Wow, we have had a busy few months! Went to India twice, moved to Asheville NC (Beer City, USA), bought our first home. All very exciting things, but it is good to be finally settled in. This town, as I have already found out, is the best place for a foodie and avid beer drinker. The diversity of local food and local drink is on a totally different level… must be something in the water.
Already considering myself from the South, we have landed in the heart of Appalachia. Taking a three month hiatus from bitesnpints, I knew things had to be big and of course Southern. Finding a local rabbit at the farmers market put these wheels in motion, and boy did it pay off. I went with slow roasted rabbit tacos, with tender cranberry beans and saffron rice. Enjoy!
The Rabbit:
Went with a 2.7 pound local rabbit, from a farm right outside of Asheville. I started on Friday with the brine. DON’T SKIP THIS STEP. Brine for 24 hours in 1 cup of natural sugar, 3/4 cup of salt, a splash of apple cider vinegar and enough water to cover thumper. After the 24 hours are up rinse throughly and pat dry. Then prepare the baste.
The Baste:
In a food processor take one 6 ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice, 1 table spoon of olive oil, 1.5 tablespoons of dried cumin, and a pinch of salt. Process until you have a consistent paste.
Coat generously the rabbit, including the inside to ensure you are packing the flavor. Bring to room temperature and go prepare the grill.
The Grill:
Using my Weber Spirit with the rotisserie attachment, prepare for low to medium heat for the roasting. Take the rotisserie spit and place right through the cavity, then take butchers twine and make sure everything is tied tight. Don’t want this guy hopping around on the grill…
You are looking for a internal temperature of 160 degrees. I let this one roast for about 25 minutes and then started basting with my leftover paste for the rest of the cooking time (about 40 minutes). I let this guy go low and slow to ensure a nice succulent rabbit. Take off the spit and let rest for 10 minutes.
The Meal:
We paired this with cranberry beans and saffron rice. The beans were cooked for 6 hours on low in the crockpot with just a little bacon, salt and pepper. Cover with water and just let the slow cooker do it’s thing.
For taco toppings we had some local raw serrano peppers, avocado crema (two ripe avocados, fresh lime juice, sour cream and salt), local red cabbage, and fresh limes to bring some acidity.
End result would have had Peter Cottontail asking for seconds. These were amazing, had a nice smokey flavor with a kick from the chipotle and serrano pepper, the cranberry beans provided a nice base and the avocado crema help cool things down. The star of the show was super tender and extremely juicy. If you aren’t brining your meat you are doing things wrong.
Pairs well with the Nine Foot Pale Ale, from Boojum Brewing Company.
This was a first for me, but it definitely won’t be the last. This town is going to do some amazing things for my cooking and I can’t wait.
Cheers y’all!
bitesnpints 