[Sca-cooks] To Cook a 'Coon

[Anne du Bosc]

This is the way my Southern family treated 'Coon.
1. Obtain a young, but full sized raccoon.
2. Pen it in a small enclosure and feed him sweet
corn feed for 4 to 6 weeks. (very necessary step)
3. Butcher it.  Skin it and gut it.  Remove the
head and feet, but leave the carcass whole.
4. Soak the carcass overnight in either
buttermilk or a vinegar based marinade.
5. At this point you may either bake it with
sweet potatoes or barbecue it:
    a. To bake it, rub it thoroughly with salt,
pepper, and lard.  Place it in a large, deep
baking pan (one of those oval, blue enamel
roasters is good).  Place, covered, in a medium
hot oven for two or three hours.  Rub the sweet
potatoes with lard and arrange them around the
beast.  Bake another 45 minutes to an hour
uncovered, basting the potatoes and the 'coon
every ten minutes or so with the pan drippings.
    b. To barbecue it, rub it thoroughly with
your favorite barbecue spices and lard.  Grill
over a slow fire for several hours, basting
frequently with salt water.  In the last half
hour or so, baste with your favorite sweet
barbecue sauce.

Keeping it penned and feeding it sweet corn for 4
to 6 weeks does three things:
 1. It fattens the animal.
 2. It "sweetens" it, removing much of the gamey
taste.
 3. It ensures that the animal is disease free.
But, it is necessary to begin with a young one.
No amount of penning and feeding can tenderize
the old tough ones.

Mordonna the Cook

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