With small game there can be glands that a person must remove. Muskrat and squirrel glands will come off with the skin. With a whole roasting beaver there are the castor glands and also the oil glands to remove.
Muskrat is best to eat in May. Some say there is less wild taste in colder weather. Soak the carcass in salted water overnight and then boil until tender. A little vinegar also reduces the "wild" taste and tends to make the meat more tender. A pinch of baking soda may be used for the same purpose. Could be roasted in the oven after soaking too. Sort of tastes like what a slough might taste like or like some ducks. Onion and sage go well. Here is a website with several recipes for muskrat.
https://archive.org/stream/recipesfo...9dozi_djvu.txt
Beaver...Don't eat fresh beaver as it is very laxative. Let it rest for a day or two, refrigerated. Parboil the beaver in water to get rid of the grease. You can boil until tender to your liking or roast in the oven. The best I've tasted was hung up over a bed of coals. You put a wire through the nose and a wire thru the rump. The wires are to hang the beaver quite high over the coals by. Flip the beaver every hour and let it roast to your liking. It is good if you can suspend the beaver on a single wire on a tripod over the coals. The heat of the coals makes the beaver spin while it roasts. You can roast the tail by itself on the coals too. Blister the outer skin and then peel it off. No real meat on it but more like grizzle with grease. We just used salt and pepper. It's up to your taste buds.
Squirrel, always be sure to check the liver and innards to make sure the squirrel is healthy. Squirrels can carry tularemia. Cook really well done.
Cover bottom of skillet with olive oil and canola oil, add butter and brown meat well (about 20 min). Put squirrel in baking dish and pour contents of skillet over meat. Bake for one hour at 375°F. Garlic goes good.
Black current jam or berries goes well with most small game wild meats.
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