Per request, here is how I do it.
The most challenging part of this is cooking the squirrel to the desired doneness. Tender enough to enjoy, but not falling apart tender like pressure canned squirrel as this would make cooking them further almost impossible. Took some trial and error as there is not much information available on cooking squirrels in this fashion. I load about two and a half squirrels (in pieces - two front legs, two back legs and the back) into a quart size vacuum bag, seal, double bag and seal again. The sharp ends of the cut bones can poke holes in vacuum bag, so double bagging is good insurance during a long cook. I cook the squirrels sous vide for 30 hours at 158* to achieve a very chicken like texture of the meat, which has worked out perfectly for the rest of the recipe. I usually prepare 4 or 5 bags of squirrel like this at a time as they will easily fit in the old cooler I use for sous vide cooking big stuff like whole brisket or racks of ribs. I'm sure you could pressure cook or boil the squirrel to a similar doneness, but I think it would take some trial and error to get it just right. Sous vide cooking makes it foolproof and easily repeatable.
At this point, I usually freeze all but one of the cooked bags of squirrel for later. I cut open and drain all the liquid out of the bag, reserving to put on the dogs food. They really like squirrel juice, and they earned their cut.
Heat your oil (I've come to prefer beef tallow for deep frying most anything) to 370 degrees while you get the pieces breaded. Carefully lay out the pieces on a rack on a cookie sheet. They will hold together, especially if they are cold, but they are a little fragile. Handle with care. I season about 1 cup of AP flour with salt and pepper, heavy on the pepper, coat the pieces one at a time in flour. I let them rest a couple of minutes while I whisk together one large egg, about 1/3 cup buttermilk and about a tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Dip the floured pieces in the egg wash then immediately in panko and back onto the rack. Deep fry in small batches for about 3 minutes. Keep in mind the meat is fully cooked already, and this is enough time to heat them through, firm up the meat, and crisp up the coating nicely. Once all the pieces are fried, I put them in my warming oven while I cook french fries or whatever else needs doing until it's time to eat. Immediately before serving, toss in a large bowl with your favorite buffalo sauce. Thassit.
I make a pretty standard classic buffalo sauce. this is not super-hot, but enough to make my nose run a little.
2/3 cup Franks Red Hot
1/2cup (one stick) cold unsalted butter
1 1/2 T white vinegar
1/4 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a pot and place over medium heat, bring to a simmer while stirring with a whisk. as soon as the liquid begins to bubble on the sides of the pot, remove from heat and whisk thoroughly. set aside until you're ready to toss with your wings, or "wings".
The most challenging part of this is cooking the squirrel to the desired doneness. Tender enough to enjoy, but not falling apart tender like pressure canned squirrel as this would make cooking them further almost impossible. Took some trial and error as there is not much information available on cooking squirrels in this fashion. I load about two and a half squirrels (in pieces - two front legs, two back legs and the back) into a quart size vacuum bag, seal, double bag and seal again. The sharp ends of the cut bones can poke holes in vacuum bag, so double bagging is good insurance during a long cook. I cook the squirrels sous vide for 30 hours at 158* to achieve a very chicken like texture of the meat, which has worked out perfectly for the rest of the recipe. I usually prepare 4 or 5 bags of squirrel like this at a time as they will easily fit in the old cooler I use for sous vide cooking big stuff like whole brisket or racks of ribs. I'm sure you could pressure cook or boil the squirrel to a similar doneness, but I think it would take some trial and error to get it just right. Sous vide cooking makes it foolproof and easily repeatable.
At this point, I usually freeze all but one of the cooked bags of squirrel for later. I cut open and drain all the liquid out of the bag, reserving to put on the dogs food. They really like squirrel juice, and they earned their cut.
Heat your oil (I've come to prefer beef tallow for deep frying most anything) to 370 degrees while you get the pieces breaded. Carefully lay out the pieces on a rack on a cookie sheet. They will hold together, especially if they are cold, but they are a little fragile. Handle with care. I season about 1 cup of AP flour with salt and pepper, heavy on the pepper, coat the pieces one at a time in flour. I let them rest a couple of minutes while I whisk together one large egg, about 1/3 cup buttermilk and about a tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Dip the floured pieces in the egg wash then immediately in panko and back onto the rack. Deep fry in small batches for about 3 minutes. Keep in mind the meat is fully cooked already, and this is enough time to heat them through, firm up the meat, and crisp up the coating nicely. Once all the pieces are fried, I put them in my warming oven while I cook french fries or whatever else needs doing until it's time to eat. Immediately before serving, toss in a large bowl with your favorite buffalo sauce. Thassit.
I make a pretty standard classic buffalo sauce. this is not super-hot, but enough to make my nose run a little.
2/3 cup Franks Red Hot
1/2cup (one stick) cold unsalted butter
1 1/2 T white vinegar
1/4 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a pot and place over medium heat, bring to a simmer while stirring with a whisk. as soon as the liquid begins to bubble on the sides of the pot, remove from heat and whisk thoroughly. set aside until you're ready to toss with your wings, or "wings".
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