Butchery Skills

By Sean Fagan

Preparing a rabbit for an outdoor stew. On top right of photo, offal (Kidneys, heart, liver and lungs), (Photo: Sean Fagan).

LEARN BASIC BUTCHERY SKILLS

If you really get into Bushcraft & Survival skills - then knowing how to bleed, skin, gut and prepare the meat of an animal is vital for safe and effective cooking.

But where do we start if we are new to butchery?

Where can we get the best information about how to butcher an animal for cooking?

Learning how to prepare a mammal or fish for supper is not that hard, technically.

What’s often the hardest is becoming conditioned to handling dead animals - with all the blood and guts that comes with that.

But it gets a lot easier with time.

Even interesting.

Like many bushcraft activities – even the simple act of preparing a wild animal for a meal can become a reassuring ritual.

You’re profoundly connected to the food you are about to eat – while being surrounded by nature.

That’s often food for the body…and the soul.

Where to Start if you are New to Butchery?

Let's keep it simple.

Seek a butchers that sells traceable rabbit. They're not easy to find. Often the rabbit is gutted and skinned. Ask the butcher to keep some rabbit for you that is not skinned (you can skin it yourself). Then arrange a day to pick up the rabbit from the butchers. Then bring the rabbit to the woods to prepare and cook.

This negates the need to either trap or hunt rabbit (both important skill sets by the way, but not always practical or possible most of the time for busy people).

For fish, go to a good fishmongers (ask for fish to remain un-gutted, you can do that yourself).

Some Great Info on how to Butcher a Rabbit:

Below, a link to an outstanding article on butchery by survival expert, Creek Stewart.

Besides the excellent writing, the article also contains fantastic photos – it pretty much all the information you’ll need to go about starting and refining your butchery skills.

Link: How to field dress and butcher a rabbit

Extra Tip: in top right of photo is the offal (kidneys, liver, heart and lungs). Offal is nutritious and tasty when cooked well - but many people discard offal (often for squeamish reasons).

Take a cue from our prehistoric ancestors...they wasted very little and readily ate offal.

They were in the demanding business of survival - and every nutritious calorie counted.