Hands down my all time favorite way to cook rabbit is to throw it on the BBQ. This ‘recipe’ is SO easy to make and is the perfect dish to cook for folks who may be on the fence about cooking or eating rabbit. If you can BBQ chicken thighs, you’ve got rabbit down. So grab your favorite BBQ sauce, some garden fresh veggies and fire up the grill!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 40 minutes |
| Passive Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 1 whole Rabbit fryer
- 1 cup BBQ Sauce I always use "Spicy Plum Sauce" from the Ball Blue Book
- Assorted veggies for grilling
Ingredients
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- Heat your BBQ to medium high. While it heats, Cut the rabbit's rib cage then press down flat. The ribs may pop out of the spine or break, either is fine.
- Spread half of your marinade on the inside of the rabbit.
- Lay your rabbit on the grill, marinade side down. Turn heat to low and cover. You want your grill to be heated at around 425 degrees. Set your timer for 15-20 minutes. Don't forget to grill that delicious liver!
- After 15-20 minutes, coat the top side of the rabbit with half the remaining sauce and eat the liver as an appetizer. (trust me: rabbit liver is super mild and delicious!)
- Flip the rabbit longways (so the hindlegs are now where the forelegs were) and coat with the last of the sauce. Now is a good time to add tender grilling veggies like zucchini or peppers.
- Cover grill and cook another 15-20 minutes until juices run clear and thigh reads 160 degrees.
- Let the rabbit rest under foil off heat for 10 minutes.
- Chop into 6 chunks and let your guest choose their favorite piece! Remember that rabbit is more filling than chicken so a little goes a long way. 🙂
Rabbit has a slightly sweet flavor and pairs really well with plum sauce, but any of your favorite bbq sauce will do. Because rabbit is lean and lacks fatty skin, you'll get fewer flame ups from fat catching on fire. A little char is nice, but the key is to put the rabbit on a hot grill then turn it down to cook low. Rabbit is best cooked on the BBQ grill whole with the ribcage split and flattened vs cut up before grilling: the loins and thighs can really dry out if cooked parted up first. Grab your cleaver to chop the rabbit up into servings after it has rested.
What’s the reason to marinate only one side?
Hi, Shrey:
i marinate both sides. But i coat the side that isn’t on the grill because the bbq sauce is able to sit on top of the meat while it cooks. basically i’m just basting it.
Does it make a difference if you were to marinate the whole rabbit 24 hours in advance?
I’ve heard too many food scientists say marinating doesn’t do anything. So i never do 🙂
Better than marinating is brining that helps the meat to be BBQed stay moist.
Who listens to food Scientists ? Lol.
That rabbit looks pretty tasty
OK, well from many years of cooking this kitchen witch is here to tell you that that’s some shady science.
What is the marinade
Hi, Travis: i like to marinate my rabbit with “Spicy Plum Sauce” which is a canning recipe in one of the Ball blue books. You can marinade in anything you prefer!
Spicy Plum Sauce sounds like a fantastic sauce. I’ll look for the recipe. Thanks.
It is so good! The new ball book.
You guys want a good marinade for rabbit is a Greek vinaigrette dressing and let it soak for about 24 hours I used kraft it awesome. It will be so juicy and cook on your grill with I direct heat and let it slow cook my bbq sauce is sweet baby rays regular and mix it with their spicy chipotle and out some honey in it and little of whatever your favorite beer is and base it on while it cooks I’m telling it’s awesome
sounds good. i don’t purchase bottled dressings but i have done a similar thing with homemade honey mustard. delish!
I’m going to try that
Does this work with squirrel as well?
don’t know: i have no experience with squirrel! I’d think so.
I cook my squirrel on the grill or bread it with flour and spices then brown it up and throw it in the crockpot with 50/50 cream or chicken and cream of mushroom. Makes excellent gravy for potatoes or biscuits
Very good. I used Sweet Baby Rays Sweet and Spicy sauce and it turned out great. Used alderwood to cook it on. First time I’ve cooked rabbit. First time I caught a rabbit too. Thanks for the recipe and instructions.
Yum!
We made our very first rabbit with this recipe, and it turned out amazing.
Our kids loved it, too – my 11-year-old daughter has a new favorite food – bbq rabbit!
I especially like the simplicity of grilling the whole rabbit – one piece of meat to turn, baste, and tend to. Plus, the whole animal makes for a dramatic presentation. ✨
So happy to hear that!! It really is delicious when cooked this way, and definitely easy 🙂
I have never had rabbit before. A friend is going to be butchering her rabbits soon and said she would give me a leg. How would I prepare this on the grill? (you say not to chop into pieces but I am only getting 1 piece!)
Sorry ididn’t get back to you sooner. One leg i might wrap in bacon!
Just knowing there are other people that God gave us animals to take care of and harvest for food. I was raised if you kill it you eat it that simple. Many believe the supermarket some how just makes meat appear. In fact homesteaders are much more loveing and appreciate life. God bless you all
your rabbit is burned mate.
Nah: tastily charred. I really like a bit of charring along with the moist and tender interior.
What spices do you use with olive oil? My hubby isn’t fond of bbq.
Sorry for the delay in response – i like a traditional italian or french sort of herb treatment…. your standard basil or rosemary/thyme etc. herbs de provance or whatever 😉
So when you chop it up after grilling do the bones splinter and get in the meat?
Little rib bones might sneak here and there but mostly i’m chopping between the bones just like you would a chicken. No splintering.
How would you do this on a charcoal grill? You can’t really turn the temperature down after the coals are on.
I don’t cook on charcoal so i really couldn’t say. But cook basically the same as you would chicken thighs.
Well my rabbit’s have gotten out of control here, I count 16 just out my front door.
Think I will be trying this recipe tomorrow.
Baking and frying just isn’t doing it for me anymore.
My skills on the BBQ aren’t the best but il give it a shot.
I hope it works out for you! I’m not the best on the BBQ either – i almost always burn the chicken. But if you treat it as if it was a big chicken thigh it should work out pretty ok. Let me know!
I followed your recipe, and it was FANTASTIC. I will be telling my friends this was my recipe!
That’s so great to hear! I’m glad it turned out yummy 🙂