# RATTLESNAKE (smoked)



## tukson

Well, since I can't find a recipe to smoke a rattlesnake.... we will have to improvise...

to start with we will soak it in milk for about 4 hours... I've read lemon juice sesame seed etc.. but we have had the best luck with milk to remove some of the musky taste in large catfish, so we will apply this to smoked rattlesnake... I have only eaten them fried and I'm guessing that smoked will allow a better taste of the meat which is a bit gamy tasting for lack of a better word.... first, as in all wild game the initial care and cleaning is half the battle... immediately skinned with head carefully removed and tail cut off then split from stem to stern ...and all guts removed... then placed in a plastic bag and put in ice chest... we held it in fridge overnight and this morning I put it in the milk to soak for a few hours while I run around and tend to a few errands .....


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## eman

Can't wait to see how this comes out!

 I think you did right by using milk instead of lemon juice as the citric acid would start the cooking process.


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## tukson

Yeah, eman, I have a lot of confidence in milk soaks ... I don't know the chemistry behind it, but I learned it many years ago from my granny... she used to soak large catfish, gar, drum and the like in milk before cooking and it truly removed the musky taste from that type of meat... ok, now I'm still just winging it.. don't have a clue what to do now, so when all else fails use a lot of spices.....LOL. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Its been about 4 hours in the milk bath and now I drained and rinsed it .. coated it with Caribbean Jerk.. thats the name of the marinade and it is loaded with a lot of spices... put it back in the fridge and will let it sit another couple of hours ... then start the smoker ...


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## dauntless

watching this with major interest!


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## tukson

So am I !


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## ecto1

Grew up in South Texas and have eaten Rattlesnake many a times but never smoked.  This is very interesting.


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## Bearcarver

I'm watching too. 

I feel very safe from here, especially since you got rid of the head.

I only had RS one time & I thought it was better than chicken.

Smoked has to be really good.

Keep us posted,

Bear


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## tukson

LOL.... yeah, Bear, I talked my 10 year old grandson into getting us one to smake or rather smoke.

He was all too willing for mom's likes and grandma's ... I am for sure in trouble with the girls... but the grandson loves it..... You can't win them all...

ECTO1, I grew up in Oklahoma and went to school for a couple of years in western Okla and some of the small towns around there had rattlesnake hunts and you could find it boiled, kabobed and fried.. but like you I have never seen it smoked and when I googled it nothing came up either... so what the heck..

might find the next fad... low fat .. no cholesterol.. and hormone and antibiotic free.... wow ..now if it is only good tasting.


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## miamirick

what would sister sara do?


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## the dude abides

As I was reading this my wife and daughter looked over my shoulder and at the same time..."YUCK".  too funny.  Hope it works out for ya.  Keep us posted with all the little details.  That would be a good idea for the next guy that googles "smoked rattlesnake".  Heck you may be famous some day.

Hey Jeff, are you listening?  Still got room in that cookbook for one more very interesting recipie?


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## tukson

Too Funny Dude, my wife (avid snake hater) won't even open the fridge now that she knows what we put in there... we kept it a secret till she saw me taking the pictures this morning... OOPS! ... 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Now we could get off into how young and tender this snake is, but I don't know if snakes get tough with age or not... ?   in any case we figgered ( okie for thinkin ) might as well get a small one in case it proves to be a real spitter.... 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Well, now back to business... I have the smoker going at about 190f .. and we are going to try and keep a bit of moisture in the reptile. .. using a disposable aluminum cookie sheet with low sides so to get as much smoke as possible on the meat.. added a 1/2 cup of chicken bullion and left a lot of the marinade on as well.. . Planning to smoke an hour at low temp then wrap in foil and leave on till probe shows about 150f ... may take a piece off then and let the rest go higher or if it seems done at that point we will stop.... who knows... ?


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## squirrel

OMG I am such a girl because that is just creeping me out. Not so much that I wouldn't want to try it though! It's not that I'm afraid of snakes, as I have learned that for the most part they are as freaked out about seeing me scream bloody murder as I am of seeing them. It's just that element of surprise when you come up on one. Dang it, I will hurt myself more just from the initial shock. Poor things.


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## Bearcarver

Sounds good----Might be good to un-foil for awhile at the end & turn it up to get some "crispy" on the outside----Just thinkin'.

Bear

Do they get tough with age?----Yup, some I wouldn't touch with a 10' pole----Others I wouldn't touch with a 12' pole!!!

