Butchered Rattlesnake Recipes

HOW TO COOK A SNAKE

Steps:

• Refrigerate the meat as soon as possible. It can also be frozen. The meat's integrity remains intact, and the coloration of the skin is unaffected.
• Skin the snake. Cut off the head, strip off the skin, and remove the guts of the dead snake.
• Rinse the meat, and cut it into pieces with a sharp knife or poultry shears. Make the cuts between and at the same angle as the ribs to avoid cutting the ribs. If the ribs are severed, they may be difficult to remove from the meat after it is cooked. Some people prefer to soak the ready-to-cook snake pieces in saltwater for a day or two to remove any remaining blood or "gaminess" from the meat.
• Dip the segments in a bit of egg white (milk would also do) before dredging them in a pepper and sweet cornmeal mix (or cornbread mix with some extra black pepper). Shake off the excess.
• Heat about 3/4" (2cm) of canola, vegetable, or peanut oil in a heavy frying pan until quite hot. Add the snake pieces one at a time to avoid from dropping the temperature in the pan too quickly. Use tongs to keep your fingers away from the sizzling hot oil, watch for dangerous splatters, and use a screen if necessary to prevent a mess. Turn the snake pieces just as the batter begins to turn golden - by the time it starts to brown the snake will be overcooked. There's not much meat on the bones, and the muscles are thin and lean.
• Drain and cool. Remove the snake pieces before they're quite done - they'll continue to cook after removal from the pan - and set them on paper towels to drain and cool.
• Serve your fried snake bits warm, and provide napkins - this is finger food. Accompany with most anything you'd serve with fried fish.
• Eat the snake meat. There should be a line of muscle along either side of the spine; this is the thickest piece of meat on the snake's body. The ribs are quite firmly attached to the spine, so scrape your teeth over them firmly to remove the rest of the meat from the ribs.

SOUTHERN FRIED RATTLESNAKE

Steps:

• Cut the rattlesnake into 4-inch pieces. Combine the salt, peppers, garlic powder, onion powder, flour, and cornstarch in a medium bowl and set aside. Soak the rattlesnake in the buttermilk for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Heat 2 inches of oil in a medium pan until it reaches 375 degrees F. Then dredge the rattlesnake pieces in the flour. Cook the rattlesnake in the oil in batches to not overcrowd the pan. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pieces are golden brown. Serve.

FRIED RATTLESNAKE - COWBOY KENT ROLLINS

Steps:

• For fresh snake meat, clean the snake well and cover it in buttermilk overnight.
• Drain the snake from the buttermilk and cut into about 3 to 4-inch pieces.
• In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs.
• Dip the snake pieces in the milk mixtures to coat well then dredge through the flour mixtures to generously coat. Repeat to double coat.
• Heat about 2-inches deep of fry oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer to 350 degrees Fry a few pieces of the snake at a time until golden brown. Drain and let cool on a paper towel. Serve with dipping sauce.
• For the dipping sauce: Whisk together 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon honey and ½ teaspoon liquid smoke.