Alligator feet

Zmokin

So I bought a frozen alligator foot because my son wanted it.  I would have bought tail except the Korean grocery store didn't carry alligator tail.
So, anyone on here have a suggestion how I should cook this claw.
Boil it.
Cook it on the Egg.  low & slow, raised direct, 400F indirect?
Recommended seasonings?  but not too spicy!
do I remove the skin/scales before cooking, or after?

Please help!!!!

RRP

Just did a quick check on Google and there are recipes plus buying hints! BTW I didn't even realize they have family jeweles!

Zmokin

Yes, I know I can google, in fact did that already, but just a quick peruse.
Then I thought, maybe I could get some advice from a fellow Egger.  Afterall, there are a few southerners that might have some experience cooking gator.  I've only experienced eating it at restaurants when on business trips to the great state of Texas.  And, unfortunately, I know I was eating tail, not feet.  I would be more comfortable just going it alone with tail meat.

stemc33

Can't wait to see the pics of this one. Good father and son project.
Sorry, can't help you though.

Aviator

Aligator feet! Hmmm!

It was not too long ago that I discovered the falvors of Oxtail, but now, alligator feet.

I will be watchin this.

Carolina Q

You might email Jupiter Jim if he doesn't reply here. I think he's the gator expert.

Zmokin

Carolina Q said:

You might email Jupiter Jim if he doesn't reply here. I think he's the gator expert.

OK, thanks, I've sent him a message.

Dobie

Never cooked it myself, always see it in chunks deep fried. Yum Waiting to see what you do. Post pics please.

bettysnephew

I cannot believe that @SGH Doesn't have a bit of experience with cooking these. It's kind of in his backyard, so to speak.

Jupiter Jim

Zmokin just sent a reply to your email.

Zmokin

Jupiter Jim said:

Zmokin just sent a reply to your email.

I've checked my inbox, and I don't see any messages from you.

billybon

How large are the feet and are they skinned out?

Zmokin

I bought one of the smaller ones.  It's a single foot, skin on, 0.9 lbs.
It is now thawed in the fridge, so it is imperative that I cook it tomorrow.

NPHuskerFL

RRP said:

Just did a quick check on Google and there are recipes plus buying hints! BTW I didn't even realize they have family jeweles!

They don't )
Sorry HuskerMaMa (I know you're alumni but, I couldn't resist).

billybon

You did not indicated if the foot is skinned. I prefer to skin out the larger feet. In either case, be sure to wash the foot well with vinegar and water. I season with Tony Chachere,s original creole seasoning and sous vide cook for 12 hours at 132F. After the SV cook your options are many. I like to put them in the smoker for a couple of hours or simple saute they in garlic butter.

Zmokin

billybon said:

You did not indicated if the foot is skinned. I prefer to skin out the larger feet. In either case, be sure to wash the foot well with vinegar and water. I season with Tony Chachere,s original creole seasoning and sous vide cook for 12 hours at 132F. After the SV cook your options are many. I like to put them in the smoker for a couple of hours or simple saute they in garlic butter.

I did say above, "skin on", and w/o an SV, 12 hours at 132 isn't an option.  But at least now I know to skin them and I guess I'll just go ahead and debone at the same time.  Chop it up and saute in butter with Chachere's and serve with steamed rice cooked in homemade home canned chicken stock, and some pan-fried zucchini.

I don't know if I'm not looking in the right place or what, but I can't find Jupiter Jim's reply to my message I sent him.  There is nothing in my "Inbox" except the message I sent him.

Also, thanks for the recommendation to wash in vinegar and water, should that be a 50/50 mix?

BigWader

Never had anything alligator but I would imagine the foot would be tendonous and full of connective tissue like a ham hock.

Best way to do a ham hock is brine/inject and then slow smoke - and then use the thing in something else like a soup or stew braise.

I would think then you could get fall off the ...claw??... meat that would work in whatever.

Best of luck... would like to see pictures

Sixpack1

@Zmokin I've killed, cleaned and cooked a few gators but never messed with their feet. We usually clean the back strap, jaws, eye lids and tail (toughest part) Please keep us updated and post some pics start to finish. Lots of folks watching this one. Good luck...

Zmokin

OK, I found a video done by kamikaze kitchen.  The video was a waste of 8 minutes as they didn't really show squat about the actual preparation, but then there was a link to the chef's recipe.
Now I'm not going to make the gator corn pancakes that he did, but I did find these 3 lines to be very educational.

