Eating Jacks

[fmnjr]

Was talking with an acquaintance where I purchased some guns a while back and the topic rolled around to "Where/what/when have you been hunting lately?" He says he rounded up 9 rabbits on his last small game outing, 7 cottons and 2 jacks. "What did you with the jacks?", says I. "I stewed 'em and then used them for tacos", says he. I'm thinking, "D$#@, eating jacks?, never heard of anyone doing that." He says they were great and all, but still, I was a little taken aback at the time. Later though, after reconsidering, I realized all my thoughts about eating jacks were based on opinion stuff I'd heard about them not being healthy, diseased, etc. Does anyone here eat 'em, if so, what are they like to snack on?

 

[Carlin59]

Thrown them in the slow cooker before, taste fine. Amazing how much more meat they have on them than a cottontail. Shoot some and try for yourself, i think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

We used to watch the edges of alfalfa fields in the evening for jacks coming out of sagebrush. We only shot the young of the year and they were good.

 

[p_ham]

I've eaten quite a few also. Slow cook them, they're good. I did eat a white tailed jack that tasted all kinds of skanky. Don't know if it was just that one or what. Haven't had tge opportunity on another.

 

[fmnjr]

Thanks guys....sounds like another food source for sure

 

[6mm Remington]

We ate cottontails and my father talked about eating jackrabbits that were younger ones and they were good.

 

[charliebravo77]

Next time I come across a jackrabbit he's going into a pot to make this: https://honest-food.net/hare-stew-hard-times/

 

[JohnCushman]

I debone them and chunk the meat. Make a beer batter with frank's red hot sauce in it and deep fry them, then eat them like buffalo wings dipped in ranch dressing with a cold PBR.

 

[RG_Adult_Onset_Hunter]

I am a big fan of Jackrabbit. It's suitable for any sort of application you would use neck or shoulder meat for. It's tough, but very flavourful, slow moist temps and long cook times turn it into magic.

It also makes some pretty great chorizo.

 

[wyoboypt]

Interesting replies. I’ve only ever heard they were gross. And watching meat eater eat it on his show made me pretty certain I didn’t want to try it. He tried acting like it was eatable, but you can tell, it must’ve been not so good.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

I have eaten them all my 50+yrs,Especially Antelope Jack.
Hindquarters and back straps are great.A lot more meat than
a puny Cottontail!

 

[RG_Adult_Onset_Hunter]

Interesting replies. I’ve only ever heard they were gross. And watching meat eater eat it on his show made me pretty certain I didn’t want to try it. He tried acting like it was eatable, but you can tell, it must’ve been not so good.

I've made the recipe that Hank Shaw did on that episode (I think that is the one you are mentioning). It is one of the better soups I have had. Jacks taste good, but require a different approach to cooking. Kinda like shank vs backstrap, both great, just not for the same things.

 

[6mm Remington]

We used to watch the edges of alfalfa fields in the evening for jacks coming out of sagebrush. We only shot the young of the year and they were good.

That's what my father told me as a kid also. We ate cottontails and used the jackrabbits for trap bait.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Interesting replies. I’ve only ever heard they were gross. And watching meat eater eat it on his show made me pretty certain I didn’t want to try it. He tried acting like it was eatable, but you can tell, it must’ve been not so good.

I watched that episode as well, no thanks.
I'll leave eating jacks to those of you more adventurous than me. I'll just keep using them for long range target practice with my 7mm RM.

 

[sbhooper]

Tear off the hide, quarter them and take the back straps. Put the meat in a pressure cooker and it will fall apart. Fantastic in enchiladas, or whatever. Has the consistency of beef, when shredded.

The first one that I ever ate, was while deer hunting in northern Az. My Fil and I had both killed deer and decided to try a rabbit in the coals. We quartered one and wrapped it in foil with butter. After the appropriate amount of time in the coals, we ate it. It was great, but it was an all-afternoon meal, as it took that long to chew it.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Yep,You gotta cook em' low and slow.

 

[Don Fischer]

Haven't hunted rabbit's in years! Have eaten a decent number f them and some jacks. The thing I read was don't shoot the big old jacks, shoot the smaller young one's. Made sense to me so I tried the young one's, they were fine! As for disease's, I think cotton tail and jacks get pretty much the same one's. I used to look at the liver when gutting them. For me it has to be very clean looking. No discoloration or spots. Either of those and I junk them. Ran into a guy in California years ago that had a couple huge jacks he was taking home to eat. Stop and think about it and whatever animal we eat we like the younger animals best. Young steer make's better steaks than an old bull or dried up dairy cow!

 

[rustednuts]

Jacks, are great with a little a sauce on top

 

[bowhuntmontana]

I started eating jacks two years ago and I find them to be really good. Made them into a stir fry last year, sort of like a broccoli beef dish and it was amazing.

If I am remembering right, jacks started getting a bad rap in the depression when people were eating a lot of them out of necessity, which gave them a reputation for being poverty food. They also lack a certain protein that makes it non-life-sustaining.

Here is an interesting article about it from Hank Shaw: https://honest-food.net/hare-stew-hard-times/

 

[GAdrahthaar]

jacks are just like tiny deer, but with double silverskin. If you cut the silverskin off the backstraps they are wonderful like a deer. quarters need to be slow cooked to melt the collagen.