Groundhog Roundup

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2008 November 16
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by David Lauterbach

Phil?Are you hankerin’ for some hog? Get on board with the latest health craze in the nation and dig in to some groundhog.

We rounded up three of the most popular groundhog recipes on the web for your enjoyment… not your eatin’ enjoyment- your readin’ enjoyment.

Actually I’m quite surprised that anyone with a computer and the intelligence to get on the web was able to share these with us, but here they are. Technology is useful in so many ways.

Trailer Park Groundhog

Take gun (.22 cal is good). Load with bullets and accurately fire at head [we're assuming the groundhog's head, not your own].

Skin groundhog and gut him. Clean out carcass with waterhose.

Cut critter into quarters.

Make up a big batch of your favorite marinade (make sure it has oil and vinegar to help tenderize the groundhog).

Throw marinade and critter pieces into plastic trash bag and marinade around 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Take out marinated critter pieces and throw on the grill on low heat. Cook until rare to medium rare. Do not overcook, critter will dry out.

And no one likes their critter dry.

Country-Style Groundhog

  • 1 groundhog
  • 1/2 c. flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 c. cooking oil
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar

Clean and skin as soon as possible. Remove all sent [sic] glands. Cut off head, feet and tail. Cure in cool place by suspending from hook approximately 4 days.

When ready to cook, lard according to recipe.

Dress groundhog as you would a rabbit, removing the small sacs in the back and under the forearm. Soak groundhog overnight in salted water to remove wild flavor.

Combine flour, salt and pepper; rub into groundhog pieces. Brown groundhog in hot oil in skillet; sprinkle with sugar. Reduce heat and add 1/2 cup water. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until tender. Remove cover and cook for 10 minutes longer.

Boil & Bake Groundhog from “Cookin’ With Home Storage” by Peggy Layton and Vicki Tate.

Skin and clean the groundhog. Boil until tender. Remove from the water and season with salt, pepper and red pepper. Bake in an oven at 350°F. or cook over an open fire.

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from → Game, Recipes

12 Comments leave one →
2008 December 10
Hillbilly Mike permalink

Why does everyone want to remove the wild or game taste from meat, it that is what you want cook beef, also why hang it for 3-4 days eat it fresh!!!

2009 January 24
Jim the Lesser permalink

I wouldn’t worry about “sent glands” but you dang well better get rid of the “scent glands” or your entrée will have a scent to make your hair curl and your taste buds revolt.

2009 January 31
Mike permalink

Bzzz. No sugar is needed. This is MEAT, not dessert. And the word is SCENT glands, not SENT glands! You left out the jalapenos, the beer batter, and a whole lot of things! Happy Groundhog Day!

2009 February 2
David Lauterbach permalink

Hah! I’m glad we have a few astute spellers visiting the site. I have modified the post above to show my original intent–which was that the recipes were copied verbatim.

2009 March 1
GUNNY permalink

A lot of you might think this is funny, but during the depression my grandfather had a little dog he sent down the groundhog hole to flush them out. He hit them on the head with a club and my grandmother cooked up the feast. She could make anything taste good. He told me they ate 40-50 a year using this method. I wish I would have gotten her recipe. It goes to show we don’t have to be afraid in this current financial crisis. Now is not nearly as bad as the great depression.

2009 March 25
Ozzie permalink

Where are the scent glands located? Best way to remove them?

Thanks for your help!

2009 April 10
Brian permalink

hey all,

I totally concur with your assessments about the bad spelling (but “sic” at least lets the publisher off the hook! hehehe Still, I bet that guy knows how to cook and eat a groundhog!

Unlike me… The closest I’ve come to eating a groundhog was roasting and eating a rabbit I shot at 12 feet with a BB gun. Probably no chance of my killing the groundhog that’s undermined my patio in the same way–I’m guessing their skulls are a little harder than a rabbit’s. Still, I’ll keep trying.

If I do manage to kill the beggar (answering the guy that wants to know where the scent glands are) I understand they are in the small of the back and under the forearms… I’ll gut him, skin him, and look for things that might be scent glands. I’m guessing they don’t look like muscle or bone. Short of looking at pictures, I can’t think of how to describe my plans better.

Thanks for reading,
B.

2009 April 15
Dan permalink

You hang an animal and let it cure in a dry environment that is kept as close to 38 degrees farenhieght as possible to allow the anerobic bacteria inside the meat to develope. This is completely sanitary and the bacteria help break down the meat and make it more tender and add a sweetness to it. Some top notch steak houses will age their beef this way for as long as four months. You can do this in your refridgerator, but make sure to keep a thermometer next to your meat so you can make sure it doesnt get about 40 degrees, thats when the bad bacteria starts to grow…..

2009 May 17
Brian permalink

I’m as happy as can be! I went out and bought a “have a heart” live trap, and thanks to some groundhog trapping hillbilies I baited it with Apple Slices, of all things. It rained that evening, so I guess that washed my scent off of everything, and another day went by.

Imagine my surprise, though, when after all the other baits I’d tried didn’t work, right there in my trap was the mother of all the neighborhood groundhogs! Yeah me, go me go! Right?

Well, not quite. This was my first serious foray into trying to deal with turning a live groundhog into my supper, and only my second try at making a mammal into something edible.

I dispatched the critter with one good .22 shot through sides of the cage trap and both ears. So far so good.

Now it was time to gut, skin, and clean her. Just after the gutting process, I was tired, and couldn’t deal with this piece of vermin any longer. Along with being tired, I was a little grossed out, and very uncertain–even with what would have been a great recipe–as to where exactly those damned scent glands were. So I tossed her corpse on a fairly large fire and left it at that. I never have learned where those scent glands were.

I’m not too worried though, since I’m pretty sure there is more than one groundhog around here. I’ll probably capture her babies–she had 8 nipples, therefore I’m assuming she’s had a brood since last autumn when she showed up…

Anyway. I am pretty sure she is the one that undermined my patio–I actually saw a cat chase her into the hole, then she poked her head out after the cat got bored and left. what a clever critter she was!

B.

2009 May 23
In praise of foxes who like the taste of groundhogs « Mike & Roxie’s Vegetable Paradise permalink

[...] How much wood could a woodchuck, chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood? If you have the correct answer, and supply a groundhog, we’ll come over to your house and cook once of these what look to be scrumptious groundhog recipes. [...]

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2009 June 26
Sarah permalink

I’m so happy I found this site! Handy to know some of this… We have a resident groundhog that has decided to eat our garden this year. I’ve told the husband that I’m more than willing to kill, clean and cook the varmint (why is it that I feel like such a hillbilly when I say that?). I don’t know if I’ll do the 3-4 days of aging since we don’t have anywhere to age it in, but, I’ve seen the brining method on a few sites so, I’ll go that route. I’ve been told that groundhog is one of the hardest things to skin, and since we raise rabbits, and they are fairly easy, I think the two person method for skinning ought to work fine - then again… might need to use my gambrel hooks.

Now, I’m really looking forward to groundhog…. at least want to try it once.

2009 June 30
mary e hirsh permalink

The fat glands, not scent glands, look like the color of chicken fat and about the size of a small or medium lima bean. The hind leg glands are in the rear part of their theighs, the meatiest part. The front leg glands are smaller and are in their tricepts. Flour, salt and pepper a bunch of legs and saute until browned. Put legs into a slow cooker with 2 cut up apples, a few tbls of A-1 sauce and enough apple cider to cover the legs. Some people like to add a few cloves or bay leaves also. Cover and let cook on low heat for 6 hrs or so.

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