Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern traveled to Bentonville, Arkansas to sample tamales, gumbo, stew and other dishes all made with a little something extra - squirrel meat.
Brothers Brandon and Blayne Estes reigned supreme at the inaugural World Champion Squirrel Cook Off. Their squirrel slider recipe, bested the 19 other contestants who'd come armed with dishes such as bacon wrapped squirrel wings and jalapeno squirrel poppers.
Zimmern confirmed on Twitter that he captured elements of the event on his smartphone for posterity.
[tweet https://twitter.com/andrewzimmern/status/255452774240768000%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/andrewzimmern/status/254660107365933056%5D
Via KTFA/KNWA
Previously - Give squirrel a whirl and Squirrel, donkey and fish spines on the menu in 2012 and Mint juleps, bourbon slush, benedictine and burgoo with just a smidge of squirrel
Looks like a guy in Michigan read this and decided to try it. He just burned down his apartment building trying to remove the fur off a dead squirrel to eat it. Now he and 32 neighbors are homeless.
Wasnt there a recent story about squirrels carrying the plague?
Hey, that's just extra flavoring!
Haha, that's quite a vicious surirqel. Whenever I watch them, I always think their brains are receiving signals from seven different sources and they can only focus on one at any given time...hence the always fidgety, indecisive behavior I've seen in them.I should be thankful the only surirqels I deal with are the grey surirqels we have down here in Atlanta...those red surirqels that live up north are freaking monsters! Like half-size cats practically.
I hope you realize that squirrels are of the rodent family. For those of you in NY City, just catch one of those juicy rats and cook it like a squirrel. Yum, yum – rat the other white meat.
CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE http://WWW.SQUIRRELSUNLIMITED.COM
people will get fired up about anything anymore.
squirrel is good. squirrel is great.
if you don't like it – don't eat it.
Give it to us raw and w-r-r-riggling; you keep nasty chips.
Squirrel tastes great! So does rabbit, turtle, goat and doves. And you've not truly experienced the South if you've never tried frog legs or gator or rooster fries.
MMMmmm Chicken of the trees. We may all be eating more squirrel if the economy goes south. Good thing there are lots of squirrels in my neighborhood.
Squirrel! It's what's for dinner!
I see what you did there!! High five!
Fear the wrath of Foamy.
I don't get what people are getting so hyped up about. In some states there is actually a squirrel season to hunt them. I think it is better to feed people than to have them just laying on the road. AND why spend the money in a supermarket for beef when this is cheaper? Whats next all of the people are going to say that eating deer is bad too?!!
Well Goll-ee thats some mighty fine cooking there. Good eats. Gimmee another helping please.
People that eat squirrels have IQ's directly proportional to the overall length of an adult squirrel in inches. (few higher than about 15)
Red neck morons.
So then that means people who eat grass have the I.Q. of 3 depending on who cuts the grass??
In my opinion, nothing beats Korean BBQ. But the South has far better BBQ than Northerners of America. BBQ in the North has become just tasteless fatty patties and hot dogs. They are good but they're not that good. The South knows how to have a great BBQ with some of the best tasting meat with the best cooking style available to them. Squirrels, frog legs, turtle, croc meat, etc. Venison is good too. You don't see people making a fuss about eating chickens and what's more lobsters. Think about it, lobsters are literally giant bugs in the ocean. I love them but just giving your ignorant moronic mind a perspective.
See the related story about squirrel-hosted fleas causing a person to contract the plague. Eeek!
F'in nasty a@# MOFOS! You would think Andrew's fat ass would be a little skinnier. Eating all the garbage he eats would give me the runs all day!
I'd have the sheets too.
Well he's not like Adam Richmond who just eats all the fatty greasy food you Americans eat on a daily basis. I hate Zimmern but he has an amazing job going around the world to try new food. I want some deep fried tarantula please
Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood Eatin!
Mmm... Limb bacon. Use to hunt them with a .338 win. mag. Had to stop though. Kept ruining too much meat.
