. A little bit of vinegar helps remove blood and some of the gamey flavors. Don't overdo it, a tablespoon of vinegar in a quart of water is enough.

The meat was then drained, rinsed and air dried. An hour in the freezer made it easier to cut the meat from the bones. Ended up with 2lbs 5oz of meat in a little over 30 minutes of trimming.

The pic below is meat from one jack rabbit, including a bowl of cooked scraps:


37oz of deboned meat from one jack rabbit; all of the fat and most of the white skin removed. 


Decided to make jack rabbit ground meat; some for burgers and some for chili:

*
Jack Rabbit Burger

Ingredients
*1lb - jack rabbit meat, cubed
1/4lb - beef fat, cubed
2 tbsp - minced onion
1 tbsp - Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

*Instructions
*Mix the fat with the meat and place in the freezer until frosty.
Add all the ingredients and mix well.
Grind thru a 3/16" plate and form into patties. 
BBQ as normal making sure the burger is cooked "well done".

Made Jack Rabbit sliders from the ground jack rabbit. They tasted fine, no disagreeable odors or flavor. I will do this again, probably leaving the Worcestershire out.

Whipped up a pot of chili using about 1 1/4 lbs of jack rabbit ground meat. I think "chili is chili". It has so much stuff in it it doesn't matter what kind of meat is used. :grin: Anyway, this chili is our family's normal recipe, not too spicy and nothing different, or extra, added just because it had jack rabbit in it. It is really good, again, with no disagreeable odors or flavors. 

*
Jack Rabbit Chili**

Ingredients and Instructions:
*Simple: Just use ground jack rabbit mixed with about 20% beef fat in your favorite chili recipe.

I can't thank the UWN members enough that stood up for eating jack rabbit leading me to trying them again.

.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Gotta love those Nylon 66's. Been waiting on someone else to field test the taste of jacks before I make the plunge. There's quite a few over here on the west side of Utah lake where I live and I just happen to own a couple of bricks of the super quiet CCI LR's.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Funny, the first thing I noticed looking at the pic was that that youngster was holding a Nylon.

Way cool.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Now's the time to get some jack rabbits. They are feeding on grasses and forbs. As winter sets in their diet will change to bark, twigs, greasewood and sage brush.

check out their feeding habits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_jackrabbit


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Bax* said:


> Funny, the first thing I noticed looking at the pic was that that youngster was holding a Nylon.
> 
> Way cool.


The Remington nylon semi autos .22s are accurate, reliable and very light, easy for youngsters to shoulder.

For years you could pick up excellent used 10Cs and 66s online for around $175. Now they're double that.

.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

wyogoob said:


> The Remington nylon semi autos .22s are accurate, reliable and very light, easy for youngsters to shoulder.
> 
> For years you could pick up excellent used 10Cs and 66s online for around $175. Now they're double that.
> 
> .


Yeah I saw one a couple of years ago then when I turned over the tag I gently put it back on the shelf....ouch

Glad I didn't spring for it because the grandson has had a major growth spurt and at the ripe age of 13 would have outgrown it. He's 5'10 and 189 without an ounce of fat either. Seriously he is within 1 inch and has 40+ pounds on me when I graduated from college...13...crazy. And I can't get him interested in football. He just wants to play soccer and basketball...sheesh


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## massmanute (Apr 23, 2012)

LostLouisianian said:


> ...I can't get him interested in football. He just wants to play soccer and basketball...


Be thankful. It might save his brain and knees, though soccer has its risks too.


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## sixxshooter (Nov 20, 2015)

I am looking for places to hunt rabbits around Draper Utah. Any suggestions? Thanks ahead of time.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Sw Wyoming isn't that far and there are crazy amounts of rabbits


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## willfish4food (Jul 14, 2009)

johnnycake said:


> Sw Wyoming isn't that far and there are crazy amounts of rabbits


That's no joke. I was out there for a antelope hunt and saw dozens and dozens of rabbits. Wished I had a small game license.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

My next door neighbor and I went out this afternoon and ended up dragging a couple of jacks home for the stew pot. I'll report after I partake.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Oops, I didn't report. They were surprisingly edible. I guess I won't be starving to death as long Mr. Longears are around to be had.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Made another pot of jack rabbit chili.

Took a 1 1/2 lb package of de-boned jack rabbit out of the freezer. Ground the rabbit 1/4". Mixed that with a 1/2 lb of frosty beef fat that was ground through a 3/16" plate.

Threw in some different stuff this time; a red bell pepper, couple tablespoons of sugar and plenty of chipolte chili pepper spice.

wow


And of course I fried up a quarter-pound of the ground meat and had a nice bunny burger while I was making the chili. 
.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Going to have to try the chili! I'll pass on the burgers though. don't want to mess with trichinosis. I don't like we'll done burgers. 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

WE were always told dont eat the jacks in the summer? Wives tale?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

*I eat jack rabbit in the summer*



Dunkem said:


> WE were always told dont eat the jacks in the summer? Wives tale?


I don't know anything about jack rabbits but I'd think it be OK to shoot one in the winter, put it in the freezer, and then eat it in the summer. 

.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

wyogoob said:


> I don't know anything about jack rabbits but I'd think it be OK to shoot one in the winter, put it in the freezer, and then eat it in the summer.
> 
> .


 Uhhh ya-- maybe I should make it a bit more clear (hey got a cold, not thinking well);-) Dad used to say dont eat jacks shot in the summer? Ok where is the coffee??


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Dunkem said:


> Uhhh ya-- maybe I should make it a bit more clear (hey got a cold, not thinking well);-) Dad used to say dont eat jacks shot in the summer? Ok where is the coffee??


I usually shoot rabbits in the head, not in the summer. 

Uh....I'm thinking about switching to decaf.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Oh stop it! I'm weak for hell sakes


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Dunkem said:


> Oh stop it! I'm weak for hell sakes


I'm sorry. Been eatin' under-cooked rabbit? Drinkin' decaf?

.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

been running low on Dew.:shock:


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Dunkem said:


> been running low on Dew.:shock:


Gawd, be careful.

I can't offer much help. Most of the Wasatch Front was in Evingston this weekend and we have no mo Dew left buddy.

.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Hey, did you hijack my thread or was it me?

.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> Hey, did you hijack my thread or was it me?
> 
> .


it was me, again

.


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