Knife for Rabbit Butchery

[TRNCNDNT]

I'm wanting to start eating a lot more rabbit and trying them in many different recipes / marinades. I don't know why, but I've always hated the butchery / jointing side of things (guess that's the modern living with all cuts done for us and sitting on the supermarket shelves...), always feeling like I've botched it or took too much edge off the knife in the process. I'm more than comfortable with skinning and I have a nice little agile knife for this purpose but I want a good one for jointing so I get more confident, faster and efficient in the process. So...

What do people use? I get that the obvious answer here is a butchers knife...and if it is then fair enough! In that case could people post links to some quality ones? If not, what style of knife do you use? I don't know much about different styles of butchery and carcass prep knives (if I take a deer home I skin it then it gets dropped at the butchers for jointing) but it's an aspect of the hobby I really want to get better at so I can process game quicker and more efficiently, that way I'm more likely to eat more of it if it doesn't feel like a hassle.

 

[VSS]

You don't need anything special to do rabbits. It just needs to be sharp. An ordinary kitchen knife will do. I just do them with my penknife (Buck 110), which is the same knife I use for gralloching deer.

However, if you do want to start investing in some butchery kit then get a Victorinox flexible boning knife to get you started. You can butcher a whole deer with one of those and nothing else. And they're cheap, so get two.

 

[Overlay]

yep same here victorianox are really good value and keep an edge, I either fry mine off breakdown and then in a casserole or stew
and remove any bones after cooking
all i do is cut into primary joints front and back legs trim the rib cage back for the straps using a victorianox 5” skinning blade nothing fancy all the meat comes off - job done
knives used 1 if you want to just break it up quickly use a sharp cleaver - easy peasy keep it simple

 

[Elmer fudd 1]

For rabbits I think an opinal no.7 should be as good as anything. They’re fine pointed and sharp! For £10 you’ve got all the tool you need for rabbits

 

[Dazb1967]

You don't need anything special to do rabbits. It just needs to be sharp. An ordinary kitchen knife will do. I just do them with my penknife (Buck 110), which is the same knife I use for gralloching deer.

However, if you do want to start investing in some butchery kit then get a Victorinox flexible boning knife to get you started. You can butcher a whole deer with one of those and nothing else. And they're cheap, so get two.

Exactly this, Victorinox is a good place to start, Ive attached a link to cheap knives, Doesn't have to this exact one but it will work

Victorinox 4" Rabbit Knife

Available in Black Handle4" / 10cm BladeVictorinox Fibrox handled knives are our best selling knives. They are used by the majority of Britain's butchers.Their non slip & comfortable "Fibrox" handles make them the ideal choice in the professional environment who appreciate the razor sharp Swiss...

www.butchersequipment.co.uk

 

[Tim.243]

I'm wanting to start eating a lot more rabbit and trying them in many different recipes / marinades. I don't know why, but I've always hated the butchery / jointing side of things (guess that's the modern living with all cuts done for us and sitting on the supermarket shelves...), always feeling like I've botched it or took too much edge off the knife in the process. I'm more than comfortable with skinning and I have a nice little agile knife for this purpose but I want a good one for jointing so I get more confident, faster and efficient in the process. So...

What do people use? I get that the obvious answer here is a butchers knife...and if it is then fair enough! In that case could people post links to some quality ones? If not, what style of knife do you use? I don't know much about different styles of butchery and carcass prep knives (if I take a deer home I skin it then it gets dropped at the butchers for jointing) but it's an aspect of the hobby I really want to get better at so I can process game quicker and more efficiently, that way I'm more likely to eat more of it if it doesn't feel like a hassle.

Any stiff knife out the draw, they all won't be head shot, what knife have you used in the past?
What do you shoot them with also?

 

[chriswjx]

One of these suckers will do you the trick

Having recently done my first hare (after doing plenty of rabbits), I would quite happily use anything with a sharp edge and probably go with the smaller the better too. I personally never have felt it takes much, even if you want to go through the spine to joint up the saddle for example.

