Clean raccoon, quarter, and remove all surface fat and glands. Lightly salt and pepper meat and brown meat in a cast iron skillet with left-over bacon grease. Remove meat and place browned pieces into crockpot. Then add the onions, garlic, and bellpepper into skillet - cook down until wilted. Place cooked vegetables in crockpot. Mix all other ingredients and pour over meat pieces. Cover and cook 6 to 8 hours (slow and low) . Remove any excess grease and discard before thickening remaining liquid for gravy. Meat will be tender and delicious.
I haven't had coon since I was about 4 years old. Grandma parboiled it, rinsed it, filled the body cavity with turnips (which were thrown away, not eated) put an apple in its mouth and baked it in a wood burning oven. Can't remember if I liked it or not.
Always removed the glands from the front and hind legs on any size. Small ones were chicken-fried and sometimes smothered in gravy with onions, garlic and mushrooms.
Larger coons we trim the fat off (usually gives the meat a much stronger flavor if you don't remove it), rinse it well, parboil as some mentioned above, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, fresh parsley and Lea & Perrins. Then baked with potatoes, carrots, celery and onions until if falls off the bones.
Or we'd barbequed them and basted every 20-30 minutes cooking slow for about 3-4 hours. Dang good stuff. Always kept some each season while fur trapping instead of selling the carcasses to the wholesale fur dealer.
Have eaten lots of em'. Pressure cook or parboil for a bit, and then slow smoke on the pit at 300 degrees until fall apart tender. I use the same glaze as I do when I do my pork ribs. Excellent table fair if you get hold of a younger one.
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