Everytime I go to cook a squirrel it seems I just can't get all the hair off the carcass. I've even tried a toothbrush but nothing seems to work. I know theres a simple solution out there. What gives ? Peace- Jeff F.
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the hair likes to stick to the membrane over the muscle, and you pretty much need to hand pick it off. What method of skinning do you use? If you take the front paws off first, cut throught the bottom of the tail above the vent, leaving the skin on, and split the skin about an inch up the thighs. Peel the tail and skin up the thighs and back enough to step on the tail and pull upwards holding the back legs. It takes a little practice, but will cleanly skin a squirrel, if you are not wanting to keep the skin, that is. All that is left is his hide "britches", and can be easily pulled free. My dad taught me how to do this when I was a kid, and said it was the way Indians did it. If you do it right, you will have very little, if any, hair on the meat.
I'm familiar with that method but I usually like to keep the skins. I tan them and give them to kids who happen to venture in. They think they're the neatest. Nothing like seeing a young one get that spark for nature. Thanks for the option though. Any more ideas out there? Peace- Jeff F.
take a small propane torch and singe the hairs off. I had a butcher show me this many years ago. Works great.
DT
I tried your Torch idea...welded the dang thing right to the steel table...hadda use a hammer and chissel to eat lunch.
~ ETCC
you don't try to melt the squirell, you hold the flame away from it till it only singes the hair off.
DT
dip them in hot wax and cool. Skin and all the hair is in the wax,I also use this for doves and quail for eating works great.
All the way.
Think the problem was that I used a gas tank welding torch with cut-off tip?
~ ETCC
Another method I didnt mention would be to remove the hair with a wire wheel. I use the one on my grinder. Does a great job, and tenderize's the meat at the same time.
Wet the squirrel down good before you start skinning, then it won't want to stick to the membrane as much, so it washes and pulls off easier.