Grilled Rabbit with Sesame Chile Sauce
By Andrew Zimmern
I’m on a mission to get the world to eat more rabbit. They are mild, they have an incredible amount of meat on a small frame, they’re quick to raise, and they have very little impact on the environment. In this episode of Wild Game Kitchen, I will show you how to break down a whole rabbit for two different recipes. For the first one, we are going to brine pieces of the rabbit, grill it and coat it in a spicy, Sichuan sesame sauce topped with toasted peanuts and scallions. And for the other, I’m grilling up the rabbit and plating it with a grilled baby gem lettuce salad and panzanella, an Italian bread salad with tomatoes, fennel and citrus (recipe).
Tune into Wild Game Kitchen every Monday on Tastemade.
Grilled Rabbit with Sesame Chile Sauce
Ingredients
Brine
- 2 quarts water
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
- 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 star anise buds
Rabbit
- 1 rabbit, cut up (2 fore legs, 2 rear legs, cut the whole bone-in loin in half)
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
- Sesame chile sauce (recipe below)
- Toasted peanuts, for garnish
- Scallions, sliced for garnish
Instructions
Combine 2 quarts of water with the salt, sugar, ginger, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon and star anise buds. Whisk until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Place the rabbit pieces in a large pot. Pour the brine mixture over the rabbit. Cover and allow to brine in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
Prepare a grill for medium-high direct heat cooking.
Drain the brine away and discard, pat dry the rabbit. Allow the rabbit to come to room temperature.
Brush the pieces with vegetable oil, season with salt and grill until just to the point of being done, turning frequently, for a total of about 10-15 minutes. The legs will take longer to cook than the loin pieces. Cook to medium rare and let it rest to medium on the platter. Serve with the sauce below, garnishing with peanuts and scallions.
Sesame Chile Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sweet aromatic soy sauce (recipe below)
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
- 5 pieces scallion whites (the bottom inch or so)
- 2 tablespoons chili oil/chili crisp (I like Lao Gan Ma brand)
- 2 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste or tahini
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorn oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
Instructions
In a blender (or using an immersion blender), combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve with the rabbit.
Sweet Aromatic Soy Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons crushed cinnamon stick
- 2 tablespoons fennel seed
- 2 tablespoons cloves
- 2 tablespoons star anise
- 2 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
In a small pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, remove from heat and allow to cool in the pot. Once cool, it’s ready to strain and utilize in the sesame sauce.
