How to Cook Tender Rabbit Meat: Best Rabbit and Sausage Gumbo in the Instant Pot

Learn how to cook tender rabbit meat! Rabbit meat is notoriously tough and stringy when cooked incorrectly. It needs to be cooked slowly, at a low temperature. It should never be boiled hard. The Instant Pot cooks it to perfection in this foolproof recipe. This rabbit and sausage gumbo is made from scratch, in the Instant Pot, with lots of yummy veggies.

Gumbo is a flexible, use what ya got recipe, so feel free to add bits and bobs of other ingredients such as chicken, venison, beef, pork, mushrooms, green beans, etc. Follow your heart!

In the Instant Pot, gumbo takes about 1 1/2 hours to cook, which isn’t quick. But compared to the traditional way of making gumbo on the stove, it’s basically light speed!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour, divided
• 2-3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
• 8-10 rabbit legs (front and/or back legs)
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup sliced okra
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced bell pepper
• 8 cups broth (rabbit, chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth)
• 12 ounces Andouille sausage
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon filé powder
• 4-5 cups cooked white rice

Equipment

• Instant Pot (I use the 8 quart size)
• small saucepan
• tongs
• wooden spoon with flat tip
• half sheet pan

Dredge Rabbit Meat

Put about 8-10 rabbit legs (front and/or back legs) in a gallon ziploc bag. Add 1/2 cup flour and 2-3 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning. Close the bag and shake, coating the meat in the flour and seasoning.

Sear Rabbit Meat

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into your instant pot and heat it on the saute setting, high temperature. When it’s hot, add the meat in batches. Cook for a couple minutes, then flip the meat over to cook the other side. You want the meat to be seared and have a golden brown color, but not be fully cooked. One trick to cook tender rabbit meat is not to cook it super fast at a high temperature. So be sure you do not fully cook the rabbit meat at this point. You just want to sear it for a couple minutes on each side, and then remove the meat to a plate. Repeat until all the meat is seared.

Make Your Roux

In a small saucepan on the stove, over medium low heat, add 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of oil. Use a wooden spoon with a flat tip to scrape and stir your roux nearly constantly until dark brown, 20-30 minutes.

Chop Veggies

While keeping an eye on the roux and stirring nearly constantly, chop your veggies. Dice 1 cup onion, 1 cup bell pepper, and 1 cup celery and add to the Instant pot, still on the saute setting, low temperature.

Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Then add 1 cup of okra. Stir for one minute. Keep sauteing on low until your roux is finished. Add your dark brown roux and stir thoroughly.

Add Broth and Cook

Add 8 cups of broth. I used rabbit broth, but you can use chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth. Stir thoroughly. Put the lid on the Instant pot, seal it, and set it to cook for 20 minutes on high pressure.

Slice Sausage, Garlic, and Green Onions, and Cook Rice

While the gumbo is cooking, slice 12 ounces of andouille sausage, 1/2 cup of green onions, and mince 1 tablespoon of garlic. In a rice cooker, start cooking 3 cups of white rice.

Remove Rabbit Meat

When the Instant Pot is done, carefully do a quick release and open the Instant Pot. Remove the rabbit meat onto a big tray and debone it. The meat should be tender and falling off the bone. Shred the meat. Throw the bones away, or save them to make broth later.

Meanwhile, Add Sausage

Add the sausage, green onions, and garlic to the Instant Pot, seal, and cook for 5 minutes on high pressure.

Combine All Ingredients

When the Instant Pot is done, carefully do a quick release and open it. Add in the deboned, shredded rabbit meat, and 1 tablespoon of filé powder. Stir thoroughly and do a taste test. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce if needed.

Serve and Enjoy

Scoop about 1/2 cup of cooked rice into a bowl, then ladle about 1 1/2 cups of gumbo over the top. Your bowl should be soupy and stew-like. Add additional hot sauce, filé powder, and green onions if desired. Enjoy!