 

[Tim.243]

One of these suckers will do you the trick

Having recently done my first hare (after doing plenty of rabbits), I would quite happily use anything with a sharp edge and probably go with the smaller the better too. I personally never have felt it takes much, even if you want to go through the spine to joint up the saddle for example.

Just what my Dad used....he had a big meat clever and club hammer for the frozen ones as he liked to go out have a smoke let the ferrets run around the shed and chop up a rabbit bless him

 

[Cheviot]

 

[TRNCNDNT]

First of all thanks for the replies everyone. Seems like a consensus around (thankfully) cheap and cheerful yet quality brands like Victorinox and Opinel.

Any stiff knife out the draw, they all won't be head shot, what knife have you used in the past?
What do you shoot them with also?

In the past, quite literally the ‘stiff knife out the drawer’. Shot with .22LR, don’t want a centrefire mess of the carcass. Don’t most shoot them with a .22LR if they want the meat? Could only see varminters at longer range who are shooting them just to keep the numbers down using a centrefire, or are there folks out there who will shoot them with a centrefire (I suppose you’d be fine with head shot) when they want the meat? Sorry if I dumb question it was just my assumption.

 

[TRNCNDNT]

One of these suckers will do you the trick

Having recently done my first hare (after doing plenty of rabbits), I would quite happily use anything with a sharp edge and probably go with the smaller the better too. I personally never have felt it takes much, even if you want to go through the spine to joint up the saddle for example.

Was definitely thinking something like this to get through the spine!

 

[TRNCNDNT]

These look like they’ll be a great help, cheers. I’ll give them a watch.

 

[tozzybum]

Amazing butcher and lovely bloke to boot.His videos on you tube teach you how butcher all game ,make sausages etc.
His live demos are amazing to watch too.

 

[User00052]

Second vixtorinox. A semi flex boning knife is really useful for lots of things and they also a firmer "rabbit knife" as linked above. I have both and apart from a morakniv I use when out, and a cleaver and butchers steak knife (also victorinox) I don't use anything else.

Scott rea does a great video on butchers knives and the selection above is exactly what he suggests for everything

 

[Klenchblaize]

There is a perfectly suited to the Op’s concern:
Show Us Your Rabbiting Knife
K

 

[mike243]

I'm wanting to start eating a lot more rabbit and trying them in many different recipes / marinades. I don't know why, but I've always hated the butchery / jointing side of things (guess that's the modern living with all cuts done for us and sitting on the supermarket shelves...), always feeling like I've botched it or took too much edge off the knife in the process. I'm more than comfortable with skinning and I have a nice little agile knife for this purpose but I want a good one for jointing so I get more confident, faster and efficient in the process. So...

What do people use? I get that the obvious answer here is a butchers knife...and if it is then fair enough! In that case could people post links to some quality ones? If not, what style of knife do you use? I don't know much about different styles of butchery and carcass prep knives (if I take a deer home I skin it then it gets dropped at the butchers for jointing) but it's an aspect of the hobby I really want to get better at so I can process game quicker and more efficiently, that way I'm more likely to eat more of it if it doesn't feel like a hassle.

for rabbit processing I use a good pair of stainless poultry shears, you can take the head off, feet off, open the belly, split the ribs and cut it into portions, the only time I use a knife is to remove the back straps, but I mostly leave them in and just cook the whole saddles

 

[paul1989]

Opinel no7 does the job and cheap

 

[Dazb1967]

Opinel no7 does the job and cheap

Old thread now but personally I don't like Opinels, They do have a following and a lot of people like them but I personally can't get away with them.

 

[MAH]

Perfect for many things, including rabbits.

 

[sy247]

Exactly this, Victorinox is a good place to start, Ive attached a link to cheap knives, Doesn't have to this exact one but it will work

Victorinox 4" Rabbit Knife

Available in Black Handle4" / 10cm BladeVictorinox Fibrox handled knives are our best selling knives. They are used by the majority of Britain's butchers.Their non slip & comfortable "Fibrox" handles make them the ideal choice in the professional environment who appreciate the razor sharp Swiss...

www.butchersequipment.co.uk

Excellent knife