Tenderizing squirrel, what am I doing wrong?

[olddogrib]

Cooked 3 squirrels in a slow cooker for 8 hours to tenderize for a pie.  One had basically disintegrated was falling off the bone and the other two were still tough.  Oddly, the biggest and I assume oldest(they don't have growth rings)was the one that came out tender. The smaller ones didn't. I arranged them side by side, covered them completely with water in a large Farberware slow cooker on the auto setting, which starts on high and turns down to low when the proper temperature is reached. I wouldn't think the heat would be that uneven.    What am I doing wrong?

P.S. I had to boil the toughies an extra 45 mins on the stove to avert catastrophe, but the pie turned out fine.  Added a few personal touches to the "Lazy Man's Squirrel Pie" recipe (many thanks Hawken1911) in TooManyHobbies' Squirrel recipes post here.

[Steve in Canton]

Did you do any tenderizing before you put in the slow cooker or did you kill them in the morning and cook that day.  One of the things that I like to do with squirlle meat is to tenderize with some sort of acid before cooking.  i usually use either some sort of vinegar or lemon or lime juice for 2 to 4 hours before cooking..  this will break down the meat before you cook.      I also let the meat rest  anywhere from 2 days to a week in the fridge  before cooking so that rigamortis has ben completed.

[Michigan Mark]

Any citrus marinade breaks down the proteins to tenderize as Steve states.

[olddogrib]

Thanks for the feedback. These were killed, cleaned and frozen in short order, but there was a difference in 2 of the 3 that didn't occur to me until after this post.  Unfortunately, I don't know which was which and they've been consumed. Guess I'll get some more and use better scientific practice. My theory is over in the PowWow section, see if you agree.

[Ray Hammond]

You're not using a large enough sledge hammer

Try a nine pounder that ought to do it

[ksbowman]

I think a blender with do the trick also or  Squirrel-o-matic!

[CoilSpring]

For frying, the tough older greys can be tenderized using butter- or whole milk.  Cut up to fryer size, place in a bowl or pan, and submerge in milk (1% or 2% works too, just takes an extra day). Cover with lid or plastic wrap, and place in fridge for 2-4 days.  I like to pour off the old milk and rinse them off after 2 days, then cover with fresh milk.  Rinse again when ready to fry.  The milk doesn't add any other flavor to the meat, like some marinades do, but leaves them tender like the young ones.

[Dave Bulla]

Coilspring, I've never heard of doing that.  I'll have to give it a try.

I've heard of soaking stuff in buttermilk but not for multiple days.  If it really evens out the toughness and lets the old ones cook up like the young ones, that'd be great.

Are there any indicators of "visual clues" to indicate when the process is done?

[olddogrib]

Glad to see the bushytail can still get a little love!  What I didn't mention in my initial post, but elaborated on over in the PowWow, was that 2 of the 3 were live-trapped during my "war on squirrels" at my bird feeder this past winter. My theory, which the consensus supported, was that the toughies were the trapped ones and the one taken "free-range" was the tender one.  There's nothing more "wired" than a lived trapped squirrel. It is widely accepted that wounded game which is stressed and travels long distances will produce tough meat due to lactic acid build-up or something.  Never got to prove the theory though, after relocating 15 and eating 3, the word got out in the trees and my yard was squirrel-less for the final month of the season.  Keep the suggestions coming, I'll try the marinade route when the "cease-fire" ends next fall!

[Brianlocal3]

My Ma, (I do now cause i was taught) would poke the squirrel all over with a fork and twist  little, think of what you would do to a baked potato. This was done right before battering them up for the skillet.  The Pre-work would be dad and I soaked our squirrel in salt water for a day before rinsing off and freezing. They were always amazing.

[kill shot]

use a pressure cooker. leave the squirrel or squirrels in for 15 minutes after the cooker starts to hiss. Let cool until the pressure is out of the cooker. You can afterwards fry them, make stew or whatever. You'll be able to suck the meat off the bones.

[Horney Toad]

I just boil until tender. The big and tough ones take longer, you just need to prod with a fork during boiling to check if they are tender.

After they are tender, I flour and pan fry under low heat until they are brown.