Can wild rabbit be eaten rare? [General]

2012 Jan 3

2012 Jan 3
And the followup question: Can Welsh rarebit be eaten by a rabbi? ;-)
(I think the answer is yes, providing there is no meat in the meal.)

BTW, this rabbit recipe suggests medium rare: www.imrga.org

[EDIT: Gah! Okay, given your specification of *Wild* you should probably cook it well done.]

2012 Jan 3
I would cook it through completely - wild meat sometimes contains parasites, wouldn't want to risk getting rabbit fever.

2012 Jan 3
When cleaning wild rabbit you should also wear gloves to prevent tularemia not fun.

2012 Jan 5
Yes, this is very much wild. GFs family are hunters so I'm privileged to be fed wild meat from time to time. This was a family recipe slow cooked with beans.

2012 Jan 5
I would lean towards no for a few reasons...wild rabbit is tougher and less fatty then domestic rabbits, so a long slow braise with a bit of added fat (lardons) and moisture (apple cider, beer, wine, chix stock, etc) will result in nice tender legs and shoulders.

You could cook the loin separately (i.e. direct grilling, roasting, or propping it on top of legs and shoulders that are immersed in braising liquid), but I am not quite sure I see the appeal of med-rare rabbit meat. That being said, the loin can become overcooked and dry if you are not careful, so unless you are stewing it in liquid you have to be quite vigilant.

I tend to stew rabbit at 200-225F in a dutch oven for many hours (5-6), and this is pretty forgiving - the meat is perfectly tender yet not completely falling apart in the sauce.