Crock Pot Squirrels

[Bicycleman]

Recently, I acquired a SLOW COOKER crock pot.  My thought was to cook squirrel stew in the crock pot and have it come out tender and tasty.  This may be possible; but as of yet,  I have not found the secret.  The onions were tough and the gravy separated [broke].
So through trial and error and more trial, I have come up with something that works for me:
1-  The squirrels and sausage go into the pot with enough liquid to cover the meat.  I start with the temperature setting on HIGH.  After an hour, I lower it to the LOW setting.  I let it cook like that until the meat becomes tender.  Plan on seven or eight hours for good results.
2-  The onions were sauteed in a separate pot/skillet earlier and set aside.  I found that onions don't cook fully at the low temperatures the crock pot is designed for.
3-  I like to thicken my gravy with flour.  Again the crock pot isn't designed to make the gravy the way I like it.  So the liquids the squirrels cooked in are drained off and put in a separate pot to heat on the stove.  When the liquid is at a low boil, I put the flour in and stir until it is thickened enough. 
4-  The onions (previously cooked), the gravy that was just made with the cooking liquids, and the meat [squirrels and sausage] are combined in the slow cooker and left to get acquainted for about an hour on the LOW setting.

I found that this method works.  It is more work than the way I did it in the past.  But the results are superior in flavor and texture than the old method.

[Hawks Feather]

I used to do something similar.  Put the squirrels in the crock pot with a can of beer for liquid.  Keep the cover on, turn it on medium for about four hours, and then turn it to low till the meat is falling off the bones.  Take the meat out and it is easy to shred.  Then back into the crock pot with barbeque sauce (no beer or other liquid) for the last hour or so.  It comes out tasting like barbequed beef.

[Earl]

My Mother cooked squirrels in a pressure cooker.
They were delicious and so tender that you could pull the meat off the bones with your fingers.

[Bicycleman]

Earl, back then our mothers knew how to cook.  We are five children who all learned to cook at my mother's apron strings.
Ear well.

[Blowpipe Sam]

As a bachelor I would pressure cook them for about thirty minutes and the bone the meat and add it to canned stew.

Now I use an Instapot.   First I braze the quarters in a little lard.  After that they go into the Instapot for thirty minutes.  Then they get boned and turned into squirrel chili or squirrel tacos.

[Bicycleman]

I used to do something similar.  Put the squirrels in the crock pot with a can of beer for liquid.  Keep the cover on, turn it on medium for about four hours, and then turn it to low till the meat is falling off the bones.  Take the meat out and it is easy to shred.  Then back into the crock pot with barbeque sauce (no beer or other liquid) for the last hour or so.  It comes out tasting like barbequed beef.

Jerry, that sounds like very good eating.
I am glad you didn't say "Tastes like chicken".  Hee hee

[Bicycleman]

As a bachelor I would pressure cook them for about thirty minutes and the bone the meat and add it to canned stew.

Now I use an Instapot.   First I braze the quarters in a little lard.  After that they go into the Instapot for thirty minutes.  Then they get boned and turned into squirrel chili or squirrel tacos.

Cap, that sounds like it would be quick and easy. 
Good eats right there.

[Bent Skirt]

It’s strange how different folks have varying results when basically using the same cooking method. I’ve never had an issue with cooking squirrels in my crockpot. I don’t have any specific way of making gravy though I just take a measured cup of broth from the crockpot and thicken with flour and pour back into the crockpot when I’ve reached the desired thickness. One thing I’ve always done though is use a can of cream of mushroom soup, so maybe that helps? I’m not sure.

I also set my crockpot on high and cook for a total of 6 hours. Perhaps by using the low setting on your crockpot you may have needed to let it cook longer? Typically people use the low setting for cooking for 12 hours or more, my folks did this when making homemade spaghetti sauce or chili. I bone the meat when it’s falling off the bone then add back into the crockpot. The onions always came out tender and cooked down.

[Bicycleman]

Daryl, thank you for your thoughts and suggestions.

When I thought back on the results I had, the idea came to me that the cheap crockpot I use doesn't seal well.  As a result, the temperature may vary too greatly or never really get to the proper temperature at all.  It sort of defeats the purpose because I have to check on it often to make sure the water has not all cooked away.  Not the best experience.

Next, I am going to cook some black-eyed peas using the dried peas to start with.