# Cold Smoking Rabbit Questions



## zotie (Dec 17, 2014)

All-

My wife and I have been raising meat rabbits for a little over three years now, so we have access to plenty of nice rabbit meat.  I got into smoking about a year and a half ago and Rabbit was one of the first things I tried, and well every time its just OK usually the meat is pretty dried out nice smoke flavor but dry meat.  My preferred method for cooking Rabbit is either braised in a dutch oven at low temps or  Sous Vide at about 140 for 6+ hours then a quick sear after it comes out.  Its always really juicy and tender. 

I want to try and get some smokiness in there just to mix it up so I was thinking about curing one and then cold smoking over night for about 12hrs with an AMNPS in my lang, and then doing it sous vide on it the next day.

As long as I cure it properly am ok here?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

RZ-


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## themule69 (Dec 18, 2014)

Yes you will be safe if it is cured. I do think it will be to smoky. I do this with Cornish hens and about 5 hours is to much smoke for a lot of people. I do finish them it a higher temp smoker.

Happy smoken.

David


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## red dog (Dec 19, 2014)

I would try curing with Pop's brine with cure #1. Do like you would poultry but maybe extend the curing time as rabbit is a little denser than chicken. I think I would start out with shorter smoke time for a first run.


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## foamheart (Dec 19, 2014)

I do wild rabbit jerky. It extremely easy because there is zero fat. If and when you do rabbits I would wrap 'em in bacon 'cause there just ain't enough fat in them. Like Mule said, its the same with ducks and pheasants.

I have never tryed curing one or brining. They make excellent jerky btw.


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## zotie (Dec 20, 2014)

Red Dog said:


> I would try curing with Pop's brine with cure #1. Do like you would poultry but maybe extend the curing time as rabbit is a little denser than chicken. I think I would start out with shorter smoke time for a first run.


Thanks Red Dog how much time would you give it?  I put it in pops brine on Friday night, and was planning on pulling it Tuesday. 

My in laws just threw me a curve though and it looks like they are not coming down for the holidays which means my wife and I are going up, so it actually might have to sit in the cure until the 5th 18 days.... Is that going to be too long?   From the research that I've done extra time isn't a factor but I will probably have to soak it in ice water for two hours to desalinate it a bit.

We are leaving Sunday night which might not be enough time for it to have sat in the cure to freeze it.


themule69 said:


> Yes you will be safe if it is cured. I do think it will be to smoky. I do this with Cornish hens and about 5 hours is to much smoke for a lot of people. I do finish them it a higher temp smoker.
> 
> Happy smoken.
> 
> David


Thanks for the advice, I'll back it off to 6 hours for the first go.


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## daveomak (Dec 20, 2014)

Zotie said:


> All-
> 
> 
> I want to try and get some smokiness in there just to mix it up so I was thinking about curing one and then cold smoking over night for about 12hrs with an AMNPS in my lang, and then doing it sous vide on it the next day.
> ...




RZ, evening....   Pops cure/brine for 15 days is fine....   Instead of sous vide, which would be good, wrap it in bacon like Kevin suggested and smoke it at 150 ish for 24 hours...   should come out moist and tender....  just like sous vide...  the rabbit will probably only get to 140, which is fine...  check your sous vide tables for pasteurization time/temp just to be sure...


Temperature	Time	Time	Time	Time	Time	Time
°F (°C)	1% fat	3% fat	5% fat	7% fat	9% fat	12% fat
136 (57.8)	64 min	65.7 min	68.4 min	71.4 min	74.8 min	81.4 min
137 (58.3)	51.9 min	52.4 min	54.3 min	56.8 min	59.7 min	65.5 min
138 (58.9)	42.2 min	42.7 min	43.4 min	45.3 min	47.7 min	52.9 min
139 (59.4)	34.4 min	34.9 min	35.4 min	36.2 min	38.3 min	43 min
140 (60.0)	28.1 min	28.5 min	29 min	29.7 min	30.8 min	35 min
141 (60.6)	23 min	23.3 min	23.8 min	24.4 min	25.5 min	28.7 min
142 (61.1)	18.9 min	19.1 min	19.5 min	20.1 min	21.1 min	23.7 min
143 (61.7)	15.5 min	15.7 min	16.1 min	16.6 min	17.4 min	19.8 min
144 (62.2)	12.8 min	12.9 min	13.2 min	13.7 min	14.4 min	16.6 min
145 (62.8)	10.5 min	10.6 min	10.8 min	11.3 min	11.9 min	13.8 min
146 (63.3)	8.7 min	8.7 min	8.9 min	9.2 min	9.8 min	11.5 min
148 (64.4)	5.8 min	5.8 min	5.9 min	6.1 min	6.5 min	7.7 min
150 (65.6)	3.8 min	3.7 min	3.7 min	3.9 min	4.1 min	4.9 min
152 (66.7)	2.3 min	2.3 min	2.3 min	2.3 min	2.4 min	2.8 min
154 (67.8)	1.5 min	1.5 min	1.5 min	1.5 min	1.5 min	1.6 min
156 (68.9)	59 sec	59.5 sec	1 min	1 min	1 min	1 min
158 (70.0)	38.8 sec	39.2 sec	39.6 sec	40 sec	40.3 sec	40.9 sec
160 (71.1)	25.6 sec	25.8 sec	26.1 sec	26.3 sec	26.6 sec	26.9 sec
162 (72.2)	16.9 sec	17 sec	17.2 sec	17.3 sec	17.5 sec	17.7 sec
164 (73.3)	11.1 sec	11.2 sec	11.3 sec	11.4 sec	11.5 sec	11.7 sec
166 (74.4)	0 sec	0 sec	0 sec	0 sec	0 sec	0 sec
Table C.2: Pasteurization times for a 7D reduction in Salmonella for chicken and turkey (FSIS, 2005).


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