Q: How do you skin a porcupine?
A: Carefully --> http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/small-game-varmints/154152-porcupine-graphic-pics.html#post1904416

 

That's a first for me. Way to go pokey.

 

I grew up on a pork and beef farm
When we got crazy we ate chicken
So now I am a very fussy eater
I have never been so hungry as to eat a varmint

 

Do you hunt? What do you do with the game you kill?

 

Porcupine have to be the dumbest animal on God's earth but Lord, they are destructive of trees. Here in North dakota, trees are scarce and porcupine is not. I shoot a number of them each year and have heard tell that they are good to eat; decent survival food at least. Your recipe sounds good except for the carrots, yuck.

 

Porcupine have to be the dumbest animal on God's earth but Lord, they are destructive of trees. Here in North dakota, treeare scarce and porcupine is not. I shoot a number of them each year and have heard tell that they are good to eat; decent survival food at least. Your recipe sounds good except for the carrots, yuck.

If they aren't dumb, then they're deaf & blind and lack a sense of smell.

I suppose you could substitute turnips for carrots if you don't mind people thinking that you're some kind of weirdo.

 

Well I have cooked and eaten woodchucks and raccoon, but never tried porcupine. Your recipe sounded good in any event! Oh yeah, no matter what folks tell you, rattlesnake doesn't taste like chicken! Not bad, but not chicken.

 

Turtle and horse are the only meat I have eaten that is not what I consider normal
Hated both

 

I rarely see them, but all I've ever done is just watch them walk by... :biggrin:

 

When i was younger a friend's father cooked porcine and it was delicious. He was from Newfoundland, i don't know if the recipe was from here or there, what spices he used i don't know but he stuck salt pork to it with toothpicks and cooked it really slow. And my god it was delicious.

 

OP, unless you're doing to fry the meat, ala fried chicken, I'd skip the brining altogether. Also, the excess saltiness may have been caused by the soup mix, which is very high in sodium.

I don't know if slow cooking will "dissolve" silver skin. You may need to remove it with a really sharp knife.

Next time, I'd season the parts with salt and pepper (and maybe even some onion and garlic powder), dredge them in a little flour, and then brown them. Substitute some beef or chicken stock for the water and soup mix, and use it to deglaze the skillet you used for browning. Get a heavy casserole or cast iron dutch oven that's just big enough for your meat and vegetables, and has a cover. Put your vegetables and meat in the pan, and pour the stock from the skillet in.

Cover the casserole, and cook everything at 325 until your meat is tender.

 

OP, unless you're doing to fry the meat, ala fried chicken, I'd skip the brining altogether. Also, the excess saltiness may have been caused by the soup mix, which is very high in sodium.

I don't know if slow cooking will "dissolve" silver skin. You may need to remove it with a really sharp knife.

Next time, I'd season the parts with salt and pepper (and maybe even some onion and garlic powder), dredge them in a little flour, and then brown them. Substitute some beef or chicken stock for the water and soup mix, and use it to deglaze the skillet you used for browning. Get a heavy casserole or cast iron dutch oven that's just big enough for your meat and vegetables, and has a cover. Put your vegetables and meat in the pan, and pour the stock from the skillet in.

Cover the casserole, and cook everything at 325 until your meat is tender.

Thank you for the tips. I may be kick-banned from the forum for saying this, but I don't own a cast iron skillet. It's probably time to get one though.

Doesn't porcupine just beg to be shish kabobbed over an open fire?

Haha! Yes, it does seem that way.

Sounds like you should cook it in a pot with a rock. When the rock is soft,throw out the porcupine and eat the rock.

Did you read that on a bumper sticker?

 

Doesn't porcupine just beg to be shish kabobbed over an open fire?

 

Hmmm... now that sounds good. Cut strips of meat, marinate it, then cook them on long sticks like marshmallows. After 2, 3, maybe 8, beers, it's gonna taste just fine.

 

Sounds like you should cook it in a pot with a rock. When the rock is soft,throw out the porcupine and eat the rock.

 

Porcupine comes with its own toothpicks. Handy.

