Beaver-que

I’m a little hesitant to so eagerly endorse beaver meat because I’m worried there won’t be enough left for me.

I’ve written pretty extensively about our first time cooking beaver, but if you need any more encouragement to try it, this is a good place to start. This recipe is easy to make, and everyone likes barbeque. The homemade Korean-style black barbeque sauce is delicious and just a little different, but this dish is also incredible with a North Carolina style pepper and vinegar sauce. If you must, you can go with some of that sweet, store bought BBQ sauce, but you will have to make your peace with being wrong! If you have time, smoke the beaver before putting it into the crockpot to add a true smokehouse flavor. Beaver meat lacks the marbling of pork or beef, which means it will taste dry and lean if cooked for too long. The brine helps the meat retain more moisture.

Beaver-cue

Prep time: 30 minutes active, 24-36 hours total

Yields: 4-6 sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 beaver front or hind quarters

8 cups Carolina brine (recipe below)

1 quart light to medium stock (chicken, goose, duck, or beaver)

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 onion, roughly chopped

Salt to taste

Carolina Brine:

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup salt

8 cups water

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp red pepper flake

2 bay leaves

Method:

Combine all brine ingredients and bring to a simmer, then allow to cool completely before submerging the meat in the brine. Allow to sit, refrigerated, for 24-36 hours. Remove from brine.

If you have a smoker, go ahead and smoke the meat for 1-2 hours over low heat (under 200 degrees).

Place the meat in a crockpot or dutch oven and add stock, onion, salt and vinegar. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours until the meat is easily pulled from bone with a fork. Allow it to cool in the cooking liquid until ready to serve. Remove from the liquid, shred from bone and serve with your favorite bbq sandwich fixins. We like brioche buns, a tangy red cabbage slaw, and our black BBQ sauce

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Black BBQ sauce

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup tamari or soy sauce

1 cup ketchup

½ cup corn syrup

1 cup light brown sugar

1 ¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¾ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup gochujang paste

1 tsp liquid smoke

1 cup jjajang paste

Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until all ingredients are well combined, then remove from heat. Set aside until ready to use- this keeps well for weeks in the fridge.

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