Rabbit Pie

This is country cooking at its most honest. Whole rabbits get soaked overnight in salt water, stewed until the meat falls off the bone, then stripped and packed into a big pie pan, covered with buttermilk biscuits, and baked until golden. The stewing liquid becomes the base for a flour-thickened gravy seasoned with sage and poultry seasoning.

The overnight salt water soak is a traditional step for wild game. It draws out blood and any gamey flavor, leaving you with mild, tender meat that tastes closer to chicken than you’d expect. Even farm-raised rabbit benefits from a shorter soak for better seasoning penetration.

Stewing the rabbit for 2 to 3 hours sounds long, but rabbit is lean and the connective tissue needs that time to break down completely. You’ll know it’s ready when the meat pulls clean from the bones with no resistance. The celery and onion in the stewing liquid infuse the meat as it cooks and then do double duty in the gravy.

Kitchen Tips

• Save every drop of the stewing stock. It’s the foundation of the gravy and packed with flavor. Strain it through a sieve to remove bone fragments before using.
• Strip the meat carefully and check for small bones. Rabbit has many fine bones that can hide in the shredded meat.
• Mix the flour slurry with cold water before adding to the hot stock. Hot water creates instant lumps.

Variations

• Add diced potatoes and carrots to the pie filling for a more complete one-dish meal.
• Use homemade drop biscuits instead of canned for a more rustic, from-scratch version.