# This is gonna sound crazy - Smoked Ground Hog



## twistedx (Apr 30, 2013)

I asked my dad for an idea of something to smoke.  He said he had a pesky ground hog he was going to kill and would offer it to me to smoke.  Besides it sounding cruel (I don't really care) - any idea's on how to cook it or if you can cook it?  Any other rednecks tried it before?

Thanks,

Travis


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## mr t 59874 (Apr 30, 2013)

Welcome to the forum.  Boy are you bringing back memories.  Ground Hog is similar in color and texture to Muskrat or Squirrel. To the best of my memory, I remember having it both fried and braised. 

Hope this helps.

Tom


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## diggingdogfarm (Apr 30, 2013)

Crazy?
Cruel?

Why?

There are a gazillion ways that it can be prepared.

Remove the scent glands when butchering.

~Martin


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## LanceR (Apr 30, 2013)

I've never had groundhog so take this as me simply passing on what I have head from others.

I know some folks who eat them and enjoy them.  In fact my Dad was what most folks would think of as a hill;billy coal miner's kid who came out of the hills for WWII and never went back.  He grew up eating them and the old family recipes had a number of ways to prepare them.

As we've discussed amongst some of us here in farm country they are the largest member of the squirrel family and eat the same things that deer, turkeys and other wildlife do so what's the difference?

The general opinion is that if the critter is young enough to have smooth soft fur and teeth that aren't yellowed they are tender and good eating.  I suspect that you could to worse than to hit the critter with some rub and chuck it in the smoker.  Let the results point you to the best way.

Good luck and hopefully some more with experience closer than one generation removed comes along.

Don't worry about "cruel".  The darn things can kill a lot of young corn and eat an awfully big patch in a soybean field.  I'll be shooting or trapping every one I see....

Lance


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## kathrynn (Apr 30, 2013)

EWWWWWW!  Sorry but 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






!  But I do want to see!

Here is a possum that Roller did a few years back.....should be about the same!

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/101420/possum

Kat


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## flyinlizard (Jul 8, 2013)

As posted above, make sure to remove the glands under the front legs or just do the backstrap and hind legs.


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