Smoked Raccoon
intro
Tender, rich slow-smoked raccoon with savory spice rub, a classic rural Appalachian wild game dish ideal for cool autumn outdoor gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Prepare brine in a large food-safe 5-gallon bucket by combining 4 liters (1 gallon) of cold water, 120g kosher salt, 80g packed light brown sugar, and 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns; stir until salt and sugar fully dissolve. Submerge the fully cleaned, gland-free dressed raccoon completely in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 12 hours (overnight) to tenderize meat and mellow gamey flavor. Remove raccoon from brine, pat completely dry with paper towels, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before seasoning.
In a small mixing bowl, combine 3 tbsp smoked paprika, 2 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, and 1 tsp (3g) ground black pepper to make the dry rub. First rub the entire surface of the dried raccoon with 60ml (¼ cup) apple cider vinegar to help the rub adhere, then coat every side, leg, and cavity crevice thickly and evenly with the spice mixture. Stuff the raccoon’s body cavity with the quartered yellow onion to add moisture and sweet aroma during smoking.
Preheat your offset or electric smoker to 110°C (225°F), set for indirect heat. Drain 900g of pre-soaked hickory wood chips, add 200g (2 cups) of chips to the smoker’s firebox or chip tray, and wait until thin, wispy pale blue smoke flows from the top vent before adding meat. Maintain a consistent internal smoker temperature of 105–120°C (220–250°F) for the entire cook, adding 50g (½ cup) of fresh wood chips every 45 minutes to sustain steady, clean smoke.
Place the seasoned, onion-stuffed raccoon breast-side up directly on the middle smoker rack, positioning a disposable aluminum drip pan under the rack to catch rendered fat. Close the smoker lid and smoke for 4 full hours, only opening the lid to add wood chips or check temperature (frequent lid openings drop heat and disrupt smoke flow). After 4 hours, the raccoon’s exterior will have developed a firm, deep mahogany-colored smoke bark.
After 4 hours of open smoking, use heat-resistant BBQ gloves to carefully remove the raccoon from the rack, and wrap it tightly in two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil, pouring 30ml (2 tbsp) of water inside the foil packet to create steam that tenderizes tough connective tissue. Return the wrapped raccoon to the smoker, and continue cooking at 110°C (225°F) for 2–2.5 additional hours, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the hind leg (avoiding bone) reads an internal temperature of 88°C (190°F).
Once the raccoon reaches the target internal temperature, remove it from the smoker and let it rest, still wrapped in foil, for 25 minutes at room temperature to allow meat juices to redistribute evenly. Unwrap, discard the cooked onion from the cavity, pull tender meat away from bones (discarding any remaining fat, sinew, or small bone fragments), and serve warm with classic BBQ sides like coleslaw or baked beans.
Tips
2.Avoid producing thick, billowing white smoke during smoking, as this deposits bitter, acrid creosote on the meat; thin, pale, wispy blue smoke delivers clean, smooth smoky flavor without bitterness.
3.If you do not own a dedicated smoker, replicate this recipe on a standard charcoal kettle grill by banking lit coals on one side for indirect heat, placing meat on the opposite cool side, and adding soaked wood chips to the coals to generate smoke, maintaining a consistent 110°C (225°F) temperature.
OMG y’all, I was so skeptical about cooking raccoon after my cousin messed up a roast years ago that tasted like dirty swamp water, but this recipe is a GAME CHANGER. 6 and a half hours on the smoker with that apple wood rub, basted with that tangy vinegar BBQ sauce the recipe calls for? My whole extended family fought over the last pieces at our Labor Day cookout. Even my super picky 12 year old asked for seconds! 10/10 will be making this every hunting season from now on.
This was SO good, but I will say the cook time ran a little long for me — my raccoon was on the smaller side (trapped it out behind my property last month, probably a young male) so it was done in about 5 hours instead of 6.5. I wish I’d checked the internal temp sooner, the edges got a little crispier than I like, but the flavor was still unbeatable. Served it with coleslaw and cornbread for Sunday dinner, my partner ate three helpings.
Uh, so I definitely messed this up my first go-round. I forgot to trim the scent glands off the legs before I put it on the smoker, and it was so strong we couldn’t eat more than a bite. Total bummer because the rub smelled amazing the whole time it was cooking. I’m gonna give it another shot next weekend once I bag another one, gonna be extra careful with the prep this time.
Took this to a local wild game cookoff last weekend and won first place in the smoked meat category! I swapped the apple wood for hickory because that’s what I had on hand, and added a little extra cayenne to the rub for a kick, and people were coming back for third and fourth servings. Multiple people asked for the recipe, I sent ‘em all straight here. Only heads up is make sure you source a young raccoon if you can, older ones are way tougher and gamier.
My kids loved it!!! I was so worried they’d turn their noses up when I told them we were having raccoon for dinner, but I told them it was “special wild BBQ” and they ate every bite. The meat is so tender and juicy when it’s slow smoked like this, tastes just like really rich pulled pork honestly. Made extra to freeze for quick weeknight meals, it reheats amazing.
I grew up in Brooklyn never even thought about eating raccoon until my neighbor who hunts upstate gave me a whole cleaned one last month. Found this recipe on a whim and decided to go for it, and holy cow it was SO good. My roommate thought I was crazy until he tried a bite, then he ate half the pan. Who knew NYC apartment balcony smokers could turn out such fire BBQ? Just make sure your landlord doesn’t see, oops.
Brought this to our annual fall block party and it was the talk of the night! I was a little worried people would be weirded out by raccoon, but once they tried a bite they were lined up. I served it with pickled red onions and dill pickles on the side, and that tang cut the richness perfectly. 10/10, already got three texts asking when I’m making it again for the holiday potluck in December.
I’ve been smoking raccoon for going on 40 years out on my ranch, and this rub recipe is hands down the best one I’ve ever tried. I usually just stick to a simple salt and pepper rub with sweet BBQ sauce mopped on top, but that brown sugar-paprika-garlic mix in this recipe adds such a deep, perfect smoky flavor. Cook time was spot on for the 10 pound raccoon I processed last week, the meat pulled right off the bone like it should. Great work on this recipe, gonna pass it along to all my grandkids when they come visit for hunting season.
Great recipe! I shredded the leftover meat and mixed it with extra BBQ sauce to make sliders for meal prep this week, and it held up perfectly all 5 days in the fridge when I tested a batch last week. Only knock is the prep work takes a lot longer than the recipe makes it sound — trimming, brining, getting the rub all worked in, it was almost a 2 day process start to finish, but totally worth the effort for how flavorful it turned out. Will be making again once my brother brings me more raccoon from his hunting trip next month.