1. Put gator feet in a presser cooker and cover with half orange juice and milk
2. Add spices and cook until tender, about one hour (the meat is done when the meat falls out of the skin)
3. Pull out the bones and reserve the meat for later

I think I will forego the OJ & milk & spices and just use water in the pressure cooker.
but use the pre-cook instead of skinning and de-boning while raw. 
then for flavor, saute with butter & Chachere's as I said above.

Sixpack1

Brother seems like a lot of work for what will probably be little meat. Interesting cook for sure...

RRP

Zmokin said:

I don't know if I'm not looking in the right place or what, but I can't find Jupiter Jim's reply to my message I sent him.  There is nothing in my "Inbox" except the message I sent him.

My guess is he received the notification of your email and then replied to it and you will NEVER see it! At least that happens when I try to reply. Instead he will need to sign in here and reply to your message, not an email. or you can try to reach him again and explain you didn't receive the response and then give him your direct email address. HTH

Sixpack1

@RRP I'd like to see what Jupiter Jim has to say about this cook. I hope he will post his reply. We throw the feet and the carcus back to the gators down here...

blind99

I ate chicken feet at a dim sum place once. I hope, in this case, it doesn't "taste just like chicken." Fun cook though, looking forward to pictures.

Zmokin

Sixpack1 said:

Brother seems like a lot of work for what will probably be little meat. Interesting cook for sure...

The things we do for our children.  My 12 year old son wants to try some gator. He saw the frozen feet at the local Korean market and wanted to get one.  $7 seems like a bargain compared to flying out to Fort Worth TX which is the only place I have been where gator was on the menu.

Zmokin

RRP said:

Zmokin said:

I don't know if I'm not looking in the right place or what, but I can't find Jupiter Jim's reply to my message I sent him.  There is nothing in my "Inbox" except the message I sent him.

My guess is he received the notification of your email and then replied to it and you will NEVER see it! At least that happens when I try to reply. Instead he will need to sign in here and reply to your message, not an email. or you can try to reach him again and explain you didn't receive the response and then give him your direct email address. HTH

Thanks, while it doesn't do much to help at this point, I at least now understand that private messaging on this forum isn't going to be productive.  the pressure cooker is rattling while I type at the moment, so I'm going with the path I've chosen regardless of what Jupiter Jim's advice may have been.  If he wants to re-post his reply here, I would still like to read what he had to say.
Depending upon how my cook turns out, I may be up for trying other methods, although I would prefer to find a local source for tail meat if possible, but my expectations are I would have to special order it.

FlyingTivo

Ive had Iguana and its usually cooked direct on the grill, when its charred that makes the skin fall off and you just eat the meat! Feet and tail are the best!

Felipe

Zmokin

OK, I doubt I will have a final picture tonight.  There was a lot of gelatinous fat, some meat, lots of skin & bone and cartilage.  I'm guessing the Koreans may make a soup with this, toss it in and boil for a long time, then strain out the solids, discarding them and keeping the liquid, then quickly add vegetables and noodles and serve.  In the separated photo, you can see the little pile of dark meat and the rest of the stuff.  I did the vinegar and water wash, but after reading about that, it was likely unnecessary for me.  I read that is recommended for washing fruit and stuff to cut down on the chances of getting salmonella.  So for the man with the SV at 132, that I can see is a critical step, but an hour at 15 lbs in the pressure cooker, there won't be any salmonella surviving.

In the package



Just out of the pressure cooker



separated into little piles, there still is a fair amount of gelatin still clinging to the skin

Zmokin

Verdict is in, my son thought it tasted kinda like chicken but not as good.  He tried some with no seasoning, and then some sauteed in garlic butter, and then he felt it needed more flavor and proceeded to grab the Chachere's.

I think I'll stick with buying chicken.  Glad I stocked up on the drumsticks on sale for 69 cents a pound when I bought the single gator foot.

I also bought 2 small turkey drumsticks at the same time, those are curing and will be smoked on the BGE this Friday.  That, I know how to do.

blind99

Cool! I've got a pretty strong stomach and I thought that foot looked pretty gross. That's awesome that your son followed through and ate it!

Dobie

Yeah Im thinkin there must be some spiritual power they find in that cause it doesnt look too appetizing. Ive had deep fried tail and rattle snake and its great.

Zmokin

I've had alligator tail meat in restaurants a couple of times and I will say that the difference between alligator tail and alligator foot is about 5X the difference between chicken breast meat and chicken thigh meat, but while I think thigh meat is 10X better than breast, I think tail is far more appetizing than foot.