How to make roast squirrel with orange blackberry cranberry sauce.
At one time squirrels were the most widely hunted game animal in America. More bushytails were taken numerically than any other critter. They’ve since fallen a little bit in the hierarchy of harvested animals, but they’re still a much sought after small game animal.
Virtually every young hunter cuts his or her teeth on hunting by knocking squirrels from their leafy perches in the autumn woods. And a heckuva lot of older hunters still eagerly pursue tree rats, yours truly included.
I’ve killed many hundreds, even thousands, of squirrels over the years. They provide some of the best tasting game meat to be found anywhere. And I’m always looking for new ways to prepare them for the table.
Here’s a dish that’s simple, is most excellent on the palate, and has some real nice visual appeal. Blackberries have always been a good match for squirrel in my book, and when I purchased them the other day pairing the two was exactly what I had in mind.
As I was prepping everything I recalled that we had a bowl full of fresh cranberries in the fridge that had been waiting patiently for a week or so. There were a few undesirables in the bunch but most of them were still in fine fettle. Why not add those as well?
Here’s the recipe. It’s really just a normal orange sauce such as you might use with duck, but with the blackberries and cranberries added. Duck and squirrel are similar in some ways – they’re both dark meat – and I think this sauce would make a great compliment to either one.
Ingredients:
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a few squirrels, cleaned and quartered (I had a package of thighs and forequarters from three or four squirrels, so that’s what I used here)
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1 stick of butter
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1 or 2 yellow onions, thickly sliced
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half-dozen or so whole garlic cloves, smashed with the side of your knife
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about a ¼ cup fresh thyme
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1 orange, skin-on, sliced into ¼” circles
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1 or 2 cups of fresh cranberries
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about 1 cup orange juice
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orange peel from one orange
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about ¼ cup light molasses
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½ cup light brown sugar (you could use honey too, but cut back on the amount)
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piece of fresh ginger about half the size of your thumb, grated or diced
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½ cup Grand Marnier orange liqueur
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salt
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cracked pepper
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at least a cup of fresh blackberries
1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. Gently melt about ¾ of the stick of butter in a large cast iron skillet (I’m using cast iron for just about everything these days). Line the bottom of the skillet with a single layer of onion slices and all but one or two of the smashed garlic cloves. Toss in a handful of the cranberries.
3. Lay the squirrel on top of the onion/garlic/cranberry bed, in a single layer and evenly spaced. Salt and pepper the squirrel. Sprinkle the thyme leaves evenly over the squirrel. Lay the orange slices on top (you don’t need to completely cover with the orange slices, a few should do the job).
4. Into the oven with the skillet. Set the timer for 30-40 minutes.
Now for the sauce.
1. Combine the orange juice, orange peel, molasses, brown sugar, ginger, a couple cloves of smashed garlic, orange liqueur, and a big handful of cranberries in a sauce pot. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Once it hits boil turn the heat down and let it simmer, stirring regularly. Salt and pepper to taste, about a teaspoon each.
2. After simmering for 10-12 minutes, strain the liquid from the chunky stuff through a sieve, pressing the juice through the strainer with a rubber spatula. It doesn’t have to be completely clear of the little bits, at least not for me. Return liquid to saucepan and put on a low simmer. Add most of the blackberries and loosely smash them to break them up a bit (save a few to add to the final plating). Reduce until you get the thickness you’re looking for. You could add that last ¼ stick of butter here if you wish, to give it a little more richness. I chose not to.
5. After 30-40 minutes, remove skillet from oven and with tongs turn each piece of meat. There should be a good amount of liquid in the bottom of the skillet, but the meat should not be completely submerged. Cook for another 30 minutes.
6. After 30 minutes, turn the pieces of meat one more time and set the oven on broil. Broil for only 3-5 minutes or so, just enough to give a nice browning to the surface of the meat.
7. Plate it up, pour the sauce, dig in. A couple of wine recommendations for this dish: Von Stiehl Winery from Algoma, Wisconsin makes a Cherry Bounce that is to die for, and Door Peninsula Winery in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin makes a wonderful Blackberry Merlot. Both do nicely here.
