Crispy Rabbit Confit

This season I went on my first rabbit hunt with hounds. It is a type of hunting that you need to experience to fully appreciate- it’s controlled chaos and about as much fun as you can have in the woods. Getting together with a few friends and a whole pack of pint sized beagles, beating through thorny brush on a cold winter day, and listening for the dogs as they tear through the woods in hot pursuit of a rabbit is a far cry from the types of hunting we normally do. The dogs are incredible, and their handlers even more so. I’m always struck when I see a working dog by how innately and instinctively they seem to understand the job they were bred to do, and the same holds for the dogs owners- they seem to be possessed by that same drive, that same instinct. Watching the hunt unfold, through brambles and field edges and young forest, as the dogs and humans work together to push the rabbits out of thick cover and into the open, and listening to the cacophony the dogs barking as they work the trail, is about as thrilling as it gets. Taking a shot is a bonus.

Not only that, but rabbits yield a meat that is unlike most of the game that we pursue here in Virginia- lean, tender white meat that, pardon the cliche, tastes like chicken. Other than squirrels, rabbits are the only game animal with white meat that we pursue around here, so we make sure to savor it. One excellent method to really make this protein shine is confit. Confit is a dish of meat that is cooked, low and slow, in a bath of fat. It’s a little like a braise- the long cook time breaks down tougher cuts- but instead of using stock, you use oil or fat, which adds richness and depth to the meat. Traditionally, confit was done with fatty duck or other cuts that could be cooked with their own fat, but wild game, and especially rabbit, is so lean that you’ll need to add fat.

Our rabbit confit recipe uses extra virgin olive oil and a bunch of spices to tenderize and add richness to this delicate protein. The leftover oil is great for roasting vegetables, croutons or dipping bread. We used some of the leftover oil to coat carrots for roasting- a fitting side for a dinner of rabbit.

Crispy Rabbit Confit Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes active, 2-3 hours inactive

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:

1 rabbit, quarters, and chopped loins

3 tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

4 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

1 tsp whole clove

1 tbsp whole peppercorn

4 pods star anise

1 tbsp whole green cardamom

4-5 sprigs thyme

3 sprigs rosemary

1 tsp mustard seed

EVOO

Method:

Combine sugar and salt and use it to season the rabbit. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 275F. Rinse the rabbit with cold water and pat dry. Place in dutch oven with all the spices. Pour in EVOO until the meat is submerged. Cover with lid and place on the middle rack of the oven for 2-3 hours until fork tender but not quite falling off the bone.

Allow to cool in the oil (confit is always better when it cools in the fat). You can refrigerate the entire thing for a couple of days or get right to finishing it.

Preheat broiler. Strain rabbit from oil (save the oil to roast vegetables, make croutons, or dip bread) and place on a sheet pan and broil for 2-3 minutes until crispy, then flip and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread and roasted vegetables, or shred it and add to soups or salads.