Squirrel and Dumplings

Squirrel and dumplings is one of the oldest recipes in American hunting culture. It's the small game version of chicken and dumplings, and honestly, it's better — the dark, rich squirrel meat has more flavor than chicken, and it cooks into a broth that's savory and satisfying. The fluffy drop dumplings soak up the broth and round out the meal into something that sticks to your ribs on a cold day.

Ingredients

For the stew: - 4 squirrels, cleaned and left whole or halved - 6 cups water or chicken broth - 1 large yellow onion, quartered - 2 carrots, cut into chunks - 2 stalks celery, cut into chunks - 3 cloves garlic, smashed - 2 bay leaves - 1 tsp dried thyme - 1 tsp kosher salt - 1/2 tsp black pepper - 2 tbsp butter - 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

For the dumplings: - 1.5 cups all-purpose flour - 2 tsp baking powder - 1/2 tsp kosher salt - 3 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces - 2/3 cup whole milk

Instructions

• Place the whole squirrels in a large pot with the water or broth, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 1 to 1.5 hours until the meat easily pulls from the bones.
• Remove the squirrels and let cool enough to handle. Pull all the meat from the bones, shredding into bite-sized pieces. Discard the bones. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer and return it to the pot. You should have about 4 to 5 cups — add water if needed.
• In a small bowl, mash the butter and flour together into a paste. Whisk this into the simmering broth a little at a time until the broth thickens to a light gravy consistency.
• Return the shredded squirrel meat to the pot.
• Make the dumplings: whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter with a fork until pea-sized crumbs form. Stir in the milk until just combined.
• Drop the dumpling dough by rounded tablespoons onto the surface of the simmering stew. Cover tightly and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
• Serve in deep bowls.

Tips

Simmer, don't boil. A hard boil toughens the meat. Keep the liquid at a gentle simmer — you should see small bubbles, not a rolling boil.

Strain the broth. The onion, celery, and garlic break down during the long simmer and leave debris. Straining gives you a clean, smooth base for the dumplings.

Watch out for small bones. Squirrels have tiny rib bones and vertebrae that can hide in the meat. Go through the shredded meat carefully before adding it back to the pot.