R.I.P. Rocky

Chef James prepping a squirrel for an impromptu, experimental family dinner back home in Perkasie, PA.

I’ve just returned from a trip to my hometown of Philly to visit with mom for Thanksgiving (and my Birthday the same day). It was a surprise visit and she was totally shocked when my wife Tanya, daughter Ava and I jumped out from the stairwell. For a minute there I thought she was going to need to be readmitted. She is in good health now compared to our previous unscheduled trip when she was basically hanging by a thread in a hospital bed and had no idea we were there for five weeks. Definitely a reason to give thanks and put things into the proper perspective.

What do I love about going back to Philly? Quite simply the cheese steak sandwiches, thin crust pizzas, east coast clams and Yeungling beers on tap. For those who don’t know, Yeungling is the oldest brewed beer in the U.S. and comes from the area of Pottstown, PA.

The area I grew up in outside of Philly is known as Perkasie. It’s a small rural area with colonial homes and lots of wild game everywhere. It’s common to see any sort of road kill all over the place. I dodged a few deer and possum while I was there. People eat all types of animals from bears to frogs. I never ate anything wilder than deer or rabbit that I can recall growing up, unless you consider Scrapple and Chipped Beef (affectionately known as SOS- don’t ask) to be odd.

Pressure Cooker, check. Yeungling beer, check. Squirrel, check.

My sister’s husband Dan is a hunter, and while there he and his son Zack shot a few squirrels. Naturally when I heard that, I was the first to volunteer cooking them. I went online and did a little research in order to plot my cooking strategy and see what I was up against. I didn’t want to mask the flavor as I like to understand the flavor of the item I’m eating, especially if it’s new.

Armed with a pressure cooker, mushrooms, thyme, onions, carrots, chicken stock and some Yeungling beer I set out to create my first taste of local tree squirrel. After forty five minutes of pressure cooking while watching some football and downing a few “leftover” Yeunglings, we had our pot of goodness.

Doesn't that look delicious? And it tastes just like ... chicken.

A sprinkling of fresh chopped cilantro, jalapenos and mint and it was on. I have to say, as redundant as it may sound, it honestly tasted like chicken. Yep, soft, delicately flavored thigh meat is what I would liken it to. Even with those descriptions and wonderful garnishes, I still couldn’t get the misses to go there. Oh well, I guess it’s a chef and hillbilly thing. At any rate, I’m sure Andrew Zimmern would have been proud.

Remember, don’t be afraid to try new things and “get your eat on”!

Oh yeah … sorry Bullwinkle.