How to cook Snake

[savageagle]

How to cook snake


Instructions
1
Skin the snake prior to cutting into pieces. First, cut the head off with a sharp knife. Then, using the same knife, slit the skin down the body of the snake 5 inches. Grab hold of the slit
skin in one hand and the meat underneath in the other and pull the skin downward and away from the meat.
2
Cut the meat into small serving size filets using the sharp knife. Rinse the filets under cold water and pat dry.
3
Pour a 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a medium skillet and heat over a medium flame. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously on the filets. Dip the filets in buttermilk and then dredge in flour.
4
Add the filets to the oil in the skillet and cook for 4 to 6 minutes on each side. Filets should be golden brown in color.


Tips and Warnings

Snake meat gets most of its flavor from the way it is spiced and prepared. Cooking methods used for chicken will produce snake that tastes like chicken.

Avoid eating the head of snake, as this is where the venom is located if the snake happens to be of a poisonous variety.

The body of a snake does not contain venom and is safe for
consumption

 

[Myrrph]

pics?

 

[DrHenley]

You might want to wear nitrile gloves while skinning the snake. I don't know if it's true of all snakes, but the snake I skinned was very, shall we say, odoriferous.

I was smelling it on my hands for days afterwards and it would not wash off. It was from the skin, not the meat...

 

[jontte]

the only two snakes we have in finland are both protected so I must wait a while for this delicasy

 

[psalm 7]

We have Copperheads and big Timber Rattlers here . I kill theme when ever I see them . My Grand Kids like to play out side . I thought about cooking a Rattler before think I will next time . I do always keep the rattles .

 

[savageagle]

Between the last rain and posting this I killed on my 5 acres 2 about 2 foot-7 inches, 1 which was still in diapers and 1 that was 3 foot 3 inches. The season has been weird. No rain forever then all of a sudden several very wet and a couple brutal storms. I think the grass can sense there's not going to be any more rain because in 2 weeks it went from 3 inches tall to over 40 inches tall. I'm glad I only have to clear 100 feet from buildings and not the whole 5 acres. Buddy in fish&game said reports are up by 70% more than last year and they blame it on the lack of rain for so long and the storms that came so close together and very wet.
I tried to find a picture of a 44 inch rattler from last year I took. It got ran over 2-3 inches into the pavement at the top of my driveway. I was pulling out when I saw it and decided to take a shot of it. When I came back about 2 hours later I was amazed. Hundreds of meat bees had eaten 80% leaving only the head and the rattlers with about 2 inches of meat up from the rattlers. Hungry little suckers those meat bees. Been bitten several times and when I uploaded that first picture to my PC I noticed only 2 meat bees on the snake at that point. It doesn't take long till the whole family knows theres something on the road to munch on and then it's a free-frawl from then on. I've even had meat bees try to take a bite out of me when I had a fall and cut open a spot on my leg. I was wearing shorts and they smelled the blood and wanted some. I mean they ATTACK in an instant and if you don't cover it up your going to have that whole family after your meat in a hurry. I've even seen the suckers dive into a blazing pan of bacon and grease. It was hard to keep the pan clear of meat bees to cook the bacon. They are bad here.
The biggest i've seen up here in eastern fresno county was 5' 6" long. It was in a bush near the house and when I stuck the hoe in the bush hoping he'd wrap himself around it I was surprized at the snakes power when he bit it and was twisting it while I was trying to hold it still. Powerful. Just don't get caught by a little baby in diapers, they haven't learned how to meter what they give you which is everything at once.
The way I get rid of them if I find a nest close to the house (Their nests are in the ground, usually an abandoned gopher hole) is to wait til night time. sneak up slowly and quietly with a can of chemtool carb cleaner. They usually have at least two centries (guards) just at the opening of the hole. I use a soft or dim flashlight and spray the guards which stuns them while keeping the chemtool going til the can is emptied down into the hole which after the centries are stunned I get closer as to get as much chemtool deep into the hole and as soon as the chemtool runs out I light it.
Woosh, Up in smoke baby........Gets em every time.
CAUTION....... make sure you don't burn down the neighborhood. I'm at 3k feet and summertime with lot's of dry grass and as you may know where there is a gopher hole there is usually a back door of sorts. You can get several at times back-flashes from that one hole and if theres lots of dry grass it COULD be dangerous. I have never seen a meat bee escape while it's on fire so i've never worried about that.

