Fried Squirrel and Waffles
Jamie Carlson @youcookitright
My Story:
A number of years ago my mother had asked if I would take her hunting for the first time. At the time she was in her late 50’s and had never been out hunting. I decided I would take her out squirrel hunting. I wanted to take her squirrel hunting because I feel like it is an easy avenue into hunting and also has many of the same elements as deer hunting, just on a smaller scale. The other reason is that when my grandfather died he left me his dad’s old Marlin .22 lever action. My great grandpa Jim, who I had never met but was named after was my Mom’s favorite and for her to go out hunting using his old gun that she never even knew existed was pretty special for her.
I wanted to make something with the squirrels we got that day that would be equally as special so I came up with this fried squirrel and waffles recipe. It was a big hit and now every year on the opener if I get a squirrel this is my first wild meal of the season.
Ingredients
For the Fried Squirrel:
- 4-6 squirrels cleaned and quartered
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
For the Waffles Mix:
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
For the Rum Maple Syrup:
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes
Instructions
For the Fried Squirrel:
- Mix the buttermilk, sriracha, egg, and thyme together with a whisk and soak the squirrel for at least an hour.
- Dredge the squirrel pieces in the flour mixture and fry in canola oil at 300 degrees for 7-10 minute per side or until perfectly gold brown
For the Waffles:
- Mix the wet ingredients together, and then mix the dry ingredients separately. Pour the wet into the dry and mix together. Cook on a waffle iron until golden brown and slightly crisp.
For the Rum Maple Syrup:
- Heat in a saucepan until well combined.
To assemble the dish, place a waffle in the center of a plate and top with fried squirrel. Cover with syrup and enjoy.