I got a buddy that aint quite right. Years ago we were working on his cabin and drove down to a stream to wash up. On the way back a 6' plus Timber Rattler crossed the road. He yells for me to stop. Then prances into the woods (with a lot of low ground cover) with shorts & flip-flop shower shoes on, and a knife. Found a stick with a "Y" on it, pinned it down, and killed it. We didn't eat that one, but he skinned it & stretched it on a board for his H & F room wall.


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## tukson

Calm down Squirrel, this reptile is feelin no pain... LOL.. even Obsessive and Crazy has its limits... 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





In all honesty, even if this is fantastic, my wife will not let me do it again... my grandson and I snuck this one in without her knowing .. but we've been had now and its not settin well with her.... (texican for being in deep do do) ( i'm bilingual .. both texican and okie )

Now back to business! this meat is so thin that even at 185f in the smoker .. the probe reads 132f already at 40minutes. and I have it setting at the cooler end by the smoke stack. I am just letting the smoker go and not adding any wood .. by the way I am using about 80% hickory and a couple of small sticks of mesquite... exhaust 100% open and firebox vent only about 20% open.


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## miamirick

COME ON no clint eastwood fans on this site?


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## tukson

She would shoot first and ask how later!

Not to mention .... I've got to find a burro for my next smoke...


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## tukson

OH no!   I've hit the dreaded 145f stall........ 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





the smoker temp has lowered to 180f and the probe has really slowed down and is at 145f now 1hr and 15min into the smoke. .. I put a small stick of mesquite to keep it up around 190f and knocked off the ash in the firebox. ... we also flipped the reptile over to keep it a bit more moist on the back... and I foiled it at the 145f mark .... here is what it looks like before flipping....







sorry about the lighting .... can't control the Arizona sun....


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## Bearcarver

miamirick said:


> COME ON no clint eastwood fans on this site?


Nun/Prosti ???


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## Bearcarver

tukson,

Are you kidding?

I didn't think you'd hit a stall with a skinny thing like a Rattlesnake.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


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## tukson

Bear, Yes totally joking!.... my probe has tenths and you can see them ticking off like a clock.... this meat is so thin that I'm not sure what the reading is...everytime I move the probe a tiny bit the reading is changed... I tried another one that I trust totally and its just too thin to get a good reading over a long time....

I just cut off an inch of the tail at what I think is 150f and the taste is fantastic... really, no joke.. but the texture is very much like that of a frog leg... not tough, but a bit rubbery ... for lack of a better word, but again not unpleasant.. the flavor is very very good. ... I sprinkled a bit of Paul's/Beer-B-Q Chipolte powder on it for a bit of a bite and I could very easily make a meal of this... the tail piece I ate, of course has a lot of bones in it and is like gnawing on a smoked chicken neck... I am anxiously awaiting the rest of it to be done so that I can try a larger piece of meat... it is in no way drying out yet and may change texture as it cooks to a higher internal temp... we will see.... 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





It is still wrapped in foil and like Bear suggested I may unwrap it for the last hour or so if it still seems like it is going to hold the moisture in the meat.... So far I think it was a good idea to soak in milk and to also add a bit of chicken broth to the pan while smoking...;


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## jaxgatorz

miamirick said:


> what would sister sara do?


I reckon


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## beer-b-q

1st Though: *YUCK!!!*

2nd Though: *YUCK, YUCK!!!*

3rd Thought:  *BREAKING NEWS: **Rattlesnake Bitten By Man!!!*

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*


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## tukson

Paul, now that is the perfect size to smoke... 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Summary, my reptile is definitely too small... it is moist and very pleasant tasting, but it is definitely like eating the meat off a chicken neck... I took the internal (as best as I could determine) up to 165f.. the meat is not as rubbery, but tender, and I would not have uncovered it at the end because it needs the tenderness and juices that form with the foil wrap .. the one that I had is way too small to allow the surface to have more smoke and not stay wrapped for the tenderness .... I believe the temps have worked well and it can not be smoked at a higher temp even if a larger snake is used.. up to 145f then foiled then up to 160f then eaten while still very warm.... Over the years I have eaten many wild creatures and I promise smoked rattlesnake is definitely one of the best flavored meats that I have tried... it is worth doing again (if grandma will let me) and I would definitely try and find a 6footer or larger.... there is absolutely NO hint of musky or bad flavor... clean skin wash and ice within an hour of harvesting it.. chill overnight at 34f wash and soak in milk in the fridge for 4hours minimum.. rinse and soak in marinade for a couple of hours ... I imagine zesty kraft italian salad dressing would make a great marinade for it also... put in a flat pan and add 1/2 cup chicken broth or bullion and smoke heavy for 1 to 1.5 hours at 190f ... this is important if you have a small snake like I used. .. because it will dry out in a heart beat if not continually cared for while in the smoker. ..

