Now I can imagine, that you folks thought "this redneck cant tell gator fillet from Chic-fil-ay", but I finished processing my 9 footer and have pics to prove it. No where on the inters-net does anyone talk about the different cuts of gator tail. May be my fortune or others mis-fortune, but there is a difference in cuts of meat. Photo 1 is a whole half of a gator tail. Notice the fat lines running through it, but mainly take note of the top being thicker than the bottom. There is a reason.
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I usually like to split my gator tail into thirds laterally. Makes it easier for packaging and for cutting out that dog goned fat. The thickest third, nearest the back legs looks like this.... -
On the right hand side of the cut, see that line of fat separating that one delicious "tenderloin" from the rest of the meat? That is the fillet sitting on top. God forbid you get any of that fat in the cooking. Better to separate the cuts and waste a little meat than ruin everything.Comment
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These are the separated cuts when done and trimmed. These are the basic parts of gator tail. The far left and right are the dark meat. Some connective tissue, darker meat (similar to dark meat chicken), great for frying and nothing wrong with it. The center cut has no fat, much like white meat chicken, and long muscle structure. Cut across the grain, it fries in strips and tastes like heaven. This is what I call the "inner fillet". Since I have found no one on the net that has ever identified the different cuts of tail, I suggest the name sticks. I called it!!Comment
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My favorite way of preparing any of the meat so far is...
Soak cubed gator meat in a mixture of 1 quart whole milk and 1/2 cup lemon juice overnight.
The next day, rinse meat clean and pat dry. Roll meat in spicy creole mustard.
In a ziplock bag, mix 1 tablespoon baking powder with 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour with all the creole seasonings you can stand. I like mine with a LOT of red pepper and cayenne.
Toss gator bites in the bag of flour and fry for 5 minutes in hot (I don't have a frying thermometer yet) peanut oil.
Let stand for at least 4 minutes, then re fry them in the same hot oil for another 5 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes and serve. This allows the inside to cook fully and the outside to stay super crunchy. For me the crunchy makes the dish. I like to serve with a siracha sauce mixed with mayo or tartar sauce or a siracha buffalo sauce. Either way, you cannot loose.Comment
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Yelp...Looks like chicken to me 😎Comment
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Great Explanation and Pic's, but the only Gator to get this far North, was either in a Circus Truck or A Can! DanComment
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I did a Google search for "alligator tail muscles" and got a lot of articles, including some interesting images.
Here are two of the links:
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x101airborne ...
You have just unofficially become the AmazingRib.com Gator King. We have a Brisket King, we have a Chicken King, We have a Chuckie King and now we have a Gator King.😎
If I ever find a Gator here in Hermosa Beach, Ca I'm coming straight to you for advice on Gator perfection.
That's a nice write up. Good job Gator King.ðŸ‘ÂComment
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Did you catch the guy or is there a market somewhere that you can buy them?Comment
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I do everything myself. I bait lines, drag em up to the bank, shoot em, process em and cook em.
Tags are issued by the State of Texas under the CITES program for coastal land owners in what they call "Core Counties" for gator removal.
Honestly, I don't know that I would buy a gator.
It's all "ooh" and "aaahh" then later there is running, and screaming..... LOL!Comment
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BRILLIANT! I learned a ton. Although it hurt a bit as a UofF alum...Comment
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I've always heard gator tastes like chicken...is that true?Comment
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x101airborne is the rest of the gator meat good for anything or do you just only eat the tail? Just curious because all I've ever heard about is gator tail meat.Comment
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