Ostomy Memories of Skunk with Peppers

Skunk meat is surprisingly tasty, especially when you use the soft underbelly meat or strip pieces off the tops of the thigh bones. Since it is obviously not available in markets, not everyone will be able to savor this wonderful meat. When we lived in the boonies and had problems with skunks invading my wife’s feral cat feeding stations, I had the opportunity to kill a couple of skunks with my trusty .22 and got some expert skinning lessons from my neighbor, who had been killing and eating skunk for years. This is my recipe, however, not his. Most people would not like his recipe, frankly. It’s rather disgusting, in truth, and I hesitate to even tell you how his family cooks it. My own recipe, below, I took from an age-old Italian method for cooking lamb which, interestingly, tastes similar to skunk. Any rumor that you may have heard that skunk tastes like chicken is untrue.

Meat from two young skunks, approx. 2 lbs./
Salt to taste/
Freshly ground black pepper/
Flour for dusting/
2 tablespoons olive oil/
2 cloves garlic, crushed/
1 ¼ cups dry white wine/
6 sweet peppers, mixed red & yellow if possible/
4 tomatoes, skinned & quartered (or substitute 2 cans)/
2 bay leaves

Trim any excess fat from skunk meat. The older the skunk, the more likelihood there is of fat having to be trimmed. Also, young skunk is more tender. Cut the meat into bite-sized morsels, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and coat with flour, rubbing it into the meat.
Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet, add the meat and sauté until lightly browned, turning once or twice. Pour in the wine and allow to bubble briskly for a few minutes until reduced by one-third.
Cut the peppers into strips, discarding the pith and seeds. Add the peppers, tomatoes and bay leaves to the skunk. Cover tightly and simmer gently for 45 minutes or until the skunk is tender. Check the seasoning and serve from the skillet.
Serves four.

OK, Henry, I kept waiting for the punch line but it never came.   You are pulling our legs here, right??!! 

No he is not. Skunks are edible and Henry's recipe sounds tempting, but where would I get one? not found around here. I had never seen one before I went to the US. I have had Bison
meat steaks many times in a restaurant in Dubai. Out of this world, leaner and healthier but twice as expensive as beef.

One need not limit one's buffalo meat pleasues to Dubai.  I had that many times in Utah.  One restaurant sat at the corner of a large field in which the buffalo were actually roaming.  Try not feeling a tinge of guilt while biting into a juicy buffalo burger while looking out the window at the late bison's cousin.  As for the skunk, see my reply to Terry.

Kid, I could no more skin an animal carcass than swim the Atlantic.  As for actually eating skunk, it would never happen in real life.  I used a wonderful lamb recipe I have from a book of Italian gourmet pleasures.  So, substitute lamb where it says skunk and you'll have something.

Is that what they call ambience, that restaurant you visited in Utah? Skunk is said to be tastier and juicier than Racoon or Opussum!

Opossum. Raccoon.

Actually, I prefer opussum.

Hi Henry,  Well, I am relieved to hear that the skunks are safe around you!  The weird thing is that when my husband and I were leaving for our after dinner walk last night, we opened our front door to discover a skunk right at the bottom of the steps.  He quickly scurried off into the bushes in front of our house.  I think there must be quite the competition going amongst the neighbourhood wildlife for that space as we have seen racoons, skunks, opossums and neighbourhood cats entering and exiting for years. Somehow they have figured out how to coexist.  Anyway, I digress.  I was very skeptical about the consumption of skunks being a real thing as they are omnivorous animals and anything that eats meat usually doesn't taste very good, at least not to humans.  I grew up eating wild meat as my dad hunted, deer, elk, moose and sometimes grouse.  I gave up red meat over 30 years ago.  I find I have an easier time digesting fowl, fish and shellfish, and I don't miss the red meat one bit.  I wonder if your recipe would work with chicken breast or thigh?  It does sound good, if you take out the skunk, that is.

Cheers,

Terry