How to portion a rabbit

Tiffany — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:48:41 +0000

Whether you have bought a whole skinned rabbit at the market or are slaughtering your own, learning to portion a rabbit is a crucial step towards preparing dinner. A medium-sized rabbit carcass can be cut into 7 pieces: two hind leg pieces, a loin, two rib pieces, and two front leg pieces. A fryer rabbit usually fits into one gallon- or two pint-sized freezer bags.

TIP: Don’t use a cleaver when portioning the rabbit but a really sharp chef’s knife (or similar.) A cleaver could splinter the bones as you chop through them.

Separate the front legs from the rib cage.
Cut across the back at the end of the ribs and separate it into two equal halves by splitting along the backbone.
Leave the center loin in one large piece.
Cut the backbone between the two rear legs and remove it from loin section.

Larger carcasses can be cut into twelve pieces by cutting each hind leg piece into two pieces, the loins and back portion of the ribs into five pieces, and the front portion of the ribs and each of the front legs into one serving each.

Take a look at a few photos of the process here.

Raising Rabbits for Meat » Dressing a rabbit

How to portion a rabbit