Squirrel and Green Chile Hand Pies
Slow-simmered squirrel, roasted chiles, and cheese folded into a lard crust and baked in a dutch oven at camp.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 80
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 5, scales
- prep
- 45 min
- cook
- 150 min
- total time
- 195 min
- water
- 500 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Squirrel, cleaned and quartered | 2 fox squirrels or 3-4 gray | trim the rib bones tight to the loin before cooking |
|---|---|---|
| Green chile peppers, roasted or canned | 1 cup, chopped | |
| Fire-roasted tomatoes | 1 can (14 oz) | |
| Ground cumin | 1 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Cayenne pepper | 1/4 tsp | |
| Salt and black pepper | 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper | |
| Cilantro, chopped | 1/4 cup | dried works if the cooler is full |
| Cheddar cheese, shredded | 1 cup | |
| All-purpose flour | 3 cups | plus a handful for the tailgate |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp | |
| Cold butter, cut in pieces | 6 tbsp | |
| Lard | 1/4 cup | |
| Cold water | 1/2 cup | |
| Egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water | 1 |
Method
- Put the squirrel, tomatoes, chiles, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper in the dutch oven with about 500 ml of water. Lid on.
- Bury it in coals, low heat, and let it simmer two hours or until the meat pulls off the bone with a fork. Add coals as they die.
- Pull the meat out, let it cool enough to handle, and pick it clean. Shred it and return it to the pot with just enough of the cooking liquid to hold together. Cook the rest off. Stir in the cilantro and cheese.
- Make the dough while the pot works: flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then cut in the cold butter and lard until it looks like gravel. Add cold water a little at a time until it comes together. Rest it 15 minutes.
- Pinch off five balls and press each flat on a floured tailgate or cutting board. Spoon filling on half, fold, and crimp the edge with a fork.
- Wipe the dutch oven, oil it, and lay the pies in. Brush with egg wash. Lid on, coals underneath and a heavier layer on top.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes until the crust is browned. Rotate the pot and the lid a quarter turn every ten minutes so nothing scorches.
Old squirrels are tough. That is the whole reason this recipe exists. A long wet simmer with tomatoes and chile breaks down connective tissue that a skillet never will, and the braising liquid ends up doing double duty as the sauce. Young squirrels do not need any of this and are better fried.
The crust uses both butter and lard on purpose. Butter gives flakiness, lard gives structure that holds up when you carry a pie away from the fire in your hand. Keep both cold until they hit the flour. This is car camping food, not pack food: you need a dutch oven, a cooler, and a couple hours of coals, and the payoff is a dinner you can eat standing up.
Packing
Mix the dry dough ingredients at home and carry them in a bag; the butter and lard ride in the cooler. Cheese and cilantro cooler too. Everything else is shelf-stable.
Variations
- Rabbit or an old pheasant works the same way. Any tough small game wants the long simmer.
- No squirrel: two cans of chicken, browned, cuts the cook time to twenty minutes.
- Fry the pies in an inch of oil instead of baking if the coals are uncooperative.
https://realtree.com/timber-2-table-wild-game-recipes/squirrel-and-green-chile-empanadas