If you grew up in the south, then chances are you might have had some interesting dishes, including squirrel and possum. Eating possum in particular is viewed by many as a totally southern thing. So, do people, southerners in general, really eat possum?
Creamed Possum makes a great gag gift
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The answer is yes, though it might be hard to actually find it in the store in a can. You can find gag gifts online that you can use to get a few laughs from your family and friends. Blue Pirate sells a perfectly convincing can of this southern delicacy, though inside you will only find styropeanuts, which you definitely should not eat.
Cooking a real possum
For the real thing, you can check out a variety of videos on YouTube for how to cook it, such as this one on the YouTube channel, Preacher’s Day Off. Of course, you will have to provide your own possum. For this recipe, you will need the following items.
- Large cooking pot (with lid)
- 1 possum (skinless)
- Saltwater brine
- Water
- Onion (chopped)
- Celery (chopped)
- Large baking sheet
- Metal tongs
- Heat-resistant cooking gloves
- Medium-sized aluminum baking pan
- Large can of yams in syrup
- Seasoning of your choice
Step 1: Brine and Boil
Start by letting the skinned possum sit in a saltwater brine overnight. Next, put the brined possum into a large pot of boiling water and cover it with a lid. Allow to boil for one to two hours until the meat becomes tender. When the meat is ready, place the possum on a baking pan.
Step 2: Remove the meat from the pot
There is no need to add any salt since there should be enough to season the possum from the salt brine bath that you soaked it in the previous night. Make sure to use metal tongs to remove it since the meat will be hot. You should also use heat-resistant cooking gloves to keep from getting burned.
Step 3: Remove the meat from the bone
Allow the meat to cool and then pick the meat off of the bone, making sure to remove any fat. A word of caution, possum meat is pretty fatty, with fat on the outside as well as underneath. So, you might not get as much meat off of the bone that you were expecting.
Step 4: Add the yams
Remove most of the syrup from the can of yams, leaving just a little bit. Pour the yams on top of the possum inside of the aluminum pan. The yams will help add some much-needed flavor to the possum meat. Cover the meat with yams.
Step 5: Season and bake
Sprinkle some seasoning on top of the possum and yams before covering the dish with foil. Place the baking pan in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Cook the dish for 45 minutes, or an hour for a larger possum. Uncover and allow the dish to cook for an additional 20 minutes, or until nicely browned.
To eat or not to eat
Remove the dish from the oven and serve immediately. Keep in mind, possum meat is not for everyone. While you might not be interested in actually eating possum, you can fool your friends and family with a gag gift of Creamed Possum.
Or, if you’re brave enough. Watch the video below to learn how to cook this “southern favorite.”
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Sources: YouTube – Preacher’s Day Off, Wide open Eats, Instagram – travisbunch, GroupRecipes
