Cooking Rattlesnake
While many people tend to think that cooking rattlesnake is largely inhumane, others believe that these snakes are just another part of the food chain.
The fact is that rattlesnakes tend to repopulate rather quickly, and since there are over 25 roundups every year (and there have been this many events over the past 100 years) these snakes are fair game. If you have purchased some meat of this type, you may be thinking that it will taste a lot like chicken. Well, this is simply not true. The snake itself presents an interesting, albeit acquired, taste that a lot of people prefer to cook lightly. Rather than douse yours with barbeque sauce, try one of the following methods to really gain an appreciation for the taste of the meat itself.
One of the best ways to prepare this meat is within a stew (just like those cowboys used to do!). To begin, you will need to gather one onion, two garlic cloves, one bag of carrots, three celery stalks, four potatoes, fresh parsley, one can of tomatoes, two bay leaves, 1 ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. sugar, a bit of beef broth and two pounds of that snake meat. Since the meat is rather tough at first, you will have to simmer it in boiling water with lemon for at least one hour, then you will have to remove the meat from the bones before adding it to the stew.
The stew itself is a basic stew recipe, so simply prepare the vegetables (wash, peel, and chop) and then add a bit of beef broth to cover, and allow to cook until vegetables are just tender. Then add the meat and cook until it is soft enough to eat. Really, this is one of the easiest recipes to make when preparing this meat, though it will be entirely satisfying. Otherwise, cooking rattlesnake meat is a lot like sautéing any other type of meat.
If you want to really jump into that unique flavor, simply sauté the meat in a pan with a bit of olive oil, salt, and rosemary. Of course, as with the other recipe listed above, you will have to simmer the meat prior to adding it to the pan.
Once you learn what this meat really tastes like, cooking rattlesnake will be a snap. Don’t be afraid to try different recipes – you are sure to find that this meat is a rather tasty way to get your daily protein!