Most individuals would contemplate the concept of consuming raccoon unappealing, but it surely’s really extra widespread than you would possibly suppose. Folks have been efficiently consuming raccoons for hundreds of years, and plenty of nonetheless do.
Even when the concept of consuming raccoon is unappetizing to you, you by no means know when it is perhaps the one possibility obtainable. You’ll wish to be ready for that day, nevertheless unlikely.
Eating on raccoon is perhaps exterior your common delicacies, however there’s no must panic. With an open thoughts and a few precautionary measures, these masked critters may be downright scrumptious.
Is Raccoon Meat Protected to Eat?
Sure, consuming raccoon is protected, for probably the most half. In actual fact, raccoon as desk fare was as soon as extraordinarily in style.
Though consuming raccoons is much less in style at the moment than it was years in the past, it wasn’t all that way back that searching raccoons was simply as in style as searching squirrels or geese. The truth that raccoon searching has been in style for such a very long time is an effective testomony to its security.
Baked raccoon was as soon as a holiday favorite in the South. Many historians speculate that the diminishing recognition of raccoon meat and different wild sport happened when meat processing started, making animal husbandry a extra reasonably priced possibility.
In some components of the world, nevertheless, consuming coon meat stays fairly in style. As a matter of reality, a number of cities throughout the nation proceed to characteristic festive days utilizing raccoon meat as their prime entree. The Delafield Coon Feed in Wisconsin and the Gillett Coon Supper in Arkansas are each excellent examples.
Making ready Raccoon Safely
Raccoons are identified to hold rabies, raccoon roundworms, leptospirosis, giardiasis, and salmonellosis. Subsequently, when dressing and skinning a raccoon, it’s all the time a good suggestion to put on gloves to stop any transmission of those ailments.
Raccoon roundworms, leptospirosis, and salmonellosis are most frequently unfold by way of urine and feces, which might more than likely be transmitted throughout the skinning and dressing course of. Ingesting absolutely cooked raccoon shouldn’t be an space of concern for these explicit ailments.
Moreover, utilizing correct cooking methods and guaranteeing the inner temperature of your meat reaches a minimum of 165 levels is ample to kill any life-threatening organism, akin to giardiasis or rabies.
Nonetheless, there are some issues concerning the consumption of city raccoons at the moment. Given the modernization of our nation, the city raccoon’s biome typically consists of trash cans and waterways which were infiltrated by fertilizers, pesticides, and different industrial chemical substances.
Whereas this actually wouldn’t be any worse than different wild animals, it’s higher to eat raccoons discovered within the wilderness than in city areas.
Is Raccoon Meat Good For You?
Sure, raccoon meat is basically good for you! Its calorie-to-protein ratio is great. One three-ounce serving dimension of raccoon gives 216 energy, 12 grams of fats, and nearly 25 grams of protein. It’s additionally an excellent supply of Nutritional vitamins B6 and B12, potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium.
What it lacks in energy, it makes up for in nutritional vitamins and minerals. When cooked safely and accurately, it makes a wholesome and nutritious meal, regardless of any naysayers.
What Does Raccoon Meat Style Like?
Raccoon is commonly described as a cross between goose and venison. It’s additionally been described as being much like lamb or canine. Coon is a savory meat with a light gamey style, but it surely’s on no account overwhelming. Like squirrel meat, it may be a bit on the powerful aspect, so it’s finest to tenderize the meat if attainable.
When cooked correctly, it’s extra tender than hen or turkey, but in addition greasy. In contrast to some wild sport, the raccoon doesn’t have any repulsive odor or style.
The best way you prepare dinner a raccoon largely determines the magnitude of its gaminess. Eradicating as a lot of the surplus fats as attainable can cut back the gamey taste. Moreover, marinating any wild sport, together with raccoon, in acidic marinades can even cut back gaminess.
Is it Authorized to Hunt Raccoons?
The legalities of raccoon searching will differ from state to state. In some states, it’s completely authorized, with no restrictions, and somewhere else, akin to Washington, D.C., utterly prohibited. Most states require some type of searching and trapping license. Moreover, as a result of raccoons are a protected species as a fur-bearing animal, you’ll be able to solely hunt them during certain seasons.
You’ll want to examine your native and state legal guidelines to seek out out extra about your location-specific space and its laws.
Find out how to Hunt Raccoons
As a result of raccoons are nocturnal animals, most raccoon searching happens throughout the evening. Some hunters use predator calls, whereas others use coon canine. Spotlighting and baiting are additionally continuously used.
Raccoons are opportunistic feeders, so that you’re certain to seek out them round areas which have fruit or nut bushes the place they wish to forage for meals or locations which might be dense with bugs, frogs, fish, or different small prey.
Small caliber rifles, akin to a .22LR, are the best choice for dispatching raccoons. Nonetheless, be sure to use ammunition particularly designed for varmint or predators to ensure penetration of the coon’s powerful cover and protecting fats layer. You’ll additionally should be pretty shut, given the shortage of energy a .22 has.
Some hunters even use air rifles, however you’ll want a minimum of a .25 to .30 caliber. It’s extremely inadvisable to aim dispatching a coon with a .177 caliber, which is the most typical air rifle. Most hunters contemplate this inhumane and would solely trigger damage and struggling to the raccoon.
If bow searching is authorized in your state, many avid hunters suggest the G5 blunt broadheads for fast dispatch and to stop burrowing. Whereas most bowhunters go for compound bows, there are nonetheless a couple of elite bowhunters that use recurve bows.
It’s additionally attainable to trap coons utilizing human meals since they’ll eat absolutely anything. When you’ve obtained your coon, you’ll be able to pores and skin and gown it for meal preparation.
Find out how to Put together Raccoon Meat
Raccoon furs can catch an honest value, so a clear pores and skin may even make you an additional buck or two along with the meat you’ve procured. You’ll wish to be sure to have a good skinning knife for the duty, as coon hides are fairly powerful. As soon as your coon is skinned, you’ll want to decorate it and take away the musk glands from each legs and arms.
This single step makes all of the distinction between a good-tasting coon and a foul one. Leaving these glands in place may cause your meat to style bitter. Moreover, you need your meat as clear as attainable. The extra fats you’ll be able to take away, the much less gamey the style shall be.
As soon as your raccoon is skinned and dressed, you’ll be able to take away the pinnacle, tail, and ft. Then minimize the carcass in half from the shoulders to the tail. Past that, you’ll be able to quarter it to your liking. Lastly, rinse all of your meat in clear water and both put together it to prepare dinner or freeze it for later.
There are lots of methods to arrange raccoon meat, and you could find loads of recipes all around the web. For fast and simple preparations, you’ll be able to pan-fry the raccoon or make a barbecue raccoon. Strain cooking additionally does an important job at tenderizing the meat and it’s a superb selection for nearly any gumbo dish.
For extra elaborate concepts, strive raccoon quiche or roast raccoon with stuffing.
Now that you already know raccoon meat is fit for human consumption, will you go the best way of Marvel star Anthony Mackie and add it to your Thanksgiving desk or put it aside for a worst-case situation?