A wrist rocket (sling shot) and LARGE Lima beans are essential tools.
squirrels just need to move out of the red states and they'll be safe. poor lil squirrilies.
Those squirrels are such precious little angels. They should not be eaten when we have other animals raised for slaughter.
your kidding right? squirrels are overpopulated and have become a nuisance pest... best thing people could do would be to hunt them and control the population.
My borther-in-law is from the South. He loves squirrel. Depends on what you are used to.
They are not that common where I am at, and they are precious little angels. They are so cute.
They are really little angels when they're mashed like a cat on a city street.
i use to eat Squirrel when i was a kid love the brains yummy..but not thesesdays
NOOOOOO.... I LOVE SQUIRRELS... ALIVE!!! They're the cutest little animals!!! Don't kill them!
They are only rats with furry tails.....Amazing how squirrels get a pass but "death to all rats"......LMAO..
Anyone who compares a squirrel to a rat isn't all that bright.
You are correct. Rodents! and if they happen to find their way into your attic-Good Luck!
On another note-They are mighty tasty!
cuter than little bunny wabbits? When I was in grad school, I practically lived on cottontails I shot (no squirrels in my area). Very cheap and tasty meat, a .22 round cost less than a nickel. We could have friends over for a nice meal (fried cottontail, rice, steamed broccoli, and homemade pie for under a buck a head.
How nice is it just to pull the .22 out out and pop!!! One of the main reasons why I don't have anymore Rabbits on my farm, kind of sad, but tasted good!
Says the person who eats grass for a living
I hate squirrels. I've had 3 incidents when I was a teen where squirrels literally ruined that year each incident and you would agree too... The worst was when a squirrel dug into my attic and went into labor in my closet. I could hear the squirrel squirming at night hwen I'm trying to sleep. Next morning, there are dead flies everywhere and I see a baby squirrel following a mama squirrel. Should've eaten that piece of s.
The smaller game (squirrel, rabbit, pidgeon, quail) we usual cube and throw in the crock pot with cream of mushroom soup and various veggies. The gamier stuff we let soak in salt water over night, helps to break the flavor down some.
In this day and age with the health issues being raised, it's surprising that these natural meats are not all the rage. High protein, low fat, cheep, free range.
It makes really good chili as well, my personal favorite.
Squirrel meat may contain the SARS virus and is NOT safe to eat.
just researched SARS and there is nothing about squirrels or any other animal transmitting that disease. please provide proof.
I see now, you are confusing "plague" with "SARS". if you read that article again you'll that the issue is endemic to the Riverside County, California area.
Out side of that region...bon appetit!
Absolutely! Seasoned, fried with rice and brown gravy. Oh Yeah! (p.s. I spent the first 26 yrs of my life in burbs Chgo.)
Sure wish someone would eat Andrew Zimmern instead of the squirrels...
BBQ Squirrel is probably some of the best BBQ I've ever had.
What's a squirrel do all day? Climb the equivalent of the empire state building (aka a tree) several dozen times a day and eat nothing but protein (nuts). There's nothing but muscle on those suckers. You have to add water to the pot or else the meat will burn 'cuz there's no fat.
Squirrel and Rice with Gravy and Cornbread...........Best stuff ever!
Mmmmmmm so good "makes you want to smack your mama
Once caught a very large squirrel that had come down a chimney. Grabbed him by the tail to throw him outside and the sucker bit my hand. I had put on a pair of leather gloves and a big woolen mitt (Not that Mitt). If I had not put on both I likely would have lost the finger. Serious teeth and heavy too. I think eating squirrel anywhere but in the backwoods is sick, but they are bigger than they look and I guess there is a fair amount of meat on one.
Good thats what U get for trying to think about eating that poor squirrel u JERK! i hope ur finger gets infected and have rabies and have to amputite it !! Thats what u GET u hear me?!?!
loser comment. You, my vegan friend, are a dork.
Thats like saying that everytime you run over an animal you should call PETA on yourself!! RIGHT??!?!! It's a good thing you don't watch the History or Discovery channel and find out about the Yukon Men and how they make a living killing animals...
