by toivo » Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:39 am
in terms of squirrels, they're usually case skinned: cut at the ankle joints, up the inside of the legs, up the tail or just snip it (mepps pays 1$ per tail), then peel the skin back. it helps if you have a friend hold the legs, or use strong alligator clips. if you want to do it properly, carefully skin out the head, right down to the eyelashes. stretch that inside out on a board carved to a gentle point; salt the skin with alum. something to trim your slippers with.
now you've got your squirrel fur free. carefully cut up the belly to the ribs- don't puncture any intestines. remove all the insides, sex glands, etc. count 2 ribs up and cut off the front half- it's too small to chew on. you can store your squirrels up until you have enough for a feed.
don't overcook it- there's little fat in the meat and it can get tough. just dredge and brown quick in butter and reserve, add the onions, then hot stock- parsely, thyme, worchestershire, sugar, potatoes, lima beans, chopped tomato, corn and the squirrels.