Ways to Cook Possum

Opossum, or 'possum as those in the know like to call it, is a tasty alternative to any traditional main dish. Similar to pork, possum is light and tender when cooked correctly. How you acquire this tasty delight depends on your degree of stealth. Seasoned possum hunters can easily snag a couple per night; those less-skilled might have to wait for the lucky day when their hound delivers dinner to the front porch. Once the possum is in hand, however, a plethora of delicious recipes await it.

  1. Preparing the Critter

    • Possums, like any wildlife, must be prepared and skinned prior to cooking. Disembowel the animal, taking great care not to puncture its bladder or internal organs. Doing so will spoil the meat. Remove all fur followed by the head and limbs. Stick the remaining meat in the icebox for a couple hours. Once chilled and hardened, remove the fat with a knife or by simply pulling it off. Cut the meat into bite-sized chunks for use in stews and similar recipes. To prepare stuffed possum, soak the whole critter in saltwater for a few hours before cooking it to tenderize the meat.

    Stuffed Possum

    • Rinse the possum with cold water after soaking. To prepare stuffing, combine day-old stale bread pieces, chopped celery and onions, a bit of melted butter and other seasonings to taste. Like stuffing a turkey, insert the mixture into the possum's bum and secure tightly. Cook in the oven at 350 degrees F in a quart of chicken broth, along with such chopped sides as potatoes, celery, onions and carrots. Baste often.

    Possum Stew

    • Primary ingredients include bacon, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes and noodles, but feel free to add any other ingredients you have, like onions, sausage or jalapeno peppers. Cook the bacon in a frying pan and set aside, allowing the grease to remain in the pan. Brown chunks of possum in the same pan until cooked through. Meanwhile, boil the noodles in a large pot and drain. Add cooked possum, bacon and all of the remaining ingredients to the noodles and cook over low heat for one hour.

    Roasted Possum

    • Even if you possess no cooking utensils but have access to a large stick and a fire pit, you're in luck. Possum can be cooked over a fire rotisserie-style. Skewer the critter --skinned and cleaned --and allow it to simmer over a fire or coal pit, rotating slowly. Continue until the inside is cooked through and the outside is nice and crunchy. Season lightly according to taste.