Gator Meat

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akawsmjim

Newbie
Original poster
Dec 23, 2009
15
10
Arlington, TX
Hey folks, Gator question. A hunter fried of mine handed me a 5lb slab of gator meat. Any suggestions on grilling/smoking?

My first guess would be grilling with some sort of Cajun seasoning and grill?
 
Hello AkaWsmJim.  I have only had gator twice.  It was deep fried like fish fillets ( I didn't cook it ).  IMHO; I would treat it as a 5lb fish fillet or a 5lb chicken breast if you want to keep it whole.  If you have never had it, the flavour is hard to describe,  Deep fried it has a fishy chicken taste to me.  I have read that when smoked it tastes sort of like pork,  It can be smoked or grilled judging by the texture and what I have read.  Good luck.  Keep smokin!

Danny
 
for me.. I like mine cut up in nuggets, beer battered, and a fried in a cast iron skillet for a quick couple of minutes on each side... I find the longer cooked, the tougher it gets...
 
Hey Jim.........I get a number of rattlesnakes out here each year........save the meat and make sausage. One of the best to turn out was some "Rattle-Gator" brats.

Brad
 
 
Hey Jim.........I get a number of rattlesnakes out here each year........save the meat and make sausage. One of the best to turn out was some "Rattle-Gator" brats.

Brad
Do you add any pork butt fat or anything for the sausage, or just straight gator?
 
White meat or dark meat? White meat (tail and backstrap) is that which is sometimes fried. Dark meat the basically the legs is usually make into a Sauce Piquante or cooked a long time much like an old hen. Make sure it is well cleaned, that gator fat is terrible!

You can fry 'em, make sausage, grill it, smoke it, I have heard of it done like the candied salmon but never seen or tasted it.

I can't think of a reason you couldn't do anything that you can do with any other meat. Gator sausage is becoming more and more popular, me I'll stick with a good sauce piquante anyday!
 
If you got a big ole hunk of meat, I would cut it up into small strips or nuggets. Batter and fry is the best/easiest way to do gator tail. If you smoke or grill it is easier to dry it out and get tough. I have a simple dry wet dry for gator. I use plain flour with black pepper and some cajun seasoning first, then dip in an egg/milk mix and then finish in flour mix with some corn meal more pepper, cajun, garlic powder and onion powder.
 
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