Burger from wild game can serve as gateway to other dishes

A tasty burger is a great way to introduce wild-game skeptics to all the flavors they have been missing out on. A good burger, in fact, may serve as the gateway to other dishes, as it can potentially bolster both the confidence and curiosity of the formerly finicky eater.

Cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare season remains open throughout Washington until March 15, so there are still plenty of opportunities to head afield and bring home tasty, organic – not to mention super healthy – rabbit meat for the family to enjoy.

Rabbit is perhaps one of the healthiest meats a person can consume. Because fat and calorie levels are so low, and protein so high, doctors will even recommend rabbit meat for dieting or to lower a patient’s cholesterol.

Stalking rabbits requires a great sense of woodsmanship and patience, not to mention a quick, accurate trigger finger. Hunters pursuing rabbits will often walk a short distance, then pause, since intermittent stillness is often what can flush rabbits from cover. From there, it’s a matter of how quickly a hunter can shoulder the stock and snapshot one of the fastest quarry around.

Bunny Burger

Makes two servings.

10 to 12 ounces ground rabbit

Optional brine:

1 gallon water

1/2 cup non-iodized salt

1/2 cup sugar

Special mayonnaise:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 ounces pink pickled ginger

1 clove fresh garlic, peeled

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon Sambal chili paste

Toppings:

Shredded carrots

Sliced red onions

Green leaf lettuce

To prepare and grind wild rabbit: Make certain to field-dress a wild rabbit nearly immediately after kill, since rabbits sour quickly. Take home and thoroughly rinse rabbit. Optional: soak in brine overnight to imbue with flavor and thoroughly extract blood from meat and cavity. Rinse thoroughly again upon removal from brine. Using a good deboning knife, separate meat from bones and remove bones of thighs and arms. Carefully cut loins away from lower spine and excess meat from ribs. Cut away any silver skin or ligaments, as they may clog grinder.

Depending on your grinder, sometimes placing meat in freezer 20 minutes before grinding makes grinding easier. Additionally, a cold grinding plate also helps, so place plate in freezer 5 minutes before ready to grind. Place meat in grinder chute and thoroughly grind through coarse plate.

To form burger patties: Take 5 to 6 ounces of rabbit meat for each patty and form into ball. Place each ball on 6-by-6-inch piece of wax or parchment paper. You can use aluminum foil, but make certain to spray foil with oil to avoid sticking. Form into flat patties, void of cracks. Any cracks will cause meat to split when cooking.

To make special mayonnaise: Add all ingredients to food processor. Blend thoroughly. Mayonnaise should have slight pink color. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

To grill burgers and prepared vegetables: Heat a flat skillet on medium heat on stove. Caution: Burgers with rabbit meat only may fall apart on an open grill, especially if grill grate isn’t clean or at high enough temperature, so a skillet is highly recommended. Spray both sides of burgers with canola oil spray and place in skillet. Lightly salt and pepper topside of both burgers. Cook for approximately 4 minutes, until underside is brown and liquids start to bubble on topside. Flip, and cook for another 4 minutes, approximately. While burgers cook, thinly slice red onion circles.

To serve: Toast buns. Spread special mayonnaise over both sides of bun. Place a piece of green leaf on bottom, along with red onion slices. Once burgers are thoroughly cooked, place on buns and top with shredded carrots.