Marinated Grilled Rabbit
- Serves: 4 – 6
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes
- Total Cooking time: 20 – 30 minutes
Isaac Owsley: This is a recipe for the more adventurous palate, because while at one time rabbit was a fairly commonly served table faire, it has since become less so. If you can though, I highly recommend preparing rabbit at least once. A very delicate, lean meat, rabbit is one of those game meats that benefits from either fast high heat cooking, or gentle long simmering over low heat. This following recipe utilizes the former method, marinating first in a sweet-salty teriyaki pineapple juice marinade then grilling over a wood coal barbecue grill, preferably using oak or mesquite coals rather than the lumps of mystery coal most often associated with outdoor grilling (and admittedly, I am most definitely Not a gas grill person). Remember that the results you get out of a dish-especially barbecuing outdoors depends heavily on the quality of ingredients you use to start with, and that most definitely includes the fuel you use to cook your meal on.
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | large | (3-4 lbs each) fryer rabbits quartered |
| 1 – 1/2 | cups | Teriyaki sauce/marinade |
| 3 | cups | unsweetened pineapple juice |
| 1 | tsp | olive oil |
| 1 | tsp | crushed garlic |
| 1/2 | tsp | crushed ginger |
| 1/8 | tsp | black pepper |
| 1/4 | red chili flakes (optional) |
To prepare:
Place rabbit meat in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Add in the teriyaki sauce, pineapple juice, and seasonings. Stir to coat and then cover and marinate at least two hours or overnight if possible. Heat a charcoal grill until the coals are red hot and covered with ash. Next, place rabbit meat on grill, arranging so the thicker pieces of rabbit (the hind quarters and loin) are at the center of the grill and the smaller pieces such as the flank and front quarters are on the outer sides of the grill. Cook over coals, turning frequently and basting with marinade often so as not to burn for approximately 20-25 minutes or until completely cooked thru (165 degrees internal temperature) serve immediately with grilled vegetables or potato salad.
