Blue_Runner
10-19-2006, 01:02 PM
Melt in your mouth!
PREPARATION AND COOKING OPOSSUM
Taken from "Wild Game--Care and Cooking" Extension publication B-987 and from a sheet in files of which the author is unknown.
Most people prefer to put an opossum in a safely wired pen to feed and fatten for two or three weeks before eating them.
Opossum is light in color, fine-grained and tender with generous fat deposits between the bands of muscle. Remove as much of the fat as possible before cooking to make the meat less greasy.
After proper dressing, soak in salt water (3 tablespoons salt to gallon of water), soak overnight before cooking or freezing.
TO COOK: Place opossum in deep kettle, add enough water to cover well and cook well without sticking or scorching. Add l medium onion peeled and cut in half and l medium apple (not peeled and cut in half), salt to season according to size of opossum. (Add boiling water if it cooks out before tender).
Cook on medium heat for a long as it takes to have meat tender when tested with fork stuck into it. When tender, remove onion and apple. Carefully place opossum in large baking pan, remove all layers of fat that you can. Then use 1 or 2 sticks of oleo, chipped over or rubbed on opossum. (This is not necessary, but could be used to season it). Pour some of the broth from "par boiling" (first cooking) around opossum in baking pan. Use lots of black pepper, sprinkle opossum lightly with flour to help brown, take spoon and put some broth lightly over flour (this is "basting").
Place in 350 degree F. oven and brown light brown or as brown as you wish - watch and continue to sprinkle top of opossum with broth (or oleo) when done and ready to eat. Opossum has to be real brown, but to keep from getting hard I usually brown it in oven to light brown on top, then with some broth in pan, put it on top of stove, cover and baste often and let it cook on low heat so it won't scorch on bottom.
In fact, I cooked opossum like I did ducks, coons and pheasants. Removing that fat from opossums when cooked tender is different. No one takes time to cook wild game like I did. You might find some way to put it in a pressure cooker or crock pot, but I don't know that.
'POSSUM (Opossum)
(Army Cooking, l9l0 Style, from an old U.S. Army manual)
Clean and skin the 'possums, allowing them to hang in the open air for several hours, then place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours before cooking. Stuff with an ordinary bread stuffing (sage preferred).
Set in a deep pan so that no part will project above the top; season well with pepper and salt, and pour about one inch of beef stock or canned beef bouillon into the pan.
Fill the vacant spaces with peeled sweet potatoes, and sprinkle a little flour over the whole; cover with a crust, the same for a pot pie, omitting the fat, as the crust will be removed after baking and will not be served.
Allow to bake slowly for about three hours. Remove crust and serve hot. The crust will absorb most of the fat from the opossum.
LYNETTE'S 'POSSUM
Dress and skin the 'possum. Remove as much fat as possible from outside of carcass and be especially careful to remove any glandular tissue from hind legs.
Salt and pepper 'possum well, then place in oven bag and cover with thick slice of onion. Close bag and punch holes in top as directed. Cook in a very slow oven 225 degrees F. about 45 minutes per pound. Meat falls off the bone with this treatment and is
delicious.
Click on image to see me full size!
ROASTED STUFFED OPOSSUM WITH SWEET POTATOES
1 Opossum
Dash pepper
1/4 cup fat
1 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 sweet potato per person
6 cups bread cubes
1 teaspoon salt
Melt fat in skillet; add onion and celery and cook until tender. Combine bread cubes, salt, pepper and poultry seasonings with onions and celery. Add water and mix thoroughly. Fill the body cavity. Close by sewing the skin together with a heavy string or by skewering the skin together and lacing with a heavy string. Place, underside down, on a rack in shallow roasting pan. Roast at 300 degrees to 350 degrees F. for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until well done, basting occasionally with drippings and sprinkling lightly with flour after each basting for a crisp, crackly crust. When almost done, place boiled or baked sweet potatoes around meat and baste frequently with drippings. Remove browned opossum and potatoes to a heated large platter. Allow 3/4 to 1 pound per portion.
BARBECUED OPOSSUM
Brown together in l tablespoon of fat:
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup celery
Remove from heat and stir in:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup catsup
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups chopped rabbit meat
Simmer these ingredients at least l hour, adding water if necessary. Serve on toast or toasted buns. This recipe is excellent for older, tougher rabbit meat or leftover meat. It also freezes well. Makes approximately 1 quart.