 

[Wiredog8]

Diamond back rattlers ( crotalus) are good eating if done right. I like to cook them on the grill with a dash of Tony Chache salted seasoning.
Also, if you are gonna do breading, use corn meal.
Copperheads and cottonmouths can be prepared the same way.
You can also " cook" the meat with lemon juice.
Before wrangling snakes please read up on hemo-toxic and neurotoxic venoms and the snakes delivery systems.

 

[JarheadinDE]

Before wrangling snakes please read up on hemo-toxic and neurotoxic venoms and the snakes delivery systems.

Good info.

 

[Brent S]

You might want to wear nitrile gloves while skinning the snake. I don't know if it's true of all snakes, but the snake I skinned was very, shall we say, odoriferous.

I was smelling it on my hands for days afterwards and it would not wash off. It was from the skin, not the meat...

lots of snakes have a musk glands, and youre right about it not just washing off easily. i had a yellow ratsnake 'skunk' me once and it lasted for a couple days! It comes out of the anal opening, and is kind of oily. I think its a defense mechanism.

 

[Brent S]

i just saw an episode of naked and afraid. its a show where they drop off a man and a woman in some wilderness, complete strangers and butt naked, to survive for 21 days. anyways, these two finally caught a snake and cooked it over the fire so long it was too hard and dried out to eat. Ok, dumb. Well they caught another one a few days later, this time they tried smoking it, caught everything on fire and lost it as well. Youve got to be kidding, you go on a show about survival and cant even cook on a fire!!! The guy lost about 30 lbs, and the girl wasnt too far from that.

 

[Wiredog8]

Just saw that replay. Amusing to say the least.
People make mistakes in judgement when hungry or exhausted. That is why we all need to be as familiar with the wildlife, fauna as possible. What to/ not to eat is just as important as having shelter, water, and a defense/ flee plan. A gun won't help if you eat the wrong berries or mushrooms, or pick the wrong cactus to munch on. Even bugs, as nutritious as they can be, some require extra precautions in catching, eating. You really have to be careful if you have food allergies. You must educate yourself and plan accordingly. Survival is not a game, if you loose.
Ok, whose next on the soap box??

 

[Brent S]

Just saw that replay. Amusing to say the least.
People make mistakes in judgement when hungry or exhausted. That is why we all need to be as familiar with the wildlife, fauna as possible. What to/ not to eat is just as important as having shelter, water, and a defense/ flee plan. A gun won't help if you eat the wrong berries or mushrooms, or pick the wrong cactus to munch on. Even bugs, as nutritious as they can be, some require extra precautions in catching, eating. You really have to be careful if you have food allergies. You must educate yourself and plan accordingly. Survival is not a game, if you loose.
Ok, whose next on the soap box??

Your right about impaired judgement when hungry or thirsty. Yes you can live three days without water, but by two you're allready shot. Same with food, (although longer) when you're weak you can't function well. He'll, if I hadn't eaten in days, who needs it cooked?

 

[Wiredog8]

I would suggest cooking all meats before consumption.
You don't wanna get any parasites from the meat.
Also remember to cook grasshoppers before ingesting.

 

[Wiredog8]

Caught a six foot rattler today next to the house. My cat had it cornered, made a hell of a racket.
Gonna have some beer batter deep fry rattler tonight!!

 

[Wiredog8]

Caught another rattler. 5 foot with 13 rattles. Pretty hefty weight wise. Gonna tan the skin out and freeze the meat for another day.
Gotta love South Texas.

 

[Brent S]

Caught another rattler. 5 foot with 13 rattles. Pretty hefty weight wise. Gonna tan the skin out and freeze the meat for another day.
Gotta love South Texas.

I tried rattler once. It was kind of a cross between fish and chicken if I remember right.

