George Ricks has many abilities, however he mentioned coon cooking will not be on the high of the checklist.
for that, he turned to his good friend al travis, whom he met in school after they each majored in biology.
travis, 57, lives in the home he grew up in, situated on rural sixth ward on st. Hellenic parish.
I discovered him in his entrance yard stoking a pure wooden fireplace in his giant fireplace pit. already had a “helper” current and extra have been anticipated to arrive.
“There is not any telling who’s exhibiting up tonight,” Travis drawled. “After they see that fireside, they begin coming.
“That is what we do on the weekends. we get a bunch of associates collectively and cook, whether or not it is scorching or chilly outdoors. we at all times make a fireplace. what we cook is generally sport; I even cooked up a rattlesnake this August. it was okay, a bit fishy for me.”
Nonetheless, she does greater than cook. Travis’s largest pastime, even larger than deer searching and speckled trout fishing, is catching, each with leg traps and snares.
“I catch coyotes, hogs, raccoons and bobcats,” he mentioned. “I cooked considered one of them (bobcats) as soon as; it tasted like a pork chop.”
Travis is a real beginner trapper. He discovered the artwork from his uncle Travis Lige, who taught him “all elements of catching.”
When Travis was in school, he caught cash and offered $4,000 value of fur in 1978.
As extra newcomers arrived, they took their locations across the cheerful fireplace. there was one thing primitive about it: grown males sipping drinks round a fireplace, watching the meat sizzle, and speaking about politics, cooking, searching, and trapping.
oh, as for the raccoon, it was buttery tender: candy and clean, a lot much less juicy and extra tender than venison chops cooked on the grills on the identical time.
this is a recipe:
roasted raccoon
The seasoning mix referenced within the ingredient checklist beneath is a frozen mix of onions, celery, inexperienced and purple onions, and parsley.
travis famous that oak wooden might be substituted for charcoal within the fireplace pit, however the wooden warms them up as they cook on chilly nights.
components
- 2 grownup raccoons with musk glands eliminated
- icy water slush to cowl the raccoons
- 1/4 cup concentrated liquid for boiling shrimp and crabs
- 2 10 oz. frozen seasoning combine luggage
- 2 cups of your favourite barbecue sauce
- 1 cup bacon fats
- 2 tbsp. onion powder
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
preparation
Soak the raccoons for half a day in sufficient ice chilly slush to cowl them. after soaking, take away and discard heads, ft, and as a lot physique fats as attainable.
Put the raccoons in a pot with sufficient water to cowl them, and begin heating the water over excessive warmth. add shrimp and crab boil and seasoning combine; then cowl. boil for 1 hour then verify to see if the raccoons are tender. if not tender, boil one other half hour or till tender.
Whereas the water is boiling, construct a fireplace with oak wooden in a fireplace pit. Mix barbecue sauce, bacon fats, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce and put aside. take away the infant raccoons from the boiling pot and place complete on the pit racks. drizzle them generously and infrequently with the basting sauce till carried out. carve and serve. serves 6.
