Squirrel Pot Pie

this is one of the things that canned squirrel is particularly good for. canned venison, canned rabbit or whatever could be used instead, I guess. one very large squirrel or two smallish ones pressure cooked will suffice in place of canned squirrel.

Squirrel Pot Pie

1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

2T butter + 3T bacon grease
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt ,1/4 tsp pepper or to taste, 1/2tsp dried thyme leaves, pinch of red pepper flakes

1 ¾C broth (liquid from jar plus enough beef stock to make it 1 ¾ C)
1/2 cup buttermilk

1 pint canned squirrel meat, deboned

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
one medium potato diced (1/4" or so)
1/2 C chopped mushrooms

Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan. blind bake bottom crust for 15-20 min.

In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, potato and garlic; cook until onion is tender. Stir in flour until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk and seasonings, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

Stir in squirrel, mixed vegetables and mushrooms. Remove from heat. Spoon mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

bowhunter1023 said:

How many squirrels do you figure are in your pints?

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that varies, Jesse. I've never been able to get more than about 15 ounces of anything in a quart jar with adequate headspace. I do use a digital scale to monitor how much is in each jar. I can put a little more than one whole large fox squirrel, or nearly two small greys. I pretty much put as much as I can fit and it usually weighs out to be 14 or 14.5 ounces of squirrel parts, give or take a half an ounce. arranging squirrel parts in pint jars is like putting together a puzzle. I probably work too hard at it. I cut up squirrels into 5 pieces. remove the front shoulders, remove the saddle and cut through the spine/pelvis to separate the hind legs, cut the spine at the back of the ribcage(this is where the loins begin), leave belly meat attached. front legs, hind legs and one back per squirrel.

Archertl, squirrels get canned raw, bone it. they get cook, tenderized and preserved for storage on a shelf inside the canner. that's one of the beautiful things about canning them. it's the final step in putting them up for safe keeping. when you are ready to use some, simply pick out the bones. the meat is falling apart tender, so it easy to get them out. hard part is getting them all.