Has anyone tried making rat jerky..?

[Riv]

I just found this article.
Recipes for the post apocalypse: How and why to eat rat meat.

I mean, I plan to get to the point where I can feed my entire collection, my two ferrets, and perhaps even my future cat and dog rats. Breeding on such a large scale, im sure im going to have more than I need if Im breeding effectively. Of course, im going to freeze some, so Ill have them if I really need them, but what if im stocked up? What if no ones looking for a breeders or feeders on craiglist, and there is simply no one that needs a meal?

Might as well make some jerky right? Personally ive never had rat meat, so I have no idea how it would taste, but from the article it doesnt sound too bad. Theres other recipes too of course. And the womans absolutely right. It really is important for us all to have survival skills, and killing, skinning, and cooking our own meat is a very valuable thing to know how to do.

SO now I pose the questions.
-Have you ever cleaned cooked and eaten your rats?
-Would you try it if the circumstance arose?
-Where do you think it falls on the moral compass?
-Is skinning and cleaning the meat what would hold you back, or the fact that its a rat?

I can honestly say im not sure if I would do it. Im absolutely curious, but im also pretty squemish. I dont think Id have a problem with someone else doing it, but I couldnt handle the gutting
Have at it folks!

[Annarose15]

Wow, Riv, I was eating breakfast.

[Riv]

haha sorry. I suppose it IS a bit gruesome XD My fiance's uncle made squirrel jerky once(I wasnt brave enough to try it), so I figured it couldnt be COMPLETELY unheard of.

[Annarose15]

Deer jerky is the farthest I've gone down that road. I'm with you, though, on the idea of gutting a rat. Blech!

[Homegrownscales]

Omg I just got nauseas.
Rat meat..... It's not the apocalypse yet.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

[Don]

Riv, sounds like you need to do an episode of Dooms Day Preppers!

[Riv]

Hahahaha. You dont even know Don. Ive got a bug out route already planned, guinea pigs ready to breed for meat if necessary, quiet lightweight and reusable weaponry, seed packets, an uninhabited island with plenty of rescources, and a list of 70 other people who have been instructed to meet my group(the fiance and room mates) at that location should zombies, nuclear war, or a hostile takeover occur. Dont get me wrong, I dont beleive that any of that is definitely going to be happening, but im pretty positive if you told me I had to get to a safe place and survive without civilation right this very minute I would be a-okay lol.

[aldebono]

I tried offering my dog rat meat, she is use to eating raw, frozen raw, feet, eggs. But she didn't want the frozen rat. But she loves her live rats, so I decided to skin it. The frozen ones have a particular smell. Kind of like how they smell alive, but wet and just not appealing. Fresh pre killed rats are a lot worse, especially when you get to the organs. She still didn't want that rat, furred or skinned. I am not sure how other skinned animals smell, but if they smell anything like that, I may be turned off of meat completely. Do they all smell like that? Deer, rabbit, poultry?

Have you skinned anything yet? I was 100% confident that I would be fine with the sight of everything, but toss the smell in there and I was a little woozy.

Squirrel Jerky? Sign me up! I haven't had squirrel in years and you can't beat squirrel and gravy on rice. =D So take what I said about rats from someone who has already eaten squirrel.

[Riv]

As of this morning, I watched a videos of a rabbit, squirrel, and rat getting skinned. My fiance is a chef, and had always dealt with cleaning whatever animal he has cooked(though thats only like birds, and pigs) and has always told me not to worry about it so I never have. Said in the apocalypse he'd be doing that stuff haha.

But after watching it happen the sight bothers me a lot less than I thought it would. It was kind of like, to me once the skin was off it was a food item. A meat to be cooked and eaten. It was only a bunny till it didnt have a face anymore. I guess thats kind of how I feel about feeding snakes mice too though. Eventually you get to the point where that isnt snickers, the adorable pet rat. Thats Laila's dinner, and I cant get attached. I cant honestly say I know id be fine with it because I havent done it, but smell aside(I'd probably use a nose clip or something) the bare sight didnt affect me much.

And im not sure you would have like this squirrel jerky hahaha. The cousins all said is still had a metric ton of fur in it that they were brushing out of their teeth days later.

[Freakie_frog]

In a survival situation I can see eating pretty much anything. I've eaten a few things like gator, squirrel, rabbit even snake. To me in the post zombie apocalypse raising a healthy human consumable livestock is just not feasible. Thinking of things like no running water, no power for cooling, no food mill processing..I'd eat the ones I had and move on..