Here’s a brine recipe for an herb brined rabbit. The herbs and spices take your rabbit meat to the next level, delivering a flavorful meat to enjoy roasted or to use in any number of other dishes and preparations.
This brine recipe could be used for other types of meat as well. It is especially good for chicken and poultry, pork, duck, and other light meats.
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Herb Brine Recipe for Rabbit
Making a brine is easy. Brining your rabbit is even easier!
Just a few simple steps are all it takes, and time and the brine will do the rest.
Herbed Rabbit Brine Ingredients:
- 8 cupsof water
- ½ cup salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon cracked peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves (or 1 ½ teaspoons dried)
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, roughly chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried chopped or minced garlic)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (½ teaspoon dried)
- ½ teaspoon fresh oregano (¼ teaspoon dried)
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon juniper berries, crushed to release oils and flavor (optional)
*Juniper berries are a less common spice, but they bring a lot to a brine recipe. Juniper brings a piney, earthy, slightly peppery flavor to your brine. It complements rabbit meat well and pairs well with rosemary, which I’m told is the secret ingredient that makes Italian rabbit dishes shine. Juniper is not only a stepped-up flavor, but it is a traditional pairing for wild game meats. While the domestic rabbit is not gamy, juniper is still an excellent partner for it!
Instructions for Preparing the Brine:
- Add the sugar and salt to two cups of the water and bring just to a boil. You only need to be able to dissolve the salt and sugar in the water.
- Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
- Remove from heat, then add the spices and other ingredients.
- Add the rest of the water (cold water or ice water will help cool the brine faster)
- Let cool to room temperature.
- Put your rabbit in a plastic bag, bowl, or container. Use a container that is large enough to fit the rabbit and the brine, but not so large that the brine flows away from the meat. You want the meat submerged or close to it.
- If the rabbit is not completely submerged, turn the bag or rabbit halfway through the brining time so that the entire rabbit is evenly brined.
- Brine in the refrigerator for 6 to 12 hours (up to 24), then proceed with your rabbit recipe.
Fresh or Dried Herbs?
You can use either fresh or dried herbs to make the brine. Fresh is lovely, but if you don’t have fresh, dried herbs make a lovely brine, too.
Another benefit of dried herbs is that you can make up a brine spice mix in bags or jars ahead of time and have it on hand, ready to use (or give as gifts!).
If you do use fresh herbs and garlic, and you are making the mixture ahead, it will need to be refrigerated.
How to Brine a Rabbit With Herb Brine
It is most common to brine a whole rabbit when you are brining a rabbit, similar to what you would do with brining poultry or other meat. But you can also use this brine recipe as a marinade for rabbit meat before any type of cooking. You can brine deboned rabbit meat chunks or strips. You can brine parted-out rabbit pieces, too.
Smaller pieces can be brined for a shorter amount of time.
After brining, rinse the excess brine from the meat. Pat dry before roasting or cooking. Make sure to pat the surface dry if you are adding a rub or other seasonings before cooking.
Why Brine Your Rabbit Meat
There are two reasons to brine your rabbit meat: flavor and moisture.
Brining is a way to add moisture to lean meats like rabbit. This helps to keep the rabbit from drying out while it is cooked. It is especially useful for smoking or roasting a rabbit.
Brining is also a way to infuse rabbit meat with flavor. Rabbit meat is quite delicious on its own. Slightly sweet and tasting like very flavorful chicken. However, rabbit meat takes on spices and flavor exceptionally well. It seems to become one with the spices, while other meats seem to just wear them. So any spice, rub, or brine flavor infusion will truly enhance your rabbit meat.
Brining can also help to tenderize rabbit meat, but its primary uses are for moisture and flavoring.
What to Do with Herb Brined Rabbit
Brined meats are usually prepared by slow cooking in one form or another. This can be a low roast (most common) or even cooked in a slow cooker or roaster.
Another time when you might like to brine your rabbit is to smoke it. You could also cook your brined rabbit in a smoker, but without the smoke.
Brined, roasted, or cooked rabbit meat can be served as is, pulled, or used in other dishes, like pot pies. Experiment, and enjoy!
VIDEO: How to Make a Brined, Smoked Rabbit
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