First, trap, shoot or otherwise kill your rabbit.
Lay the rabbit on its back on a flat surface and pinch the skin at the loose part in lower belly. Cut a small hole in the skin with a sharp knife, being careful not to puncture the stomach lining.
Pull apart the skin and tear all the way around the rabbit. If you haven’t the strength, then cut right around. (If you’ve paunched the rabbit in the field, simply extend the opening you’ve already made.)
Using the loosened edges, grasp the halves of the skin firmly in the centre of the belly and pull the skin very hard both ways until the front and back legs are free of the skin. (It’s a bit like pulling off a very tight rubber glove.)
Cut off the head and snap the lower part of all four legs to remove the feet. Next, cut through the groin to remove the intestine and anus, then cut a ‘V’ into the flesh where tails joins to remove the tail.
Taking care not to cut the intestines, cut the stomach lining and remove the guts. Check the liver and other internal organs for signs of white patches or spots or, more unusually, growths. If you find any discard the rabbit.
Retain the liver, heart and kidneys, then discard the remainder of the innards. Rinse the insides out with clean, cold water and do a final check to ensure the rabbit is thoroughly clean inside.
To get the best flavour soak the rabbit in salted water with a little vinegar splashed in it for about six hours or overnight.
Then use your favourite recipe for rabbit…
Do you think that you could possibly include some images to help me understand the gutting process. That would help seeing as I haven’t gutted anything before myself and I believe my Mum is slightly rusty. Also maybe some tips on actually killing the rabbit in the first place would be useful too.
Thanks, Bob.
Next time I do a rabbit, I’ll take a few photos. The only problem is that we’ve eaten almost all the rabbits on our place!
Thanks for the info stonehead - now living in the ulu in NZ and have taken up shooting to knock down the rabbit and possum population!
Amazing these new air rifles - I can take rabbits out at up to 70 metres - not like the pop guns of old!
Cheers
Hi Stonehead
Ive been looking around your site and i have got to say its excellent mate - I will now be a regular reader - long may it continue!
Regards
Mat
I Skin them the exact same way works great
That’s how we skinned the one we had.
It was killed by dog - we have a terrier.
A gourmand I know swears that rabbit liver is the tastiest treat of all, but you can’t buy it in Canada. Have you tried it?
[...] 19 03 2008 Having shot, skinned, paunched and quartered our rabbit, it was time to start preparing the meat for inclusion in our spaghetti al coniglio. I [...]
This is gonna come in useful as our meat rabbits ought to be kindling any day soon.
Gamo shadow is a good air rifle i use it for hunting rabbits i got my frist kill and do you have any tips for skinning the fur if you do please help me
thank you
Alright Stonehead, could you tell me what the white patches or spots might mean and why should you not eat the rabbit? Thanks
I’ll try to find time to write a post about the different things white spots and growths mean, but for now it will have to suffice that it indicates disease or parasites.
I am going to bookmark this one. Thanks for posting it.
Dora Renee’ Wilkerson
Omg why did you have to do that to a rabbitt when it didnt even do anything to you!!
Well, I was vegetarian but the rabbit ate my carrots and cabbage, so I figured the only way to eat my veg was to eat the rabbit…
Hey Stoney that’s only 2 of your 5 a day!
and
damn those Romans for introducing them in the first place!
Update no it might have been the Saxons who introduced them to feed their families fresh meat and the Romans decided they were a delicacy.
What is the best way to kill a rabbit that has been caught alive?
how rude. that poor bunny. How could you. The bunny has felling to you know! so not cool. I cant be live you did that.
Bob, people might take you a little more seriously if you were literate.
Stonehead,
That’s a very neat and easy way to do it. Although it took several attempts… rabbit no.3 turned out lovely!
Cheers,
yeah this site is what i been lookin for ya hur
Eating rabbit is pointless. They are generally such a small animal that hardly enough mean to justify a killing is consumed. It really sickens me that you would post pictures like this. I have two rabbits as pets and I love them more than my annoying pomeranian. They are peaceful and quiet animals. Please, if anything, state your response in an intelligent manner unlike the mocking manner in which you replied to Jenna and Cayla.
You choose to exploit animals by keeping them as pets to satisfy your emotional needs. I choose to exploit rabbits by killing and eating them to satisfy my dietary needs. The rabbits I exploit roam free until the moment they’re killed, the ones you exploit are kept in some sort of confinement. Don’t pretend you’re somehow morally better simply because you choose a different form of exploitation.
This is my blog and I choose to share some of what I do with like-minded or interested people. If what I post sickens you, then go somewhere else. (Did you not read the disclaimer?)
I shall also choose to state my reply in whatever manner I choose, in this case pointing out that it is not possible to mock without possessing a reasonable degree of intelligence. On the other hand, it does not require a reasonable degree of intelligence to come out with an unintended oxymoron such as yours.
This was really great. I’d love to see a video of the process on youtube. Can you make one?
how dare u kill that bunny! =C