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BBQ Grilled Rabbit

Recipes · July 30, 2018

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!


Print Recipe
BBQ Grilled Rabbit
Rabbit is best cooked on the BBQ grill whole with the ribcage split and flattened. Add your favorite barbecue sauce or just some simple olive oil and herbs then grill whole for about 30-40 minutes. Rest, then chop and serve to your happy guests for a high protein, lean alternative to chicken this grilling season!
Course Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine Comfort food, Farm fresh
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Passive Time 10 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
  • 1 whole Rabbit fryer
  • 1 cup BBQ Sauce I always use "Spicy Plum Sauce" from the Ball Blue Book
  • Assorted veggies for grilling
Course Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine Comfort food, Farm fresh
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Passive Time 10 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
  • 1 whole Rabbit fryer
  • 1 cup BBQ Sauce I always use "Spicy Plum Sauce" from the Ball Blue Book
  • Assorted veggies for grilling
Instructions
  1. 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.
  2. Spread half of your marinade on the inside of the rabbit.
  3. 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!
  4. 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!)
  5. 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.
  6. Cover grill and cook another 15-20 minutes until juices run clear and thigh reads 160 degrees.
  7. Let the rabbit rest under foil off heat for 10 minutes.
  8. 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. πŸ™‚
Recipe Notes

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.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: bbq rabbit, eat more rabbit, grilled rabbit, meat rabbit, rabbit, spicy plum sauce, summer grilling

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shrey Sood says

    February 16, 2019 at 8:41 am

    What’s the reason to marinate only one side?

    Reply
    • Miranda Rommel says

      February 22, 2019 at 8:44 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Kieren says

        April 10, 2020 at 6:59 am

        Does it make a difference if you were to marinate the whole rabbit 24 hours in advance?

        Reply
        • Miranda Rommel says

          May 29, 2020 at 8:18 pm

          I’ve heard too many food scientists say marinating doesn’t do anything. So i never do πŸ™‚

          Reply
  2. Travis says

    May 15, 2019 at 6:14 pm

    What is the marinade

    Reply
    • Miranda Rommel says

      May 21, 2019 at 7:41 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • dale says

        May 17, 2020 at 6:19 am

        Spicy Plum Sauce sounds like a fantastic sauce. I’ll look for the recipe. Thanks.

        Reply
        • Miranda Rommel says

          May 29, 2020 at 8:17 pm

          It is so good! The new ball book.

          Reply
  3. Tim Matecki says

    May 25, 2019 at 5:05 am

    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

    Reply
    • Miranda Rommel says

      May 29, 2019 at 7:04 pm

      sounds good. i don’t purchase bottled dressings but i have done a similar thing with homemade honey mustard. delish!

      Reply
  4. Aiden says

    November 26, 2019 at 5:35 pm

    Does this work with squirrel as well?

    Reply
    • Miranda Rommel says

      December 5, 2019 at 5:39 pm

      don’t know: i have no experience with squirrel! I’d think so.

      Reply
  5. Terri says

    June 8, 2020 at 2:49 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Miranda Rommel says

      July 29, 2020 at 10:19 pm

      Yum!

      Reply
  6. Brook says

    November 9, 2020 at 2:32 pm

    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. ✨

    Reply
    • Miranda Rommel says

      November 14, 2020 at 9:50 pm

      So happy to hear that!! It really is delicious when cooked this way, and definitely easy πŸ™‚

      Reply

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