Chicken-Fried Squirrel

The quintessential southern squirrel dish

by

2–3 squirrels

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup salt

1 cup sugar

Half gallon lukewarm water

Hot sauce (to taste)

2 cups self-rising flour

Cajun seasoning (to taste)

Peanut or other vegetable oil for frying

Cast iron skillet

  1. After skinning and gutting, break down the squirrel into front legs, back legs, and back hams. Ensure the meat is clean and free of hair and tree materials, then gently pierce it multiple times with a fork to tenderize. This helps fry the squirrel quickly, without drying it out too much.
  2. Mix a cup of sugar and a cup of salt into the warm water until dissolved. Place the meat into the brine and weigh it down with a heavy dinner plate to ensure it's submerged. Place in the refrigerator for at least six hours, preferably overnight.
  3. Add hot sauce to buttermilk, and after removing meat from the brine, submerge in buttermilk mixture. Marinate for two to four hours.
  4. Mix flour with a generous amount of Cajun seasoning and pour into a brown paper bag. Remove meat from marinade and toss directly into paper bag. Shake vigorously to make sure every piece of meat is coated in seasoned flour.
  5. Fill your cast iron skillet up about halfway with the oil. Heat your oil up to 375 degrees.
  6. Remove meat from the seasoned flour and fry in the oil until the meat reaches 145 degrees on an instant read thermometer.
  7. Serve with French fries and ketchup, biscuits and gravy, or my personal favorite: toss  them in Buffalo sauce and serve with celery and blue cheese dressing.