Barbecued Smoked Squirrel Sandwiches

Looking for something different to do with your squirrel meat? While fried always seems to be everyone's favorite way of cooking and eating squirrel, their nutty flavor works well with hickory smoke.

Trouble is, squirrels are tough. Tossing anything other than a very young squirrel on the grill or smoker long enough to cook it through often results in a shoe-leather-tough piece of meat. The flavor might be great, but the amount of work that goes into eating it can outweigh the deliciousness. 

So how do you get the slow-smoked flavor in a tender, easy-to-eat, meal? The secret lies in a two-part cooking method. Start the squirrels on the Traeger smoker, get them just about cooked through, then transfer to a pan over a bed of sliced onions. Add beer or chicken stock, cover tightly with foil and continue cooking on either the smoker or in the oven for another two hours. 

Coat the squirrels in BBQ rub of choice and place on a 250-degree smoker over hickory wood. Slow smoke for one hour. 

While the squirrels smoke, slice the onions and spread evenly over the bottom of an aluminum pan. Lay the smoked squirrels over the onions and add either a can of beer or chicken stock. Cover the pan tightly with foil and return to the smoker or a 250-degree oven. Cook for 2 more hours.

Uncover the pan and move the squirrels to a baking sheet or cutting board. Allow the meat to cool until you are able to pick the meat from the bone. Return the boneless meat to the pan. Add two to three tablespoons of your favorite BBQ sauce to the pan and stir everything well. Return the pan to the oven or smoker and cook until everything is warmed through. Serve on hamburger buns and top the sandwich with pickles or slaw.