Best for: A frontier supper off the beaten path — mild, tender rabbit with sage and mustard.
Folklore made David Crockett the King of the Wild Frontier — coonskin cap, bear hunter, the man who (the almanacs swore) grinned a raccoon out of a tree. The record underneath the tall tales is a real Tennessee frontiersman who lived off what he could shoot, and on that frontier, supper was whatever the day’s hunting brought to the fire: venison when luck ran big, small game like rabbit when it didn’t. Camps grilled it plainly over open flame, seasoned from a saddlebag.
Our grilled take does rabbit the frontier way, with one modern kindness: a sage-and-mustard coating that keeps the lean meat juicy over the fire.
Grill: Direct medium heat, with an indirect side for finishing. Equipment: Grill, kitchen shears, instant-read thermometer. Course: Main dish.
Ingredients
Rest: 5 minutes Total: 45 minutes
The rabbit
- 1 whole rabbit (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds), cut into 6 pieces (legs, saddle/loins)
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
The sage-mustard coat
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon honey
Directions
Coat the rabbit. Stir the mustard, olive oil, sage, garlic, salt, pepper, and honey into a paste and rub it over every piece. Let the rabbit stand 30 minutes at room temperature (hands-off) — the coat sets and the chill comes off the meat.
Sear the pieces. Brush the rabbit lightly with the neutral oil and grill over direct medium heat 4 to 5 minutes per side, until the mustard crust browns deeply and takes a little char at the edges.
Move to gentle heat. Shift the pieces to the indirect side, close the lid, and cook 10 to 12 minutes more. Rabbit is leaner than chicken — gentle finishing heat is what keeps it tender instead of stringy.
Cook to the number. The rabbit is done when the thickest part of the hind legs reaches 160°F and the meat is white and firm at the bone.
Rest the catch. Rest the pieces 5 minutes, tented. Small game holds big heat in small bones; a short rest keeps every bite juicy.
Serve the camp way. Serve straight from a warm platter with skillet cornbread or beans — frontier food asks for frontier sides and no garnish whatsoever.
Grilling tip: Cook rabbit pieces by size, not by the clock — the little forelegs finish several minutes before the hind legs. Pull each piece as it hits temperature and hold it warm while the big ones finish.
