HOW TO CUT UP A WHOLE RABBIT FRYER

In terms of the basic technique, the method for cutting up (aka fabricating) a whole rabbit is similar to cutting up poultry, even though the anatomy is rather different.

By following these illustrated steps you'll be able to easily separate a whole rabbit fryer into two back legs, two loins, and (if desired) two front legs. In the video guides below, an expert butcher demonstrates these basic steps as well as more advanced seam butchery techniques with rabbit.

Once you’ve cut-up your rabbit, check out our collection of rabbit recipes for ideas on what to do with those rabbit parts. You can make rabbit stock with the spine and front legs by following our method for making white or brown veal stock.

DIRECTIONS

Wash the fryer.
washing-rabbit-fryer

Take hold of a back leg, and cut where the leg meets the loin, peeling away the meat with your hand to expose the joint. Cut all the way down to the backbone. Pull the leg back towards the spine to crack open the joint and cut through the resulting gap with your knife. Make whatever other minor cuts that are necessary to completely separate the leg.
cutting-into-back-joint

Repeat with the remaining back leg to remove it.
repeating-other-joint

To remove the loins from the saddle, turn the rabbit so that its back is up, and feel the loin muscles that run along the spine on either side. Cut along the spine, making a small incision with the point of your knife, and running the tip along the resulting gap, going a little deeper each time.
cutting-the-loins

Follow the bone structure, continuing to scrape with the point, peeling the loin muscle away from the spine with your other hand as you work your way down.

Follow the bone structure, continuing to scrape with the point, peeling the loin muscle away from the spine with your other hand as you work your way down.
finishing-removing-loins

Repeat with the loin on the other side of the spine.

If desired remove the front legs using the same method as the back legs (you don’t need to crack the joint if you don’t want to, depending on the shape of the leg you want… we didn’t).
separating-front-legs