The Cheesy Beaver Meat Sandwich
When it comes to a great beaver recipe, you can't go wrong with this Cheesy Beaver Meat Sandwich made with American Beaver meat!When one of my good friends and hunting mentors, Don Kenna, shot a big American Beaver last year, the wheels started to turn on possible cooking methods. I grilled the backstraps (which were delicious). But I wanted to create a fun way to use the hams, or hind quarters. I decided on a low and slow cooking method and brought out the Dutch oven.I seared the seasoned beaver meat hams in olive oil, then added sliced onions and chicken broth. After 4 hours in the Dutch oven, the beaver meat was falling off the bones.I got the idea for the Cheesy Beaver Meat sandwich from a queso cheese sloppy joe I fell in love with a few years ago. The best way I've found for eating this "cheesy beaver" is to throw the mixture on some Texas toast with some dill hamburger pickles and you've got yourself a messy and amazingly delicious combination the whole family will enjoy.WHAT DOES BEAVER TASTE LIKE?People will email me and DM me on Instagram and ask, "Can you eat beaver?" And the answer is absolutely yes! After beaver hindquarters have been braising in a slow cooker with broth and onions for 8 hours like I do here, the beaver meat tastes similar to beef. That really shouldn't be a surprise based on a beaver's diet.WHAT DO BEAVERS EAT?An American beaver is what we call a semi-aquatic herbivore. That means beavers eat plants that grow on both land and water. A beaver's diet consists of leaves, bark, roots, and aquatic vegetation.ARE BEAVERS RODENTS?Yes. The American beaver is the largest rodent in the United States, growing from two to three feet long, and that is not including the tail. Beavers are also the second-biggest rodent species in the world. The biggest is the capybara, a South American creature that also lives in the water. If you would like to learn more about hunting and trapping beavers in North Dakota, visit the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website for the regulations and license information.AMERICAN BEAVER RECIPESIf you want to try a beaver steak recipe and love breakfast burritos, be sure and check out my Beaver Backstrap Breakfast Burrito recipe here. I've got a few more American beavers in my freezer so keep an eye out for more beaver meat recipes like Beaver Gumbo, Beaver Tacos, and a Beaver Mississippi Pot Roast served over creamy mashed potatoes. You can find more great small game recipes here.CONNECT WITH ME AND JOIN OUR WILD GAME COOKING COMMUNITYIf you make this Cheesy Beaver Meat Sandwich Recipe, I’d love for you to join our community and connect with me so we can all see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #wildgameandfishDid you enjoy this Cheesy Beaver Meat Sandwich Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE!
Ingredients
- 2 bone-in beaver hindquarters, from 1 beaver
- salt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup Salsa Con Queso
- 16 slices Texas toast
- hamburger dill pickles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Season beaver hindquarters with salt.
- In a small bowl, combine celery salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cumin.
- Heat oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven on stovetop burner over medium-high heat. Add seasoned beaver hindquarters and fry for about 5 minutes until golden brown all over.
- Add onion and chicken broth, and ONLY HALF of the dry spice ingredients to the Dutch oven. Save the other half of the spice mix to add toward the end of the cooking time. Mix well, cover with lid or tightly with foil, and place in the oven at 325 degrees F, undisturbed, for 4 to 4 1/2 hours.
- Take Dutch oven out, remove lid, and use tongs or forks to shred meat off of the bones. Discard the bones.
- Add remaining half of the spice mix to the meat mixture and combine well. Simmer on stovetop, without the lid, over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Drain off any remaining liquid and set aside to use as a broth base for your next soup.
- Add queso to the shredded beaver meat and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until heated through.
- Meanwhile, lay Texas toast slices on a baking pan and place on middle shelf of the oven.
- Bake Texas toast for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Serve cheesy beaver meat mixture on the warm Texas toast with lots of hamburger dill pickles.
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