Squirrel & Dumplings

A Grey Squirrel Awaiting His Culinary Debut

A combination of a rediscovered love for hunting squirrels, my friend's desire to rid his property of fruit tree raiders and my dad's visit caused me to take a handful of squirrels I had in the freezer and whip up a game recipe that my dad has not enjoyed since he was a teenager in Florida.  Squirrel is a plentiful and pleasant game meat.  When I was a teenager in Florida we would spend days in the woods hunting and eating what we killed.  Most often, it was the ubiquitous tree rodent.  Cleaned and roasted on a spit over a camp fire sounds very romantic and appetizing to those who haven't done it.  Eaten in this fashion squirrel is as tough as an old tire and almost as tasty.  There are better ways to prepare it in the field, but this recipe is about the kitchen, or at least a hunting camp with some amenities.

The basic ingredients of this recipe are:

• 4 good sized squirrels, cleaned and quartered.  
• 1/2 gallon of buttermilk
• salt and pepper to taste
• biscuit mix for 9 biscuits (I use Bisquick but you can substitute biscuits from scratch or your favorite mix) 
• 2 cubes of beef bullion 
• 1 drained can of peas and 1 of corn, if you like

Soak your squirrel in buttermilk overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.  Retain the unused buttermilk for your biscuit mix.  In a large Dutch oven add the squirrel, the beef bullion and cover with water.  Boil the squirrel a long time, at least an hour, probably more, until the meat is tender and ready to fall off the bone.  Remove the squirrel and strip the meat from the bones.  I have found that you end up with small bone in your meal even when you are very careful, so pick carefully and eat carefully.  Be especially careful if you hunt with a shotgun to ensure you get all the shot out.  I use a .22 rifle, so I seldom have that problem.  Strain the broth through a fine, mesh strainer and return to the Dutch oven.  Bring the broth back to a boil while you prepare your biscuit mix substituting buttermilk for milk.  Form the dough into golf ball sized balls.  Once your dough is ready and your broth is boiling, carefully drop your dumplings into the broth, reduce heat to medium, cover, and boil for 15 minutes.  Watch carefully because the dough will cause the broth to form a thick froth of yummy goodness, which can overflow.  I usually vent the lid by placing it slightly to one side to reduce over-frothing and mess.  Stirring occasionally also helps.  This part of the process adds the thick sauce that gives the meal its heartiness.  After 15 minutes add the meat back to the pot, add the peas and corn, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Serve with cornbread, black-eyed peas and rice and a large glass of sweet tea in a quart Mason jar.