This post was last updated on October 20th, 2021 at 08:23 pm
So, can you eat porcupine meat? Heck yes you can eat porcupine! In hard times and survival situations, perhaps porcupine meat is one of the best available food options, especially if you can’t find any edible plants. If You’ve ever been curious about the quality and flavor of porcupine meat, you don’t have to wonder any longer. I can tell you that it is very delicious and tastes a lot like chicken! I filmed the following catch and cook porcupine video a couple years ago and overall I don’t regret any part of the experience one bit. I slow roasted it over a campfire with a hand made bushcraft rotisserie. Since porcupines are vegetarians it is my understanding that you can safely eat the meat raw without too much worry of parasites. The meat on a porcupine has a light scent of pine, so compared to many other meats, I found it to be quite pleasant and not tough at all.
How Do You Prepare Porcupine Meat?
The quills of a porcupine are very dirty and will almost surely cause you an infection if you are stuck. It is important when skinning these animals that you do it in a place where you won’t be walking around barefoot or have pets walking in the area. Cleaning a porcupine is about what you’d expect. You need to use a little extra caution to take the skin off, but otherwise it’s just like skinning anything else.
Eating porcupine is not very common these days in the US, but once upon a time they were eaten regularly. They are still considered a regular food source in some parts of the world.
How Do I Catch a Porcupine?
The best way to prepare porcupine meat is by roasting, but an open fire isn’t always available. If this is the case, you can use a Dutch oven to boil the meat over a low flame very slowly for a couple of hours or until tender. Be sure that all bones are removed from the meat before broiling.
Porcupine are slow moving animals so if they are on the ground you can get them with a big stick or a club. If they are in the trees they can be humanely hunted with a .22 caliber rifle. There are porcupine in almost all of Canada and throughout the Northern and Western US all the way down to Mexico. Check out the following catch and cook porcupine video for more in depth explanation on how to handle porcupine.
Where to Catch Porcupine
Before you kill a porcupine, be sure that you are in an area where they are plentiful. It would be very sad if you accidentally hunted one of these fine creatures and knew that the meat was bad for your health so you decided not to eat it even though you had gone to a lot of trouble and risk to catch it.
Be sure that the porcupine is healthy by checking the skin around its eyes. If they are clear and free of any discharge, then you can be pretty certain that your prey is good to eat.
When hunting for porcupines, look in clearings or forest edges near heavy vegetation. They can also be found in open woods, along fencerows, at the edge of fields where shrubs are present, and anywhere else where they have plenty of cover to hide in.
Remember that porcupines are slow-moving creatures so once you have caught one or more, it is easy enough to kill them with a stick or other blunt object before skinning them.
The Benefits of Eating Porcupine Meat
First off, it is very high in protein and low in fat. The meat also contains thiamin (vitamin B), which keeps the nervous system healthy; niacin (B-3), which promotes good circulation; iron, which produces the red blood cells that carry oxygen to the cells; and phosphorus, calcium, sodium, and potassium, which are all essential for maintaining good health. Porcupine meat is also an excellent source of zinc which helps to keep the immune system working properly.
Porcupines are found throughout North America and Europe. Their meat can be used as a substitute for beef, pork, or veal in soups, stews, and casseroles. You can even use it in place of rabbit or venison when making kabobs. You may not be used to eating porcupine meat, but once you try it, I think you’ll like it and see how healthy it is for you as well.
So now that we know that yes, you can eat porcupine meat, let’s find out where to get it.
In Conclusion – Can You Eat Porcupine Meat?
Can you eat porcupine meat? Definitely! Porcupine meat is high in protein and low in fat, making it an excellent substitute for beef or pork. You can use porcupine to replace rabbit or venison when cooking kabobs – the list of benefits goes on and on! If you’re looking to try something new with your next dinner party menu, this may be just what you are looking for. What’s more? Porcupine meat has many health benefits including being a good source of iron which helps keep red blood cells healthy! Hopefully this article tells you all you need to know about porcupine meat!