LETS EAT!!
Actually squirrel is quite tasty. In previous eras, it was common to eat squirrel, rabbit, chicken, and any bird that could be shot. As "real" food becomes more expensive, these meats are returning to popularity, eaten by those who know how to trap, skin, prepare and eat them. There is a much lower cost to the environment to eating small and wild animals that to eating feed lot beef, pork and chicken. Humans are part of the food chain that helps keep populations of these animals down, ultimately creating a healthier population.
But you have to be nowhere shooting any kind of gun will get you in trouble.
I was raised by my Grandparents who had to feed their family during the depression. Squirrel, rabbit, and the occasional turtle provided many good family meals when I was small. Yes they are cute as are lambs, calves, and ducks. All of which are farmed for their meat. So if you don't like to think about cute squirrels and rabbits being eaten, remember veal and
foie gras had cute faces too, once.
Awe, I bet he's a cutie!! I know they can be sweet!! Poor Florette must have just met the one mean squirrel out there! I have a sweet litlte one that always visits with me on my porch when I have coffee in the morning =)
Anyone who eats squirrel in this day and age has to be retarded. Eat your f*****g dogs and cats too, why don't you. The "people" of this sad excuse for a country would (and do) literally eat their own feces.
Never had domestic cat, but bobcat is quite good, and I suspect that the domestic variety would be just as tasty. With all the feral cats running around the neighborhood, might be a way to cut down the population.
Eating game is better for the enviro than farm raised meats. Soak the squirrel in buttermilk for a tender meal.
Whatcha gonna do when the grocery store is out of food due to any kind of disaster? Eat bugs? Don't be a sheeple fool.
Guess my pets'll be screwed, then. Oh well.
So I'm guessing that you don't eat meat because all animals can be pets? Ya so you're not going to eat anytype of bird because of the Alfac Duck right??
Ones choice of food is culture driven. Let the feast begin. Grasshopper, ant, rat, cat, horse, dog and the list goes on, are to some a delicacy. Bon appetite.
Squirrel has been around a lot longer than chicken in this country, what do you think Americans have been eating for most of our country's history? Squirrel is the chicken of the trees- it's really good.
Never tried treerat. Have chowed down on cute little bunny rabbits, quite good.
Squirrel is an absolutely excellent meat. I find it up there in the top levels of choices for meat. Yes, you can crock pot it into a Brunswick stew, but my favorite meal of it was roasted with some seasonings and liquid in the oven at relatively low temperature for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Oh, that was heaven! Tasty, delicate, tender, awesome. I'm serious.
@ Thinking...oooohh that sounds succulent!
So THAT'S what they do with roadkill down south!
Wasn't some Chinese eatery just busted for that?
People will eat anything. Isn’t squirrel from the same family as the rat a Rodent. Next thing we are going to have is farm raised squirrel / rat. With the cut backs or total demise of the FDA as Mitt and Ryan will most certainly do, who would know the difference ?
We eat rabbit too. Nothing wrong with rabbit. That is a rodent too. Think before you speak. Most importantly, don't reproduce.
Rabbits haven't been considered rodents for 100 years. Now you may continue to impregnate your little sister.
Brava! Best burn today!
Actually, rabbits are lagomorphs, not rodents.
@ Nimrod...Touche!
Some people won't eat anything, (if it sounds weird to them.). I was raised to try anything once. Granted, there are certain things I won't try again, but squirrel isn't one of those - I think it beats beef. Definitely beats brussels sprouts (which only last year I got around to admitting on some (SOME) occasions, they could be good.)
Ahhh ... BBQ treerat. Sounds yummy
Oh thats just DISGUSTING. how DARE u ppl kill cute squirrels and eat them? Are you human beings sickos or what? I mean what have they ever done to u? Seriously, this is GROSS and u people should be in jail for Aminal cruilty! U ppl make me sick and PETA will hear about this.. TRUST me!!
Depends on your culture. The best selling book in Southeast Asia is "101 Ways to Wok Your Dog".
yeah well u know what? u PPL make me sick! All u should be thrown in prison and rot there forever for eating cute animals like these u PERVS!!
