Buttermilk Squirrel Recipe with Biscuits and Gravy

Squirrel, biscuits, and gravy with mashed potatoes and homegrown tomatoes. Don’t get much better.

I remember as a boy bringing home a limit of squirrels and wanting them for dinner. Mom would already have something planned for dinner, but she always adjusted on the fly. Especially for this buttermilk squirrel recipe, rabbit or our favorite fried quail. She always made mashed potatoes anytime she made the buttermilk squirrel recipe. Biscuits and gravy too. I believe she made pinto beans about every meal. At least I like to remember it that way. We always had chow chow for the beans along with the neighbors’ home-grown tomatoes. You know those real ugly tomatoes that a grocery store would never put on their shelves. The slices were irregular and large, laid over top of everything. Of course there was homemade cornbread with not a little but a lot of butter slathered in between or on top. Man oh man was it delicious.

SHOP SQUIRREL HUNTING GEAR

The Next 30 Years

I spent the next 30 years trying to duplicate her fried anything. Her chicken was easily the best I have ever tasted, but so was her fried squirrels, rabbits and quail, oh yea those quail, but that’s another recipe, if I ever get any more. The gravy was the best too and boy did I ever eat my share of buttermilk fried squirrel with biscuits and gravy. Cook your gravy like I spell out here in this recipe and you won’t be disappointed. However don’t give up if your gravy turns out too thin, too thick or too anything. Gravy takes practice and when you nail it the first time you may miss a few times before you nail it again. Just be patient. Master the frying so the meat is tender and all your family and friends will mention your fried squirrel and biscuit and gravy.

I finally got close to my mom’s fried squirrel with this recipe. The real trick though was covering the skillet to keep the moisture in and the meat cooking more evenly throughout the frying process. I know what you’re thinking. Why didn’t you ask your mom how she did it? Well, I did ask her, numerous times. It don’t matter. You have to practice cooking just like anything else and it doesn’t matter if someone tells you how or not there’s always that little something you did different that totally changes the flavor, texture or something. It will almost never be the same as mom made. Just ask me about trying to master her cornbread. Simple recipe, but it took me awhile before I got even close.

Hunting Squirrels For This Recipe

Hunting has always been a big deal to me. I started out hunting quail but quickly transitioned to squirrel and deer when the quail began to disappear. Those days walking 10 miles up and down those Tennessee hills got real old. Especially when there wasn’t any birds to shoot. For this hunt I was lucky enough to go with a gun I have wanted for many years. I found out about the Henry lever action .410 shotgun. We just moved to Kentucky a couple years ago and was anxious to hunt the spring squirrel season. I couldn’t wait to do it with my new Henry .410 lever action.

I acquired the Henry lever action .410 and also an extra full choke for the threaded barrel that comes on the Henry .410 lever action 24″ barrel shotgun. The choke is made by Briley MFG click the link to see the choke tube that I used on this hunt. This extra full choke by Briley manufacturing helped the Henry .410 lever action gain about another 10 yards of effective range. The 2.5 inch chamber limits your choices in ammo but the Remington extra long distance did great for me and while you will obviously limit your range for this gun it’s still a great hunting shotgun and will kill squirrels out to a reasonable distance.

The Buttermilk Squirrel Recipe

• Squirrel quarters
• Buttermilk
• Flour- season with favorite spices
• Bacon grease
• Milk and flour for the gravy
• A fat juicy homegrown mater
• Tall glass of cold milk for drinking

Instructions For Buttermilk Squirrel Recipe

Soaking squirrels in buttermilk can help to tenderize the meat, well maybe. It has long been part of many wild game recipes to soak it in milk. Some say to reduce the “gamey flavor”. That’s OK I guess if you don’t like wildgame that much but I love the flavor of wild game. If I soak wild game in milk or more so buttermilk then it is only to help hold the flour and spices onto the meat as I fry it. It also helps flavor the batter as well. Here is a much more educated and scientific explanation for soaking wild game in milk.

Soak your squirrel for an hour then drain. You can soak your squirrels in buttermilk overnight if you like. Place your squirrel quarters in a ziplock with flour and shake. Let bacon grease get to 300 degrees. Place the squirrel in the skillet to cook. Brown both sides then turn the heat down. Cover and simmer so it don’t burn. Check and turn often until golden brown and crispy. Place squirrels on paper a towel and pour almost all of the bacon grease out. Leave a few tablespoons for the gravy. Be sure to leave those crumbles, yum yum!

When the grease is hot again add a couple heaping tablespoons of flour. Brown the flour by stirring constantly. When flour and grease is mixed and browned add the milk. Just add a little at a time so not to cool the pan too much, keep it bubbling. Continue adding milk until the consistency you like and remember gravy thickens as it cools. Slice that mater salt and pepper the slices remove biscuits from oven.

You did make mashed taters right? Of course you did put a big pile of those on your plate and cover those and a couple biscuits with gravy and enjoy a meal that was once considered a high falutty dish served in fine American restaurants.

How To Prepare A Squirrel

• Skin and gut the squirrel
• Remove front legs by cutting through ball sockets
• Remove the back legs by carefully cutting through the ball sockets
• Cut the back into two sections with meat shears
• Rinse your butchered squirrel thoroughly

Please remember to enjoy yourself out there, be careful and most importantly Enjoy The Harvest and pass on the memories through fellowship around the kitchen or the campfire. Keep our traditions alive and if you have any questions about squirrel hunting or the buttermilk squirrel recipe, feel free to contact me at  ken@kenm75.sg-host.com

CHECK OUT MY  squirrel hunter gumbo recipe