Squirrel 'n' dumplings

I had a good hunt the other day with a couple buddies, we managed to bag 7 squirrels. After a day on the ice with 6lb it was time for some comfort food! I already had the squirrels cleaned and in the fridge ready to go. I did some final trimming and into a pot to brown in some oil.
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After a little oil bath I removed them to start on a broth. The usual suspects went in .. onion, celery tops, garlic.
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Deglaze with white wind and some broth. Then back in for a long simmer with the squirrel.
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After the simmer to cook and tenderize the squirrel I strained the broth and started the soup base.
Mirepoix sautéed, flour for roux, broth back in with the squirrel. A simple dumpling batter was made and added.
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Then eat!





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Looks pretty good. Never had squirrel before though.

Looks good. I still remember eating squirrel stew with my grandfather, made by my grandmother. She would have definitely liked this recipe. I always thought about smoking some squirrels, should be good.

Brings back childhood memories, I grew up eating squirrel dumplings, though much simpler they were good. Your recipe makes me want to try it again!


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Quick story. I married a girl from Pennsylvania in the Spring. Well Fall came along with the opening day of Squirrel season. I rolled out and shot 8 the first morning and upon the return home my new Bride ask; "What are you going to do with those?" I responded cook them of course.............wrong answer. "Not in My Kitchen" was the response. Anyway I gave them to a friend and have never had squirrel dumplings since. Today it would be no problem as now she knows I wouldn't put up with that but I don't miss it either.
I grew up eating them, my grandmother would use the back of a spoon to crack the skull to eat the brains. We were very hungry back then, never having enough to go around. My wife says today it's why I can't throw food away but maybe I'm a Glutton, who knows.

Holy cow, does that look good! My mouth is watering just looking at it. Great write up and pics.

I'm assuming you picked the meat off the bone before assembling the final product?

Rojo, my wife won't let them in the house, either. She's from Seattle and she considers them one step below rats, truly a rodent in her city experience. And no rodent is coming in her kitchen!

Hardest part was picking the meat of the bones!


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I will admit, never had squirrel brains. My Dad who taught me, threw heads away with skin and guts. But now his grandmother that raised him would gently get onto me if I brought her some missing the heads. Aww hon, you threw the best part away! She’d say. When I saw her reaching for that big army surplus spoon, I turned my head and didn’t look back!


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My sweetheart, Ms. Joyce, Grew up down Abbeville way down in Louisianna. I haven't found too much she wont eat. I have found she really don't care for pork tenderloin so much, due to it being to lean, not much fat, or as she says flavor, and it's tendency to be too dry. Have managed to get her to eat it some when I show her the juices running out of it though...
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Sure looks good.

Ate many squirrels in my life, never cared much for any kind of dumplings or noodles. Fried squirrel was often on the table growing up

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Originally Posted by Jamesdean

My sweetheart, Ms. Joyce, Grew up down Abbeville way down in Louisianna. I haven't found too much she wont eat. I have found she really don't care for pork tenderloin so much, due to it being to lean, not much fat, or as she says flavor, and it's tendency to be too dry. Have managed to get her to eat it some when I show her the juices running out of it though...
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Sure looks good.

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Funny you should bring Pork Loin up. It's gotten to where Pork Loin is cheaper than Shoulder or Boston Butt in the grocery store. I'm on your wife's side here as I by Butts and carefully debone then slice into Butt Chops. From there you can do so many things with them. Way more flavor. If I'm eating Loin it's usually 2 inches thick and stuffed full of Sausage. What is really good is mix some Mayhaw jelly with the Sausage before stuffing the Loin Chop.

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Originally Posted by Grumpa

Ate many squirrels in my life, never cared much for any kind of dumplings or noodles. Fried squirrel was often on the table growing up

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We usually do fried squirrel here too, this was a change of pace for us. When the boys (mine and my best friends) were younger we ate a lot of them fried. The are both 19 now and on too girls more than anything, so its up to us dads to go squirrel hunting, lol. i still enjoy the heck out of it so its not like I need my arm twisted.

I never been much for dumplins except in blackberries. Yours look exceptional. Like my mom cooked in the berries, not flat cutout squares. I would try your soup. It looks awesome. I have always smothered squirrels down in a brown gravy. Same with rabbits. Except I cook the squirrels in a pressure cooker until they are so tender you almost don't have to chew. Been quite a while though. Thanks for that.

I can tell you a funny about my wife and eating squirrel -
Long before we met, her first husband had a drinking and driving problem. Specifically, getting caught by Johnny Law doing it. After the third dui, he was on house arrest.
She tells him, if I’m gonna work all day and pay the bills, the least you could do is have supper cooked when I get home. So he pops out the window screens and is shooting squirrels in the yard. Feeds her squirrel night after night. Then she comes in from all day on a jobsite working construction, pulls off boots and steps on a 22 hull on hard floor. On the heel. Says she has nothing against squirrel, but she’ll be ok if she never eats another!


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Par boil in a pressure cooker then fried with rice gravy and biscuits , was the prefered choice at my family house . Love those dumpling also . Those look great .

sound good Eagle1, I might try that next

My grandmother loved squirrels. She bought me my first gun. A Marlin 22 automatic. I was 7 at the time and she told me it was our secret and could only shoot it when I came to her house. Needless to say I was at her house every chance I got. She made sure I had plenty of ammo and encouraged me to target practice all the time that way I could kill her some squirrels to make dumplings with. I ate them all the time growing up. She would have such a smile on her face when she saw me coming back across the yard with a mess of squirrels. She would always help me clean them too. She would roll her dumplings out and cut them with a knife. I always got to help cut them and put them in the pot. And yes she would fuss at me if I hit them in the head she liked the brains as well. Such amazing simpler times.


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I love squirrel or chicken and dumplings but Ive never had either with anything other than just the meat and the dumplings. That looks good though.

Been a minute since we ate squirrel….looks tasty ….:highfive

I’ve eaten squirrel my whole life. Fried just like chicken is my favorite, but a big pot of squirrel & dumplings like Grandma (and you) made is fine eating!