Yooper Food

Raccoon

Baked Raccoon

• 1 small coon, or hindquarter and loin of larger young coon 2 to 2½ lbs.
• 3-4 cups cold water
• ¼ cup vinegar
• 1 tbsp. salt
• ¾ tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tbsp. sugar
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 clove
• 1 tsp. sage
• ½ tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. dark brown sugar

Preheat the oven to moderate heat (400 F) for ten minutes before baking. Dress the coon carefully, so as not to leave any clinging hair. Remove scent glands and kernels under legs. Wrap coon in plastic wrap or foil and chill thoroughly or freeze for several hours. Trim off all but a thin layer of fat and any discolored spots. Wash well in lukewarm water. Cut whole coon (or hindquarters and loin) into four pieces with a kitchen scissors or heavy butcher knife. Put into 6-quart kettle. Add enough water to cover the coon meat, then add vegetables, salt, sugar, herbs, and seasonings. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to simmering. Cover and cook until tender (1-2 hours, depending on the age of the animal). Purée vegetables in a blender in order to thicken the sauce. Bake sweet potatoes or winter squash to go with the dish. A tart vegetable, such as sweet-sour red cabbage, or pickled beets, are a good accompaniment. Serves four.

Barbecued Coon

• 1 small to medium raccoon, cut into serving size pieces
• 1 teaspoon instant minced onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 (7 oz.) bottle of beer or pickle juice
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper

Place the pieces of raccoon in a foil-lined roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 350 F and roast, covered, for a half an hour, then uncover and pour Worcestershire sauce over the pieces. Then roast, uncovered, for another half hour to an hour, or until tender. Baste several times while cooking, using Worcestershire sauce.

Burgers

• 1 raccoon
• 1 egg
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tbsp. frozen orange juice
• 1 cup currant jelly
• ½ cup bacon fat
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Clean and wash the raccoon, being careful to remove the scent glands under the forelegs. Remove meat from bones and grind. Add the bread crumbs, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, egg, and fat, then mix thoroughly. Form into patties, and dip the patties into a broken egg, then cover with bread crumbs. Sauté in bacon fat until brown. Cover with currant jelly sauce, and cook in a slow oven for one hour.

Stuffed Roast Raccoon

• 1 raccoon, cleaned and dressed
• 1 cup  bread crumbs
• 1 lb sweet potatoes, mashed
• ½ cup  raisins
• 2 apples, peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• salt and pepper, to taste

First make the stuffing, by mixing all of the ingredients, except the raccoon, together, gently, until blended. Then set aside. Wash the raccoon meat thoroughly, and dry with a cloth. Cut off some of the fat, leaving just enough for a thin layer. Salt the inside of the coon, and stuff it gently with the sweet potato mixture, then sew the opening shut. Bake at 325 F for three to four hours. When it is about half done, turn the meat over so that all sides will be browned.

Stew

• 1 raccoon, cleaned and skinned
• 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 5 large carrots, peeled and cut in slices
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cut up as desired
• 1 tbsp. salt
• freshly milled pepper, to taste

Cut the raccoon into pieces, placing them in a large pot. Cover with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to hard simmer and simmer for one hour. Remove the meat from the water, and place the pieces in a large roasting pan (or tear the meat from the bones and cook just the meat) along with 2 cups of the water in which the meat was cooked. Cook for about forty minutes. Add onion, carrots and potatoes, season with salt and pepper to taste; cover and bake for another twenty minutes, or until the vegetables are done. Remove the vegetables to a platter, leaving the meat in the pan. There should be some liquid in the pan with the meat. If there isn't, then add some of the original cooking water to make about ¾ cup. Bring it quickly to a boil on top of the stove. Adjust the seasonings to taste, and thicken with a little flour dissolved in water, if necessary. Remove to a platter, along with the vegetables and serve hot. Serves four to six people.

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