Ok guys what’s the best way to prepare rats for the table? I ve

read about soaking in salt water overnite

, parboiling, and crockpots. What’s your way of cooking them?

Cast iron skillet, cook in bacon grease, with little salt and pepper

Marinade in Italian salad dressing, the cook on the grill.

Do you really eat muskrat, or is this a joke?

Cleaned properly, muskrat is good to eat. The musk glands need to be removed carefully so there is no contamination of the meat. Country folks here used to call them swamp rabbits.

No joke, good eating! Beaver is good also

Dark, rich meat but just about any squirrel or rabbit recipe will work. A stroganoff was one of our favorite methods.

I have not done any lately. When I did I gutted took off the feet, tail and head and then cut out the ribs and just cooked the hind legs and front shoulders. I did this in our slow cooker with onions, carrots, spuds and some broth and seasonings. When available squirrel or cottontails could be part of the mix. I liked seasoning on the rats as they are lean but quite bland in my opinion.

Bryce

My family and I like beaver meat very much, but I haven't eaten muskrat yet.

We never joke on here

I grind mine and then just let the sun heat them up a few days. But I ain't eating them!

I love me some marsh rabbit stew. Barley,onions, carrots,celery and beef broth and muskrat back legs

MARSH RABBIT STEW ---
Put beef broth and back legs in pot and simmer till meat falls off bones.
Pull meat off bones and strain broth
Putt strained broth and meat back together and add barley.
Cook broth and barley until barley is tender
Add rest of ingredients and season to taste. Cook till vegetables are done. Enjoy

Cooked a couple up for the first time last night. I seared quarters in a pan then put them in a slow cooker with potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, and chicken stock. When it was done I removed the meat from the bone and combined again. Really good. Unless they already knew it, a person wouldn't even know it was muskrat.