Eating Beaver — River to Table

As I discuss in this week's podcast, I’m constantly looking for ways to harvest more species to round out my hunting skill-set and to add to my culinary repertoire. So when my friend Christi Holmes invited me out to trap beavers with her and her mentor Randy Huntly, I jumped at the opportunity. Randy gave us a fantastic lesson on setting beaver traps — here in Maine beaver can be trapped but not hunted — and we successfully harvested two beavers in those traps.

Randy gave us a fantastic lesson on setting beaver traps — here in Maine beaver can be trapped but not hunted — and we successfully harvested two beavers in those traps.

Randy gave us a skinning lesson — he and Christi kept the hides — and I took the meat home with me. I’d heard that beaver is exquisite, but I needed to taste it for myself.

I rubbed the hams liberally with a BBQ spice blend before browning them in bear fat. While they rested I made a quick mirepoix in the same pan and then deglazed the whole thing with a little stock and white wine. Then I placed it all in the crockpot with enough stock and white wine to all but cover the hams.

While that simmered away I decided to try the beaver loin. I rubbed it in salt and pepper and cooked it medium-rare before serving it for my wife Avani and I.

We were blown away! Better than venison? Potentially. Certainly a rival.

After a few hours in the crockpot, I pulled the braised meat from the bones. Moist, flavorful, and delicious. In fact, it tastes like the best beef pot roast you’ve ever had — except better. That’s the fixings for beaver tacos!

I’ll never look at beavers the same way again, and, in fact, I’ll be adding beaver trapping to my growing list of annual food gathering activities!