Braised Rabbit

Californian White and New Zealand White breed rabbits make for great food, with a mild taste many equate to chicken. Rabbit works well with many recipes, in any season and can be substituted in recipes that use chicken, particularly when a slow cook or braise is being planned. This ensures the rabbit is fall-off-the-bone tender.

Julian's Braised Rabbit

Rabbit is a staple of Italian and French kitchens, and popular in the United Kingdom too, but rabbit meat is a rarer pleasure in the U.S.  I prefer the skinless, bone-in rabbit hind-quarters (the full leg) because that's really what has most of the meat on a rabbit. But you can get whole rabbit as well as rabbit loin (bone in and boneless) as well. I usually order mine online, as it is not always available at my local stores. 

In this recipe, I braise the rabbit to insure it is tender. Braising is a combination-cooking method where the food is first browned at a high temperature, then the pot is deglazed with vegetables and wine/stock, and then the meat is simmered in a covered pot mostly submerged in cooking liquid. You really need not follow this recipe closely as the measurements are approximate which means after you do this once, you can do it repeatedly with no recipe at all and for many types of meats that benefit from a longer cooking time. 

Vegetables Cooked and Ready

After the Slow Cooking

Today I'm also using pancetta, as the rabbit is very lean. Pancetta is a type of Italian bacon and if you don't have it you can use some chopped bacon instead, or use some bacon fat to brown the rabbit. If you prefer, you can substitute vegetable oil. 

Ingredients
salt and pepper

4 rabbit legs/thighs

1/2 cup (about 4-5 ounces) pancetta, chopped

1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1-2  carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

1 large celery stalk, roughly chopped

1 cup dry white wine

1-2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

Instructions

Rinse the rabbit and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside. Pre-heat your oven to 325F degrees. 

In a large Dutch oven, brown the pancetta over medium-high heat. Stir regularly until it has rendered its fat and the pancetta is browned. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta to a small bowl and reserve. 

Brown the rabbit in the oil remaining in the Dutch oven on all sides, about 5-8 minutes. Remove the rabbit to a plate. Add the onion to the now empty Dutch oven and cook 1-2 minutes stirring regularly until beginning to soften. Add the carrots and celery and sprinkle with a bit of salt and cook stirring regularly until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the pan and let the wine simmer for 2-3 minutes until it is reduced by half. Stir in the vegetable or chicken stock.  

Add the browned rabbit to the Dutch oven and nestle into the vegetable mixture. The tops of the rabbit should be just slightly exposed from the cooking liquid. If you not, add a little more liquid to the pan. 

Cover with lid and place in the pre-heated oven. Cook for 2 1/2 - 3 hours until the rabbit is very tender when tested with a fork. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes to cool slightly, with the lid off. Remove the rabbit to a plate and strain the liquid from the cooked vegetables. The liquid will be highly flavorful and makes an excellent sauce for the rabbit, requiring just a little thickening to use as a gravy, if you prefer.  Serve.