This is the finished product... 
	

		
			
		

		
	















I said it had the texture of frog legs on an earlier post, and I take that back now that I took it up to 160f internal temp... the meat is very much like the moistness and texture of a chicken neck... excellent flavor and tender!


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## pit 4 brains

So that was too small eh? I'm glad to hear that 'cause I just whacked a Mojave last week and nailed the skin up on a beam at the cabin and left the carcas near an anthill for bone cleaning. I haven't hought of smoking one so hopefully my next encounter will be with a big, meaty Western Diamondback..


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## Bearcarver

tukson said:


> Bear, Yes totally joking!.... my probe has tenths and you can see them ticking off like a clock.... this meat is so thin that I'm not sure what the reading is...everytime I move the probe a tiny bit the reading is changed... I tried another one that I trust totally and its just too thin to get a good reading over a long time....
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> It is still wrapped in foil and like Bear suggested I may unwrap it for the last hour or so if it still seems like it is going to hold the moisture in the meat.... So far I think it was a good idea to soak in milk and to also add a bit of chicken broth to the pan while smoking...;


Reminds me of a recipe for Jerky. They tell you to slice it in 1/4" pieces. Then it shrinks to 1/8" while smoking it. Then they tell you to measure the "INTERNAL" temp! What---Are they NUTS ? 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


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## tukson

Yeah Bear, sometimes you can read these recipes and KNOW they haven't been done like the way stated.... it just doesn't work...
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Pit 4 B, one of my sons here in Tucson is a Fireman and those guys spend their summers responding to Rattlesnake calls, people move here and decide they don't want the rattlesnakes that come with their retirement homes.. LOL... My son just told me this morning that about 80% of the snakes they round up in August is Diamondbacks and he is wanting to get a large one for the next smoke, (that is if the girls will let us) ... right now their dump site of live rattlesnakes is a valley outside one of the firestations... He brings all the big king snakes home since they are territorial and they help keep the small rattlers run off from our place...


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## mballi3011

Heck give me a plate and I'm diggin in too. That looks wonderful and if I could get some rattle snake here in Fla. (I know we have them here too) Now I have eaten rattle snake before but it was fried to death but pretty darn good. Now Cheryl the snake is dead and delious too. So man up and try some. JK


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## sharonazamboni

Oh, boy. How did I miss this thread? 

I've got a house in Phoenix, and when we move there(hopefully next year), I'm gonna pay big money for a snake -killed and cleaned!-  then smoke that rattler and feed it to my husband on the sly. The big guy will totally wig out. That's what I'm lookin for...a little bit o' fun. Cause I know he'll enjoy it while he's eating. I wonder how many times he'll have "chicken" before I get caught.


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## tukson

SharonaZamboni, I am certain that if you carefully cut the meat in small strips about 1 or 2 inches long and placed inside tacos or enchiladas it would be easily passed off as chicken... 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





ps.. when you get to Phoenix.. go to a firestation and ask for a large rattlesnake. if they won't give you one come down to Tucson and ask there.. LOL.. we have a surplus of varieties and only two species are protected... they are a renewable resource here...


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## beer-b-q

SharonaZamboni said:


> Oh, boy. How did I miss this thread?
> 
> I've got a house in Phoenix, and when we move there(hopefully next year), I'm gonna pay big money for a snake -killed and cleaned!-  then smoke that rattler and feed it to my husband on the sly. The big guy will totally wig out. That's what I'm lookin for...a little bit o' fun. Cause I know he'll enjoy it while he's eating. *I wonder how many times he'll have "chicken" before I get caught. *


 Friends say she died smiling, Funeral is Wednesday...


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## pit 4 brains

> I'm gonna pay big money for a snake -killed and cleaned!-


 Let's start the bidding! I know of several places to go get a good-sized rattler near the Valley, so no need to go to Tucson to _pay_ for one when I'll be more than happy to provide you the meat at a fair "reimbursment" but the skin is mine..


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## tukson

Well, I will throw in the skin... got too many now....


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## johnconnor12

its ...like yak


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