Gator "tenderloin" - how to cook besides deep frying

[DaveD]

Hi all, my foodie pal Jenni gifted me this 2 pound package of gator tenderloin filets for my birthday a couple months ago. I gather it's a choice part of the tail. I've read some threads here and out in the webs but almost everything focuses on some form of deep frying. That's off the table for us for a variety of reasons, we just do not eat or cook deep fried foods at all (with the exception of an order of fries every now and then), and even pan fried food for us is very uncommon.

My available cooking options are the stovetop, the oven, sous vide, SnS kettle, or gas grill. One concept I've seen several times is that the gator should be treated like chicken breast or pork loin, given that they are pretty lean. SVQ would be straightforward, I'd just need to pick the right temperature and duration for the SV step.

So whaddaya reckon??



(I have a nagging sense that I posted this question a month ago or more, but I cannot find it... please forgive me if so!)

[SheilaAnn]

DaveD this sounds like fun…. I bet this can easily be SVQ’d

https://girlscangrill.com/recipe/grilled-cajun-alligator-comeback-sauce/#wprm-recipe-container-15669

[DaveD]

Hmm, that looks interesting... I don't have the rub they mention but there's always Tony's...

[acorgihouse]

I am completely unexperienced, don't think I've ever cooked it. Still, as a lifelong Univ of Tenn Vol fan, I've eaten gator on the 3rd Sat in Sept for as long as I can remember. It is usually gator bites, ie. breaded or battered and fried. I've also had it grilled, I would recommend in that case: marinade, so as not so bland, and also to tenderize somewhat. I've had people swear to me that soaking in milk for a few hours, or overnight, tenderizes the gator (it's something like chicken, but not as tender.) I would think sous vide would be a good option, it would tenderize, and then just sear at the end. I have written on a "cheat sheet" of cooking temps > "alligator to 165F". I actually think you could interchange with chicken, in many recipes, although I would do the more heavily seasoned with gator as it can be a little gamey. Of course, gamey to me is apparently not an issue for many of the members here! The alligator bites SheilaAnn posted above sounds perfect!

[texastweeter]

Dust with Tony C, wrap in bacon, smoke, then finish in a screaming hot convection oven or air fryer to crisp the bacon. If you wanna get fancy, stuff with crawfish tails and boudan.

[mrteddyprincess]

I cooked 'gator over my spring break. I used the velveting process like you would with Asian stir fry. I dipped the one inch cubes in egg, rolled in whole wheat panko, spritzed with avocado oil, and air fried them in my oven at 400 F. They turned out extremely tender. I dipped them in cocktail sauce and ate all of it in one sitting :-)

[STEbbq]

I just did mine sous vide at 131 for 90 minutes then broiled. The ideas above are far better than mine!