Butchered Rattlesnake Recipes

RATTLESNAKE PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the onions, squash, zucchini, and mushrooms; cook and stir for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are heated through but still firm. Pour in the cream and the cooked fettucine and simmer for 4 minutes. Mix in the jalapeno, garlic, mustard, and Cajun seasoning and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low.
• Preheat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over high heat. Dredge the rattlesnake meat in flour and pan fry for 5 minutes or until well done. Arrange the meat on top of the vegetables and pasta to serve.

PHILIPINO FRIED RATTLESNAKE

Steps:

• Wash rattlesnake meat thoroughly through a colander and marinate with soy sauce overnight in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
• Spray olive oil in a heated, nonstick coated wok and sear marinated meat. Set meat aside.
• Brown the bacon in the wok. When the bacon is nearly done, add bell peppers and onion and cook until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the eggs and stir constantly until they are firmly set. Add rattlesnake to mixture and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Stir in cooked rice, garlic seasoning and pepper, to taste. Turn heat down to keep rice from sticking to wok and mix ingredients well before serving.
• *Note: chicken can be substituted for rattlesnake meat .

THE RATTLESNAKE

Steps:

• Chill 4 coupe glasses in freezer. Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cover and chill simple syrup until cold, at least 1 hour.
• For each cocktail, combine 1 egg white, 2 oz. rye whiskey, 1 oz. lemon juice, and 3/4 oz. simple syrup into a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously (without ice) until mixture is starting to get frothy. Fill shaker with ice and shake vigorously until outside of shaker is frosty and cocktail is frothy, about 20 seconds (yes, a full 20 seconds).
• Rinse a chilled coupe glass with Pernod; discard. Strain cocktail through a fine-mesh sieve into glass.

RATTLESNAKE RIBS

Steps:

• Put the ribs, beer and salt and pepper in a pyrex dish and cover with foil.
• Place in a 400 degree oven for about an hour.
• In the meantime, make your sauce by placing the garlic cloves and the whole lime (cut in quarters) in the food processor.
• Pulse until the mixture is pureed.
• Add the chili garlic sauce, soy sauce and dijon mustard.
• Pulse to combine.
• Get your grill set on medium heat and grill the ribs indirectly for an additional hour.
• Or less, depending on how tender the ribs are (you want them to be falling off the bone ultimately).
• Mop with the beer that you tenderized them in every so often, so they don't become dry.
• In the last 10-15 minutes of grilling, mop the ribs with the sauce.

BUTCHERED RATTLESNAKE

Steps:

• Cut head off about 4 inches behind head.
• Hang by tail just below rattles so that snake may bleed well.
• With sharp knife, on belly side and beginning at head end, split skin entire length.
• Starting with head end, separate skin from meat and peel upward to place where snake is tied - strip entrails from body of snake and dispose of.
• Clip body of snake where it is tied and drop in fresh cold brine water (either cover container or be sure to stand by it because the snake will crawl out of water).
• Take down skin, salt well and roll with scales on outside - place in container with lid and freeze until ready to tan.
• When body of snake has stopped crawling, remove and wash in fresh cold water, chop in lengths 3 or 4 inch long.
• NOTE: Be sure to dispose of head immediately as they can bite for several hours after being severed.
• Place heads in covered container - DO NOT USE HANDS!
• Salt meat, then roll in flour.
• Drop in hot oil until golden brown.
• Serve hot.
• Goes well with salad, green beans and creamed potatoes.