I've shot a few, never ate one. I was always told they were stringy and tough, but there are ways and grinding is one.
I bet you could cut 'em in small strips, bread and deep fry 'em like gator tail, might be good. Cut 'em cross the grain if they really ARE that tough. I like gar that way or ground with proper seasonings, rolled in a ball, breaded and fried into gar balls.
Now, if Mexicans don't eat squirrel, those Mexicans are missing out! I've fried, stewed, and had squirrel dumplin's and that's some mighty fine eatin'. We don't have jacks here, only killed 'em when I was living down between Pearsall and Uvalde working one summer on a big ranch. I had enough cotton tail down there, I didn't really worry about the jacks, didn't try 'em. It was a summer job in college and I had the run of the ranch to hunt in my off hours, no problem keeping myself fed. My food budget averaged 3 bucks a week. I ate a lot of sweet corn, watermelons, cantaloupes, all grown there. All I needed was flower, salt and pepper, cooking oil, coffee, and a little sugar. Furnished everything else with my rifle and my hands. I hunted exclusively with my .22 rifle as shotgun shells cost me too much. THAT is how bad I was pinching pennies.
But, I got out of college owning no one. I was sorely tempted to try one of them jacks, sure were a lot of 'em around. If the cottontails hadn't been so plentiful, I likely would have.
