RATTLESNAKE (smoked)

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1st Though: YUCK!!!

2nd Though: YUCK, YUCK!!!

3rd Thought:  BREAKING NEWS: Rattlesnake Bitten By Man!!!

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Paul, now that is the perfect size to smoke...
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Summary, my reptile is definitely too small... it is moist and very pleasant tasting, but it is definitely like eating the meat off a chicken neck... I took the internal (as best as I could determine) up to 165f.. the meat is not as rubbery, but tender, and I would not have uncovered it at the end because it needs the tenderness and juices that form with the foil wrap .. the one that I had is way too small to allow the surface to have more smoke and not stay wrapped for the tenderness .... I believe the temps have worked well and it can not be smoked at a higher temp even if a larger snake is used.. up to 145f then foiled then up to 160f then eaten while still very warm.... Over the years I have eaten many wild creatures and I promise smoked rattlesnake is definitely one of the best flavored meats that I have tried... it is worth doing again (if grandma will let me) and I would definitely try and find a 6footer or larger.... there is absolutely NO hint of musky or bad flavor... clean skin wash and ice within an hour of harvesting it.. chill overnight at 34f wash and soak in milk in the fridge for 4hours minimum.. rinse and soak in marinade for a couple of hours ... I imagine zesty kraft italian salad dressing would make a great marinade for it also... put in a flat pan and add 1/2 cup chicken broth or bullion and smoke heavy for 1 to 1.5 hours at 190f ... this is important if you have a small snake like I used. .. because it will dry out in a heart beat if not continually cared for while in the smoker. ..

This is the finished product...
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I said it had the texture of frog legs on an earlier post, and I take that back now that I took it up to 160f internal temp... the meat is very much like the moistness and texture of a chicken neck... excellent flavor and tender!
 
So that was too small eh? I'm glad to hear that 'cause I just whacked a Mojave last week and nailed the skin up on a beam at the cabin and left the carcas near an anthill for bone cleaning. I haven't hought of smoking one so hopefully my next encounter will be with a big, meaty Western Diamondback..
 
Bear, Yes totally joking!.... my probe has tenths and you can see them ticking off like a clock.... this meat is so thin that I'm not sure what the reading is...everytime I move the probe a tiny bit the reading is changed... I tried another one that I trust totally and its just too thin to get a good reading over a long time....

I just cut off an inch of the tail at what I think is 150f and the taste is fantastic... really, no joke.. but the texture is very much like that of a frog leg... not tough, but a bit rubbery ... for lack of a better word, but again not unpleasant.. the flavor is very very good. ... I sprinkled a bit of Paul's/Beer-B-Q Chipolte powder on it for a bit of a bite and I could very easily make a meal of this... the tail piece I ate, of course has a lot of bones in it and is like gnawing on a smoked chicken neck... I am anxiously awaiting the rest of it to be done so that I can try a larger piece of meat... it is in no way drying out yet and may change texture as it cooks to a higher internal temp... we will see....
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It is still wrapped in foil and like Bear suggested I may unwrap it for the last hour or so if it still seems like it is going to hold the moisture in the meat.... So far I think it was a good idea to soak in milk and to also add a bit of chicken broth to the pan while smoking...;
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Reminds me of a recipe for Jerky. They tell you to slice it in 1/4" pieces. Then it shrinks to 1/8" while smoking it. Then they tell you to measure the "INTERNAL" temp! What---Are they NUTS ? 
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Bear
 
Yeah Bear, sometimes you can read these recipes and KNOW they haven't been done like the way stated.... it just doesn't work...
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Pit 4 B, one of my sons here in Tucson is a Fireman and those guys spend their summers responding to Rattlesnake calls, people move here and decide they don't want the rattlesnakes that come with their retirement homes.. LOL... My son just told me this morning that about 80% of the snakes they round up in August is Diamondbacks and he is wanting to get a large one for the next smoke, (that is if the girls will let us) ... right now their dump site of live rattlesnakes is a valley outside one of the firestations... He brings all the big king snakes home since they are territorial and they help keep the small rattlers run off from our place...
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Heck give me a plate and I'm diggin in too. That looks wonderful and if I could get some rattle snake here in Fla. (I know we have them here too) Now I have eaten rattle snake before but it was fried to death but pretty darn good. Now Cheryl the snake is dead and delious too. So man up and try some. JK
 
Oh, boy. How did I miss this thread? 

I've got a house in Phoenix, and when we move there(hopefully next year), I'm gonna pay big money for a snake -killed and cleaned!-  then smoke that rattler and feed it to my husband on the sly. The big guy will totally wig out. That's what I'm lookin for...a little bit o' fun. Cause I know he'll enjoy it while he's eating. I wonder how many times he'll have "chicken" before I get caught. 
 
SharonaZamboni, I am certain that if you carefully cut the meat in small strips about 1 or 2 inches long and placed inside tacos or enchiladas it would be easily passed off as chicken...
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ps.. when you get to Phoenix.. go to a firestation and ask for a large rattlesnake. if they won't give you one come down to Tucson and ask there.. LOL.. we have a surplus of varieties and only two species are protected... they are a renewable resource here...
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Oh, boy. How did I miss this thread? 

I've got a house in Phoenix, and when we move there(hopefully next year), I'm gonna pay big money for a snake -killed and cleaned!-  then smoke that rattler and feed it to my husband on the sly. The big guy will totally wig out. That's what I'm lookin for...a little bit o' fun. Cause I know he'll enjoy it while he's eating. I wonder how many times he'll have "chicken" before I get caught. 
 Friends say she died smiling, Funeral is Wednesday...
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  I'm gonna pay big money for a snake -killed and cleaned!-  
 Let's start the bidding! I know of several places to go get a good-sized rattler near the Valley, so no need to go to Tucson to pay for one when I'll be more than happy to provide you the meat at a fair "reimbursment" but the skin is mine..
 
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