 

Try armadillo. Its pretty good. Stand in an electric skillet put some water in then let simmer till the white n dark meat seperate. Or ya can parboil kt then dredge in flour n fry. Only seasonins I use are a lil salt lil garlic n a bit of black pepper. I've et ****, possum, turtle, beaver, house cat, armadillo, gar, and a few others that don't come to mind right off.
I'm with the op ifn I kill it I'm at least gonna try to eat it.

 

Armadillo on the half-shell...makes its own bowl.

Creamed ****...smoked manatee...eagle l'orange...

Why aren't these delicacies on the menu of some fine enterprising restaurant?

 

never eaten porkys, they don't inhabit the woods down here. would though as they're not scavengers.
like woodchuck maybe? which a young one is delectable eats.

 

Everyone needs some cast iron! Anyways, cook it in a slow cooker or low and slow in the oven covered. The silver skin will dissolve over time. I cook venison shanks this way. And there is no way the porcupine has more silver skin than a venison shank. And by the way, once those shanks are done they are some of the finest eating meat on the animal. I can only surmise its the way the muscles are arranged. Tender beyond belief with an fantastic texture. Again I believe its because of the muscle arrangement. I may have to try a porcupine now! Thanks for the recipe

 

I was reading through this thread and my wife said, "Ask if anybody's tried armadillo!" and lo and behold somebody has! Glad to hear rattlesnake doesn't taste like chicken but I'm glad someone else discovered that fact:biggrin: John

 

Rattlesnake doesn't taste like chicken!? Darn. That's kind of unsettling.

 

Here in washingrad it is a big o fine to kill these critters. They are called the lost hunter's meal. You can kill them with a stick.

 

One overlooked aspect of porcupine as survival food...they are so slow you don't need to shoot em. Haven't seen one in a long time, but we used to just hit em with a rock or club. Roll em over in a fire to singe dull the quills, skin em and roast em on a hot rock next to the fire. Seemed kinda pork-like at the time...had teeth, then, too. That helped a lot.

Hey Pard...somehow I missed yer post whilst typing mine. All I can say is, we were hunting, and if maybe not exactly lost (whoever wants to admit that?) we were a mite challenged directionally and conserving ammo.

 

Racoon down here in E-Texas is considered a delicacy by black folks. They pay 20 to 25 dollars for one in a heartbeat. I know several **** hunters that sell everyone they catch. They called the Armadillo during the depression a Hoover hog and lots of folks ate them. I have never tried rattlesnake and do not plan to, got to draw the line somewhere. I have seen them skinned and cooked but never partook.

 

I've had racoon that was parboiled, then slow oven roasted. It was kind of sweet and stringy, but tender, like a good brisket.

 

Sorry, I'm not going to tangle with a porcupine. I don't fool around with armadillos or opossums either. I prefer venison and pork. Squirrel is pretty good too.
Lately, I am getting the urge to have some crappy fillets.

 

Sorry, I'm not going to tangle with a porcupine. I don't fool around with armadillos or opossums either. I prefer venison and pork. Squirrel is pretty good too.
Lately, I am getting the urge to have some crappy fillets.

I've had some of those at Golden Corral.

 

here in WNC no armadillos or p-pines.
just good ol' brer possum which if a young one is caught when it's been gorging on mast or some sort of farm field (they'll dig up sweet taters, pull down corn, eat squash, apples etc) is actually very good eating - IMO. same for raccoon. very good.

 

Porcupines & beaver can save your life in the bush if you're lost.
They're relatively plentiful, not hard to catch and the meat is fat and full of calories and protein.
Your body doesn't get much of a head of steam from eating grouse & rabbit flesh but they're better than nothing.
A friend of dads was lost in the woods near Kenora, Ontario in Canada for 5 days back in the 70s and made a meal of a coupla ruffed grouse & a beaver he had shot in the head with his Cooey 22LR rifle.
Porcupines & beaver are mother natures emergency food packs.

 

I bet porcupines are darn tough to chew with all those needles!

 

But a good source of fiber!