Has anyone ever tried to eat one? I would think that a young one shouldn't be too bad considering what they eat?

Bob257

Bob257 -
It is sort of like a giant squirrel. I can't say I like it.
My two .02s
DOA

I used to hunt them with a guy who's wife would cut them into serving size pieces then soak the meat overnight in salt water in the fridge, the next day she would drain and wash the meat then she slow cooked it in some good homemade spaghetti sauce with plenty of garlic.
Served up with some garlic bread, salad and a cold beer it was a good meal.
Note-the younger hogs made the better meal.
Pa Griz

They're ok. The texture is good, but they don't taste like anything unless you've left some fat on one IMO... then they taste like... well, I don't know, but it's pretty nasty.

If you're going to try one, make sure you get ALL of the fat off of it. crede experto. Soaking in salt water and using tons of garlic and onions is also adviseable on your first go with the other rat meat.

BTW, I'm seeing a strong PA trend here. What's up with that?

I tried some that was par-boiled then barbecued. The texture was about like my old Converse Allstars, taste was even worse. I thought it would about like rabbit or tree rat. Boy was I wrong.

You know what PaGriz?
Beer can hide a multitude can't it.
DOA

Sounds like I should let them lay there! There are a lot of us from PA! Maybe we'll meet up sometime.

Bob257

I've tried them at least 5 or 6 different ways but they are not great eating, by any stretch of the imagination. Even among the Indians of the Northeast, few tribes made a steady diet of them. All of the above contributes, perhaps, to why they are called woodchucks ... once you bust them, one's first inclination is to simply "chuck'em in the woods".

Try this: Only use a young one, preferably one about 3/4 grown or so. Skin it, cut it up like a rabbit or squirrel and take off the fat - also, under his front legs, say in the "Armpit", you'll find glands that look like grey fat - make sure you take all of this out! Take the pieces, wash carefully in salt/baking soda water mix and rinse. Soak for a half hour or so in plain milk, then roll in seasoned flour and fry as you would a chicken. Don't overcook it and I think you'll be looking for more.
Another thing, if you are busting them with a 'heavy' varmit rifle you may be blasting the meat via hydraulic shock and for me this renders the meat all but inedible. Post back and let us know how it was.
Regards,

Just finished this one and it is good

1 Woodchuck
1 tb Salt
1 c Flour
4 tb Fat
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Pepper

1. Skin and clean woodchuck and cut into 6 or 7 pieces

2. Put in pot, add salt and enough water to cover and parboil for 1 hour.

3. Remove meat from the broth, and drain.

4. Dredge meat in flour, salt and pepper.

5. Melt fat in heavy fry pan and saute woodchuck until nicely browned.

Back to the stove ( Try again )
Turtle

Turtle, what then? 6. Wendys?

BBTURTLE - I woulda guessed you to be a Taco Bell kind of person, you know, 'cause of that little dog? If a PA woodchuck is anything like a AK marmot, yech!!!!! KMule

I haven't eaten a whistle pig in a long time but when I grew up in the 40's we sure eat our share of possum,ground hog,coon,turtle,squerrals,rabbits,bear,and if you got lucky deer (wasn't many deer back then).the best I can remember the ground hog tasted like the thigh on a chicken,you put it in a pressure cooker for a 1/2 hour,took it out and rolled it in flour or corn meal (tasted too sweet to me rolled in corn meal)and fried,
The possum we would put it in the well house feed it a couple days,then kill it and clean it leave it whole ,cook in pressure cooker for 1/2 hour take it out and bake it untill done,best I can remember it tasted like boiled spare ribs,didn't know what BBQ sauce was back then.

As a kid in NE Pa in the late 40's, we ate a lot of woodchucks and they were very good. Canned a bunch also. I don't recall the recipes(and my parents and grandmother who prepared them are long gone) but I know that removing the glands was crucial. Aftrer that, soaking in saltwater overnight, parboiling, and then panfrying seems to be what I recall. I do know that in that era of irregular paychecks in the coalregion economy, "storebought" meat was a luxury, deer were scarce, and we probably ate a lot more woodchuck than any other meat.

I think also that, contary to an statement in this thread, woodchucks were in fact a major food item for Native Americans.

At the moment, I am in Interior Alaska near what is very nearly the northernmost extent of their range and oldtimers here are mystified to see their appearance. A couple of decades ago, they apparently weren't here at all.

'Coon is much more to my taste and a whole lot easier to prepare than groundhog. Kinda tastes like dark-meat chicken. But then I haven't gotten around to trying the new Groundhog Sourdough Whopper.

Whitetailed deer were so scarce around here in the 50's that they became a conversation piece when one was spotted. Some folks would even make it a point to stop in and say, "Quick, go look, there's a deer in your field!!!!!!!!" How things have changed. Used to be no deer but lots of pheasants. Now, no pheasants, but lots of deer and wild turkeys. Go figure.

I've eaten groundhog and didn't think it was bad at all. Just make sure it is cleaned properly, no fat, and remove the glands from the front legs. Put the groundhog in a roaster and sprinkle Lipton onion soup mix over it and add a couple inches of water for moisture and cook until it is tender. This recipe also works for beaver and coon.
Stepchild 2