I grew up rabbit hunting. It’s what my family did most weekends through the fall and winter. A pack of beagles was a constant of my childhood, the same blood lines stretching from one generation to another.

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There is nothing wrong with plain fried rabbit, but this recipe takes the flavor up a notch. Images by author

Because of this, we ate a lot of rabbit. It was mostly fried, often for breakfast with scrambled eggs, homemade biscuits, and a spoonful of gravy. It was one of my favorite meals and I still love it today.

That said, the same recipe time after time gets a bit stale. It’s always nice to mix things up a bit. This recipe is the result of my desire for crispy fried rabbit, but with a touch of something else.

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Start by cleaning and sectioning a rabbit into leg quarters and back.

This one starts out with a cleaned and sectioned rabbit. Blend the hot sauce and buttermilk in a large bowl and submerge the rabbit pieces. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

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Blend the buttermilk and hot sauce in a bowl.

My go-to breading for most things fried is Kentucky Kernel seasoned flour. It is the perfect salt and spice blend for fried food. If you can’t find it, just season all-purpose flour with salt, pepper, some garlic powder and a touch of cayenne pepper for your desired heat and spice level.

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Heat a half inch of vegetable or peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees.

Put the flour into a shallow dish. Lift the rabbit from the hot sauce/buttermilk brine one piece at a time. Let some of the excess buttermilk drain from the rabbit, then gently roll it in the seasoned flour until all sides are well coated. The remaining buttermilk on the rabbit acts as a binder to help hold the flour.

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Dredge the marinated rabbit in the seasoned flour.

Move the dredged rabbit, one piece at a time, to the hot oil. Fry for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, or until the rabbit is just cooked through and the crust is golden and crispy. Lift the rabbit and allow any extra oil to drain back into the pan.

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Fry until the rabbit is cooked through and the crust is golden and crispy.

As soon as the rabbit comes out of the oil, hit it lightly with salt and pepper. The second part of this flavor bomb comes with a drizzle of hot honey over the top. I used Mike’s Hot Honey, but use your favorite brand or even make your own by slightly heating the honey and stirring in cayenne pepper until you reach your desired heat level.

The combination of the tangy buttermilk, savory crust and sweet and spicy honey make this a fried rabbit dish you won’t soon forget. We like to serve this one for dinner as a main course alongside mashed potatoes and a vegetable or two or a nice salad.

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