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/recipes/possum.jpg
PREPARATION AND COOKING OPOSSUM
Taken from "Wild Game--Care and Cooking" Extension publication B-987 and from a sheet in files of which the author is unknown.
Most people prefer to put an opossum in a safely wired pen to feed and fatten for two or three weeks before eating them.
Opossum is light in color, fine-grained and tender with generous fat deposits between the bands of muscle. Remove as much of the fat as possible before cooking to make the meat less greasy.
After proper dressing, soak in salt water (3 tablespoons salt to gallon of water), soak overnight before cooking or freezing.
TO COOK: Place opossum in deep kettle, add enough water to cover well and cook well without sticking or scorching. Add l medium onion peeled and cut in half and l medium apple (not peeled and cut in half), salt to season according to size of opossum. (Add boiling water if it cooks out before tender).
Cook on medium heat for a long as it takes to have meat tender when tested with fork stuck into it. When tender, remove onion and apple. Carefully place opossum in large baking pan, remove all layers of fat that you can. Then use 1 or 2 sticks of oleo, chipped over or rubbed on opossum. (This is not necessary, but could be used to season it). Pour some of the broth from "par boiling" (first cooking) around opossum in baking pan. Use lots of black pepper, sprinkle opossum lightly with flour to help brown, take spoon and put some broth lightly over flour (this is "basting").
Place in 350 degree F. oven and brown light brown or as brown as you wish - watch and continue to sprinkle top of opossum with broth (or oleo) when done and ready to eat. Opossum has to be real brown, but to keep from getting hard I usually brown it in oven to light brown on top, then with some broth in pan, put it on top of stove, cover and baste often and let it cook on low heat so it won't scorch on bottom.
In fact, I cooked opossum like I did ducks, coons and pheasants. Removing that fat from opossums when cooked tender is different. No one takes time to cook wild game like I did. You might find some way to put it in a pressure cooker or crock pot, but I don't know that.
'POSSUM (Opossum)
(Army Cooking, l9l0 Style, from an old U.S. Army manual)
Clean and skin the 'possums, allowing them to hang in the open air for several hours, then place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours before cooking. Stuff with an ordinary bread stuffing (sage preferred).
Set in a deep pan so that no part will project above the top; season well with pepper and salt, and pour about one inch of beef stock or canned beef bouillon into the pan.
Fill the vacant spaces with peeled sweet potatoes, and sprinkle a little flour over the whole; cover with a crust, the same for a pot pie, omitting the fat, as the crust will be removed after baking and will not be served.
Allow to bake slowly for about three hours. Remove crust and serve hot. The crust will absorb most of the fat from the opossum.
LYNETTE'S 'POSSUM
Dress and skin the 'possum. Remove as much fat as possible from outside of carcass and be especially careful to remove any glandular tissue from hind legs.
Salt and pepper 'possum well, then place in oven bag and cover with thick slice of onion. Close bag and punch holes in top as directed. Cook in a very slow oven 225 degrees F. about 45 minutes per pound. Meat falls off the bone with this treatment and is
delicious.
Click on image to see me full size!
ROASTED STUFFED OPOSSUM WITH SWEET POTATOES
1 Opossum
Dash pepper
1/4 cup fat
1 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 sweet potato per person
6 cups bread cubes
1 teaspoon salt
Melt fat in skillet; add onion and celery and cook until tender. Combine bread cubes, salt, pepper and poultry seasonings with onions and celery. Add water and mix thoroughly. Fill the body cavity. Close by sewing the skin together with a heavy string or by skewering the skin together and lacing with a heavy string. Place, underside down, on a rack in shallow roasting pan. Roast at 300 degrees to 350 degrees F. for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until well done, basting occasionally with drippings and sprinkling lightly with flour after each basting for a crisp, crackly crust. When almost done, place boiled or baked sweet potatoes around meat and baste frequently with drippings. Remove browned opossum and potatoes to a heated large platter. Allow 3/4 to 1 pound per portion.
BARBECUED OPOSSUM
Brown together in l tablespoon of fat:
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup celery
Remove from heat and stir in:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup catsup
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups chopped rabbit meat
Simmer these ingredients at least l hour, adding water if necessary. Serve on toast or toasted buns. This recipe is excellent for older, tougher rabbit meat or leftover meat. It also freezes well. Makes approximately 1 quart.
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/recipes/possum.jpg