step by step ~ How to cut up a rabbit for dinner

How to Cut up a Rabbit

Please if you envision that cute little bunny in the pet store... DO NOT READ THIS ARTICLE!

This is about cutting up rabbit meat to cook for your family.

With a little practice anyone can cut up a rabbit just as easily as chicken.

Rabbit is not only better for you than chicken it tastes wonderful if you select a young rabbit and don't over cook it.

Pound for pound rabbit has less fat and calories as chicken. See below for a side by side comparison of meat values.

Nutritional Value of Edible Meats

.............% Protein..% Fat.....Cal. Per lb.
Rabbit........20.8*****10.2*******795
Chicken.....20.0*****11.0*******810
Veal...........19.1*****12.0*******840
Turkey.......20.1*****20.0*****1,190
Lamb.........15.7*****27.7*****1,420
Beef..........16.3*****28.0*****1,440
Pork..........11.9*****45.0*****2,050

Above information taken from Pel-freeze meats.

1. 
   Whole rabbit can be found at many grocers, one common brand is pel-freeze.
   

   Sometimes the hardest part is to find rabbit for sale at your grocery store. If you can not find ask your butcher to see if he can order it for you as there are a few companies that do offer it for sale at grocery store chains like Stater brothers, Vons Pavillions and Albertsons. The only brand I am aware of is Pel-freeze but that is who supplies the west coase and years ago I used to raise rabbits for them.

   First step is to take your whole rabbit and remove any body fat or organs that may have been packaged with it.

2. Step 2
   This is one diagram I found on how to cut up a rabbit
   

   Next decide how you are going to cut it up. There are a couple of ways to do this but I will explain how I do ii but will also show how some butchers cut it differently than I do.

   The diagram below gives you an outline on how I will be explaining how to cut up your rabbit

3. Step 3 cut the hindquarters from the body

   The first step is to cut the hind legs off of the body. The first way is diagramed in the outline above and is how I will be showing you. The other way is to remove the hind quarters the same way that you do when you are cutting up a chicken.

   First you will locate where the hip bone is and you will use your sharp knife to cut along the muscle on both the inside and outside of the body.

   Once you have cut the muscle it will be simple to either twist the hip section or bend it backwards to break the backbone, then simply cut through whatever remaining meat is left to seperate the hind quarters from the body

4. Step 4 hindquarters removed from body

   Once you have seperated the hind quarters from the body you will want to break the pelvis so that they will lay out flat.

   At the top of the hips you will see where the pelvis meets the backbone. Using your knife you will cut on each side between this area to seperate the tail section from the hindquarters.

   Honestly I only do this on one side and leave the tail section on one of the hindquarters, the choice is up to you of course for me the resultant piece where the tail is seems too small for a portion so I just leave it.

5. Step 5 you should now have a piece with the flank and loin and another piece with the ribs and front legs.

   Next you will remove the loin area from the rib cage.

   Fold the skin from the flank area over the ribs and cut where it meets the ribs. Follow this down along the bottom most rib to where it meets the spine. You will notice that there is a line on the meat to show you how to make this angled cut.

   Next you will cut all the way through the meat both front and back of the carcass and then twist and remove this from the front legs and ribs.

   Next take your knife and seperate the flank from the loin.

6. Step 6 now is the time to break out those trusty kitchen shears

   Next you will take your kitchen shears and if it hasn't already been done for you, you will cut through the breast bone to seperate the two halves of the chest.

   Then turn the chest area over and cut throught the ribs close to the spine on each side of the breast area.

   Typically again, I ususally only do this to one side, this is a personal preference in that again I do not feel that the spine and neck are enought to consider a "piece" of rabbit so I just leave it intact.

7. Step 7

   At this point some people will lift up the shoulder blade from the rib area and cut between the two to make 2 seperate pieces.

   Again I do not do this when I cut rabbit up for our family, the only "real" meat on the rib section is where it attaches to the backbone.

8. Step 8

   Now, here is a quick rundown of the way that the gourmet restrauants cut up rabbit to get that tenderloin section that they want so much money for...

   When they remove the hindquarters they do not cut through the backbone as I suggested. Instead they remove the hindquarters just like you would when cutting up a chicken at home.
   Then after they remove the loin section from the chest they will take a sharp fillet knife and gently and carefully remove the long strip of meat from along the backbone on each side. I am not sure what if anything they do with that nice piece of meat on the underside of the backbone...

   Some people will also take a butcher knife or meat cleaver and using a hammer cut through the backbone lengthwise to seperate the loin into 2 pieces.

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• You can use rabbit in any recipie that calls for chicken.
• Do NOT overcook rabbit, like chicken it gets tough and dry!
• The first few times you serve it to your family you may want to use it in recipies that call for the meat to be cut from the bone. This way they don't envision buggs bunny!
• always sharpen your knives before cutting anything. You will get a serious cut faster with a dull knife than a sharp one!
• Always keep a seperate cutting board for meat and vegetables!