Section 7 EO C290.02 – PARTICIPATE IN A DISCUSSION ON SKINNING AND COOKING A SMALL ANIMAL
Resources needed for the delivery of this lesson are listed in the lesson specification located in A-CR-CCP-802/PG-001, Chapter 4. Specific uses for said resources are identified throughout the Instructional Guide within the TP for which they are required.
Review the lesson content and become familiar with the material prior to delivering the lesson.
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An interactive lecture was chosen for this lesson to present basic material.
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By the end of this lesson the cadet shall be expected to participate in a discussion on skinning and cooking a small animal.
It is important for cadets to understand how to skin and cook a small animal in a survival situation. Along with feeding the body, cooking also relieves boredom.
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Teaching point 1
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Discuss Skinning a Small Animal
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Time: 10 min
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Method: Interactive Lecture
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For best results, the steps for skinning a small animal should be done in the sequence outlined below.
Removing Urine. Remove the urine by holding the animal’s forelegs and gradually squeezing down on the body from the chest to the bowels.
Cutting. Cut a hole into the belly area.
Pulling the Skin and Removing the Guts. Pull the skin apart at the hole and insert the first fingers of each hand. Pull the skin apart exposing the guts. Remove the guts.
Cutting the Skin. Cut the skin around the front and hind paws and between the hind legs.
Hanging. Hang the rabbit and pull off the skin. (See Figure 1).
Removing Skin and Dismembering
The last step in removing the skin is by pulling it over the head and cutting off the head.
Dismember in the same way as a chicken.
What is the first step in skinning a small animal?
What is the step after cutting a hole in the belly?
What is the last step in skinning?
Remove the urine by holding the animal’s forelegs and gradually squeezing down on the body from the chest to the bowels.
Pull the skin apart at the hole and insert the first fingers of each hand. Pull the skin apart exposing the guts. Remove the guts.
The last step in removing the skin is by pulling it over the head and cutting off the head.
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Teaching point 2
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Discuss Cooking a Small Animal
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Time: 15 min
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Method: Interactive Lecture
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The following are some considerations of boiling food:
Although boiling does destroy some food elements it conserves the natural juices and retains all the fat – provided that you drink all the liquid as well as eat the remaining food.
Each time you throw away cooking water you lose valuable nutrients, though you will have to discard it if boiling out toxic substances.
Boiling will make tough and stringy roots and older game softer and more edible.
Cooking in boiling water requires a container.
Tin cans and metal boxes are ideal.
Make a handle, hang the tin cans or metal boxes from a pot support or use pot tongs to take them on and off the fire.
Puncture holes in pots can be repaired by hammering in small plugs of wood – when wet they will expand and stop leaks.
Containers can also be made of birch bark – but be careful that they do not boil dry.
Boiling will kill worms and flukes (parasites) and can even make spoiled meat fit to eat.
The following are some considerations of aluminum foil cooking:
Wrap food in foil.
Place wrapped food on coals or place food in a hole in the coals and cover the food. By burying the food it is cooked more rapidly and space is left on the surface of the coals for other items.
A downside to burying the food in hot coals is that it will be difficult to check if the food has finished cooking.
The following are some considerations of clay baking both fish and birds:
Fish
Find some large leaves and wrap them around the fish. It is not necessary to remove the scales.
Mould a thin layer of clay or mud around the wrapped fish and let it dry slightly.
Wrap a thick layer of clay or mud around the package and place it before the fire to dry.
When sufficiently dry, bury it in the hot coals and bake for 7 minutes per 0.5 kg (pound).
When cooked, break open the clay, pull apart the leaves and peel back the skin.
Birds
Find some large leaves and wrap them around the bird. It is not necessary to remove the feathers.
In the case of fowl, do not pluck the feathers but place the clay directly on the bird. For other birds mould a layer of clay around the wrapped bird.
When cooked, the feathers of the fowl will come off as they will be stuck in the hard clay.
The following are some considerations of grilling food:
Grilling is the quick way of cooking large amounts of food but it requires a support—such as a mesh wire – rested on rocks over the embers of the fire.
It should only be used when food is plentiful since it wastes most of the fat from the meat.
Hot rocks beside the fire can be used as grilling surfaces.
The following are some considerations of roasting food:
Roasted meat cooks in its own fat.
Continually turning the meat keeps the fat moving over the surface.
The easiest method is to skewer the meat on a spit and turn it over the hot embers of a fire or beside a blazing fire where it is hot enough to cook.
Roasting makes a very tasty dish but has two disadvantages:
Valuable fat is lost unless a drip tray is placed beneath the spit. Regularly baste the meat with fat from the tray.
Roasting by a fierce fire can cook and seal the outside, the inner flesh remaining uncooked, leaving harmful bacteria alive. A slow roast is preferable, and if cooking continues after the outer meat has been cut off the inner flesh can go on cooking.
The following are some considerations of steaming food:
Make a simple steamer by punching holes in a can and suspending it in a larger can, or putting something in the bottom of the larger can to keep the inner one above the water.
Cover the outer can so that steam is not dissipated, but not so tightly that it is sealed or pressure could build up and cause it to explode.
Steaming does not overcook the food and it preserves nutritional values.
It is an excellent way of cooking fish and green vegetables.
Fresh young leaves take very little cooking.
The food stuff needs to be suspended in the steam above the boiling water.
The following are some considerations of frying:
Frying is an excellent way of varying a diet, if fat and a container are available to fry in.
Any sheet of metal that can be fashioned into a curve or give a slight lip will serve as a pan.
In some areas, a large leaf can be found which contains enough oil not to dry out before the cooking is done.
Try leaves out before risking valuable food on them and, if one is used, fry only over embers, not over flames.
What different methods of cooking were discussed?
How can puncture holes be fixed in a pot?
What type of cooking cooks meat in its own fat?
Boiling, baking, aluminum foil cooking, clay baking, grilling, roasting, steaming, and frying.
Puncture holes in pots can be repaired by hammering in small plugs of wood—when wet they will expand and stop leaks.
Roasting cooks meat in its own fat.
What is the first step in skinning a small animal?
What will kill worms and flukes and can even make spoiled meat fit to eat?
What are two disadvantages of roasting?
Remove the urine by holding the animal’s forelegs and gradually squeezing down on the body from the chest to the bowels.
Boiling.
Valuable fat is lost unless a drip tray is placed beneath the spit. Roasting by a fierce fire can cook and seal the outside, the inner flesh remaining uncooked, leaving harmful bacteria alive.
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It is important for cadets to know how to clean and cook an animal when they are in a survival situation. As well as helping cadets fend for themselves, cooking provides nourishment and relieves boredom.
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C3-002 (ISBN 0-00-653140-7) Wiseman, J. (1999). The SAS Survival Handbook. Hammersmith, London: HarperCollins Publishers.
C3-003 (ISBN 1-896713-00-9) Tawrell, P. (1996). Camping and Wilderness Survival: The Ultimate Outdoors Book. Green Valley, ON: Falcon Distribution.
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