Game meat, squirrel, cooked, roasted

Squirrel is a small, lean game meat with a mild, slightly nutty flavor traditionally prepared in stews, pot pies and slow braises in rural American and Southern cooking, since the small cuts of meat benefit from moist, low heat to keep them from drying out. It can also be roasted or fried when young and tender, often dredged and pan-fried like other small game, then finished with a pan gravy. Because there is little fat marbling, cooks typically pair it with bacon, butter or a rich sauce to add moisture, and the meat is traditionally removed from the bone before serving in a stew or pie filling.

As with any wild game, squirrel should come from a reliable source, be kept well chilled, and cooked thoroughly given its lean, small cuts. At 173 calories per 3 oz roasted serving it supplies 30.8 g of protein per 100 g, 62% DV, along with 38% DV iron, making it a lean, protein-forward option to build a stew or pie filling around, with a modest 119 mg of sodium per 100 g before seasoning and just 4.69 g of fat per 100 g. Because the meat is so lean, a slow braise with stock and vegetables is a more forgiving way to cook it than dry roasting alone.