Seriously, it depends on where you live. In many areas of the world people would think the same of someone chowing down on pork or beef.
People like anony are the tools that have allowed government confiscation of land that could be used for housing and food production. Simply put, you care more for a damn rodent than you do human beings.
it doesnt matter u JERK u just dont eat animals like this. U HEAR ME!?
Sorry, anony, simply isn't up to you. And squirrel, matter of fact, is delicious. Have fun controlling people over the internet =3 ...
At one point in time in China they also ate young children that were sold to butchers by poor families. Like around the early 1900s... would you wok that?
A recent study indicated if US residents were to achieve their ideal Weight
That would be the same as removing 1 Billion people from the face of the Planet
Somebody's eaten more than just Squirrel out there
It's only "cruelty" if you torment the squirrel before you kill, cook, and eat it. Sorry, PETA drone, no one really cares if YOU are disgusted or enraged =) ...
This is obviously a phony post.
come on over to my ouse anony...I will cook you up the bloodiest meal you have ever had...yumm.....I will even allow you to suck on the eyeball. If we are lucky, maybe you will choke on it.
ur disgusting.. i hope u get fat and obese and die from fat cancer u loser!!
Only people who tell people to die from "fat" cancer... are fatties like you...
fat ccancer LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So you're telling me that if I just eat grass all day that I won't get fat?? I just looked outside and saw my horse standing there and he seams mighty big to me. It would also take someone to eat a lot of squirrels to get you fat.
So you're the type of person who probably eats veggies right? So you're saying that it is better to eat all of the grass instead of letting Cow, Horses, or even goats eat it? PETA should be giving you a call for starving my animals that I like to eat!!
Sometimes the squirrels around Berkeley run in front of you and then stop right in your path. They just stand there and stare you down. Not gonna lie. I've been tempted to snatch the little brats up and take them home for dinner. Hey...local meat. Free range. Questionably organic, though...God knows what they eat.
Om Nom NOm
The rabbies give the meat an extra kick
Squirrels very, very rarely have rabies and have not been known to transmit it to humans in the US. Most attacks that would transmit rabies to a small mammal actually kill the small animal right then.
Squirrels may not easily get rabies, but a squirrel with BUBONIC PLAGUE was just found in California. Try eating that and see what happens.
Disgusting!!!
Why disgusting? Because squirrels are really just furry tailed rats, or because squirrels are really cute? I've never eaten squirrel, but cute little bunny rabbits are scrumptious!!
Holy Crap!
Since when is what I grew up on considered "exotic"?
Lord knows! What will be the next big exotic food experience from my past!
Grouse?
Pheasant?
Rabbit?
Or just anything NOT out of a package or a Mickey Don Don's wrapper!!!!
Mickey Don Don? never heard of it. Sounds like Mouse meat to me.
You are so right
Any part of the squirrel is fine dining!
And you prefer the back end? Squirrel Ashwhole.Sounds yummy.
The squirrels around here probably taste pretty good. They ought to. They've been living off of my $%#@!!! pecans!!!
Win!
Actually, animals that having been living off of nuts tend to have a bitter aftertaste =/ ...
As do women
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
GREAT COMMENT!
Squirrel is perfectly tasty and there is no shortage of them. The only people who would have an issue with this are those who can't differentiate Disney fantasy from reality.
As for Pecans, I generally do a good job harvesting my pecans before the squirrels can get many. There aren't actually that many squirrels around here so perhaps someone nearby is hunting them.
Can I help you with your squirrel problem? Pecan-fed squirrel is worth the trip!
I'd like to see Zimmern's nuts on a bun and see how he likes them apples!!
You a vegan? Do you eat wild caught fish (tuna, salmon, haddock, etc.)? What's the difference between eating them and an animal you harvested yourself from the wild?
lol nimrod....apparently you have no clue who anthony bourdain is....poor you.
Time to give Squirrel a Whirl?
Whirling tenderizes the meat, right?