Alligator question

I ate it one time when I was a kid. It was good, but I don't want anymore. We have them in my uncles pond. Once a year or so a guy comes and gets them, but I don't know what he does with them. Maybe he eats them! 

It's on a lot of menus here in New Orleans for the tourists.

The sausage isn't bad, but local's don't eat much alligator.  Maybe the cajuns out in the boondocks do.  Too many better meats to eat.

I tried grilling it. Didn't work for me. Had it fried. Delicious

You can fry just about anything and make it taste good.  Case in point: green tomatoes.

I've had it fried and grilled. Tough chew each time. Maybe low n slow in a DC? With some kind of gravy?

Love gator tail... Strips and sauteed with mushrooms and served with marinara sauce and butternut squash works for me

Had in Florida a few years ago, was in nuggets.Tasted like chicken !

Gator sausage is really good.  The fried tails taste like chicken (no really!).

Well I have killed many a gator in south FL, all of the meat is good to eat and there is not that much in the tail like everyone thinks, the legs are a darker meat, and by far the toughest. Almost all that one gets in a restaurant has been through a meat cuber  to make it tender then battered and fried and most of the flavor is in the batter and seasoning............ Back when I hunted every year we used all of the meat and I made sausage and again the flavor is in the seasoning. I'm in NC now during hunting season and I just will not spend the money to go to FL and hunt. Most of the meat in the commercial world is from the gator farms that raise them for the hides and they meet there maker at about 5' in length as when they get bigger the boys fight for the girls and will damage the hide. The meat is just a little extra for the farmers and the tourist love to give it a try. Yep the gator bites in most restaurants taste like chicken... If you can get some and it doesn't cost ya an arm and a leg give it a go, otherwise there is much better wild game to eat. Google it and you won't find much about cooking it either. The money is in the hides for the leather goods!!!! Gator Man, AKA Jupiter Jim

@Gatror_Man‌ +1 the restaurant stuff is beat to death, battered and fried so like ya always hear "tastes like chicken". It shouldn't though. It should taste like gator. This place and Whitey's Fish Camp have pretty good tail.

Eating alligator reminded me of eating rattlesnake. Both were a little tough. Would not go out of my way to eat either one of them.

RRP said:

LOL - Jim! thanks for your reply! BTW were those gators as elusive in  replying as you have been to me with your email inquires about  a gasket? I have had 2 of them cut now and ready to ship, but never heard back so shipped them to others! 

Sorry I have not got back to you, been on the road and was going to have you ship to John Halls as we are at the Fairgrounds getting set up for the Georgia Mountain Eggfest but realized I just wont have time to install a new gasket until I get home to NC so I will email my NC address when I get home.

Gator meat is edible and can be quite good... I've had it a few times. 

I've bagged one with my dad. It was a game warden draw hunt. There were guys at the docks offering to buy them for the skin. We kept ours and skinned out. Tail and jaw were pretty good. Only thing we liked was beat and fried. Grilled never worked. It was good but like others have said, no rush to eat it again. My dad mounted it. He's about 13 foot long and sits in his game room. My dad does taxidermy on the side so this was just for the challenge for him.

On the other hand, I'd go on another hunt tomorrow if I got the chance. Most exciting thing I've ever done. They make you snag, snare and restrain before you can shoot it. Was a rush. My uncle came, he's a cop and 6'2" 260 and he was scared to death!!

Wow 13' is a very nice Gator! Your right about hunting them it is totally awesome for sure and I would go also but just not willing to go back to FL in the summer to do so. G M