Normally the meat should be "scent free," but here's a few things to consider:
1. Did you dress the squirrels immediately?
2. Did you rinse and keep the meat on ice after dressing?
3. Did you cut/nick the bladder or intestines?
4. Did you cut/nick the scent glands?

Any of these factors could have spoiled the meat. It's a shame, because squirrel meat is very tasty--not smelly.

Hope this helps.

 

Where are you located and what type of squirrels were they? I have shot fox squirrels that have been feeding on hedge balls and they will have a bit of a hedge ball odor, but doesn't really affect their taste too much.

 

Squirrels, and all mammals, have scent glands that can really cause a strong odor. Also, in general, males are going to "smell" worse than females. I always soak mine at least overnight to remove a little of the "gamey" taste, and I make sure to open the windows when I fry them.

 

I've noticed the same thing on a steady diet of hedgeballs.

I have noticed something occasionally in late season squirrels. I think they tend to smell a little stronger the closer we get to breeding season. Noticed the bucks we got last week are starting to to develop the "wax".

No difference in the taste I could tell.

 

While I've never had a Squirrel to have a strong or gamey taste; I soak all my game in a mixture of 1/4 cup of lemmon juice with enough water to cover, over night. This takes care of any gamey flavor.:bthumb:

 

I soak mine in salt water overnight. i dont think it really smells, but i am not known for my keen sniffer either. The cat thinks they smell pretty interesting.

 

Maybe I did something wrong recently. Perhaps I missed a gland.

I got 3 fox squirrels and cleaned them all. (I have to practice on the Squacks skinning method, as I couldn't get any of them to peel right although I think I got one to last year.) I cut them into pieces, put them in cool water with a touch of white vinegar, let them soak almost an hour, then drained and redid the water. Not quite two hours.

I then put them into a hot pan to brown while I sauteed some onions in butter in the pot. Brown pieces went into pot, covered with 1 can of chicken broth and enough water to cover well. Add fresh cracked pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Set on high and get boiling. Boiled till meat falling off. Pick out bones. Get boiling and then drop in dumplings.

Problem: Strong taste. I like game, and enjoy venison, but this was a bit off. Did I miss a gland? Should I have pressure cooked it? At least one was a large buck. I did cut out gland from under the arms.

Suggestions? I'm not encouraged on filling the pot again.

 

If you want something to taste like hotdogs they can be had at the supermarket. All game has a distinct flavor.

 

If you want to get the gamey flavor less intenst soak it over-night in half n' half or maybe it was cream. I'm not really sure so I'll have to ask which one it was but I think that both will work.

 

Try soaking the meat in buttermilk or plain yoghurt, rather than a vinegar or brine solution. Sometimes the acidity of the vinegar just intensifies any "funk."

I agree that game meat will have their distinct flavors, but it shouldn't be repelling. Even jackrabbit can be palletable if dressed and prepared well, but squirrels should be quite good, specially with the recipe you tried. :bthumb:

 

Shoot "tree" squirrels

If you want to eat them, shoot the squirrels that run up the trees. The ones that run into a hole in the ground are just for practice Seriously; a smell that really lingers on your hands reminds me of dressing out a buck deer that was into the rut.

 

Thanks for the responses. They are gray squirrels. One male and one female. They were the largest grays I can ever remember seeing. They both smelled the same. I got them in California, Napa county, within a mile or so of each other. I wasn't being too picky. I didn't want to waste them, but the smell was repelling. I shot one with a shotgun and the other with my airgun in the neck. I cleaned and cooled them on ice shortly after shooting them. Next time I go out there I'll sniff some of the cones I've seen lying around that the squirrels have fed on. Maybe the cones' scent is similar to the squirrels' scent.

 

don't all rats smell badly?

 

I've never been able to stick a tree rat into my mouth either because of the smell of the cooked meat. I keep hearing that squirrel can taste pretty good, guess I need to learn how to cook it better to. Been hunting squirrel for a few decades, never could eat one yet.

 

You are what you eat-guess it applies to squirrel also.