Snake Meat Recipes

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.

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.

SNAKE MEAT

Steps:

• Dice all vegetables small.
• Toss all diced vegetables together in a medium bowl.
• Blend dressing ingredients together with a wire whisk in a small bowl.
• Pour dressing over vegetables and chill to marinate at least 4 hours.
• Serve with tortilla chips or buttered toast points.

SPOOKY CALZONE SNAKE

Steps:

• Dissolve the sugar in the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast over the water, and let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam. Stir in the oil, salt, and 2 cups of flour, and mix on Low until the mixture forms a wet dough. With the machine running, add 1 cup of flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl into a ball. Knead for 3 to 5 more minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, then place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C)) until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Combine the ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses, pepperoni, parsley, Italian seasoning, olives, green pepper, and mushrooms in a large bowl, and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Punch down the dough, and roll it out into a long, flat strip about 9 inches wide by 30 inches long. Spoon the filling mixture down the center of the dough strip, leaving about 1 inch on all sides for sealing. Pull edges of the dough together; pinch to seal and form a long, filled roll. Place the roll, seam side down, onto the parchment paper in a snakey "S" shape, and tuck the ends underneath to seal. Beat the egg in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush the egg wash over the calzone.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the calzone is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into individual slices.

SLITHERING SNAKE ROLL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cut one small strip of red pepper and reserve; chop remaining pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chorizo, beef, pepper, onion and garlic, crumbling meat, until no longer pink; drain., Roll dough into a 14x12-in. rectangle. Spread beef mixture lengthwise in middle of dough; sprinkle with cheese. Wrap dough around beef-cheese mixture. Pinch seam to seal; tuck ends under. Place seam side down on a parchment-lined 15x10x1-in. baking sheet, and form into a snake shape. Whisk egg and, if desired, food coloring. Paint snake with egg wash; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Decorate with two ripe olive slices for eyes and reserved red pepper strip for a tongue., Bake until edges are golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before slicing.

SNAKEWICH WITH VENOM SAUCE

Steps:

• Thaw dough according to package directions. Roll dough from each loaf into a 2-in.-thick log, shaping one end of one log to resemble a snake head and one end of the second log to resemble a rattle., Transfer to greased baking sheets, curving slightly to resemble a snake. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°., Brush dough with melted butter; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Cut a roasted pepper into a 3-in.-long strip to make a snake tongue; set aside. Finely chop remaining peppers and place in a bowl; stir in mayonnaise, pepperoncini and garlic., On a large cutting board, trim off the plain end of each loaf, leaving head and rattle ends intact. Cut each loaf horizontally in half. Connect bottom halves to make a snake; layer with meat, cheese, tomatoes and 4 cups sliced lettuce. Spread top halves with 1 cup sauce; place over lettuce. Insert snake tongue., For grass, arrange remaining lettuce around sandwich. Insert pretzel sticks to attach pickle slices and olives for eyes. Using a serrated knife, cut sandwich into 20 slices; serve with remaining sauce.

SOUTHERN FRIED RATTLESNAKE

Steps:

• Skin rattlesnake.
• Clean and wash meat.
• Cut in 4 inch lengths.
• Beat egg and milk.
• Mix salt, pepper, garlic salt, Accent and flour.
• Preheat deep fat fryer with cooking oil.
• Dip snake into egg mixture and then in flour mixture and place it in hot oil.
• Cook until golden brown.