 

[Wiredog8]

I tried rattler once. It was kind of a cross between fish and chicken if I remember right.

yes it is.

 

[psalm 7]

Next one I kill I'm going to tan the hide . Mad at myself for not keeping them before . I always kept the rattles . I don't have any in the yard unless we have a mid to late summer drought .

 

[Wiredog8]

I " Tan" my snake hides in such a way as they come out like parchment paper. First I skin the snake. Then I use an Arrow brand T-50 staple gun to stretch and staple the hide SCALES DOWN (DAN!) to a sheet of plywood, being careful to keep the center line of the skin straight, and not to over stretch the hide. BE sure to insert the staples parallel to the edge of the skin and to place them as close to the edge of the skin as possible ( about 1/16 th of an inch in from edge of skin.

Once the skin is secured, i use a soft brush ( finger nail brush works good ) and 20 Mule Team Borax detergent ( Borax is preffered, DO NOT USE BORIC ACID!) mixed with water to lightly scrub excess meat and connective tissue from the skin. Be carefull not to spend too much time in one spot, the skin is thin and you can wear a hole in it, or tear it.

After cleaning is completed, rinse skin ( still attached to plywood ) with clean water until skin is good and clean, no Borax or meat.

After rinsing, set the plywood out in the sunlight for a couple of hours or until completely dry. I like to stand mine up as opposed to laying flat.

Once the skin is dry, rub it with plain old MINERAL OIL ( Do not use cooking oil or motor oil ) and set it out to dry as before.

Once it is dried, re-oil it and let dry same as before.

After all this has been completed, use a sharp razor blade to cut skin from board. Cut just outside of the staples, take your time.

After you have cut the skin free from the plywood, use a sharp pair of scissors to trim the edges of the skin and remove any jagged edges.

If you want to mount the skin on a board:
Buy some white poster board ( enough to trace [outline] the skin on it twice.
After outlinning the skin, cut the poster board " skins " out. Double check after cutting that if you lay the skin ontop of the cut outs that there is no poster board sticking out past edges.
Using RUBBER CEMENT, glue the first set of poster board skins (Slick side) to the under side of the snake skin, NOT ON THE SCALES SIDE, apply second layer of poster board to first layer of poster board.

Attach Complete snake skin( poster board side down ) to a board long enough and wide enough to allow that board is longer and wider than snake skin, using RUBBER CEMENT. Then let dry over night.
After the Rubber Cement is dry, use a natural shallac to coat the skin and board. Let dry. repeat. Then apply shallac to sides and back. All six sides of the board should get 2 COATS OF SHALLAC.

Now, WHY THE POSTER BOARD?
As the shallac ages it will turn a darker amber color depending on exposure to sunlight. The white poster board is used as a reflective backing to bounce the light waves back to your eyes and make the skin more visible and vibrant.
HINTS:
If you want to make it look really "old western" you can use the antique furniture tacks along the edges of the skin. But if you use them, be sure to do the tack work BEFORE the shallac treatments.
Also you can use a wood burner pen to label the board with the date, time, place, and captors name, again before the shallac

This is a great project to do with kids, they have a great time and learn about the physiology of the snake, and learn to respect the animal and honor it for its sacrifice.

 

[psalm 7]

Just found a large strip of shed skin from a large Timber Rattler in a shed I keep tools in . He's on my radar now I'll have him stretched on a board . I have Grand Kids I cant let him live in my yard .

 

[jimLE]

yeah..you deffintly wanna get that snake..especially seeing how kids dont always watch out for snakes..

 

[psalm 7]

Went out to my tool shed and saw a littlie white batam hen throwing a fit . I started looking around and there was a chicken snake that found a nest she made and was eating eggs . It was about 4ft long . I let it go they eat rodents and only bite if bothered . Also this morning saw a black racer in the eadge of the yard about 3ft long I let him go also they will kill and eat rattle snakes . These are known as the dog days of summer and snakes seem to like them so I got my .357 and went looking for the Rattler mentioned earlier but he is not to be found .

 

[jimLE]

maybe the black racer was just searching for one..or some other means of food..and hadn't found anything yet...

 

[lilmamaKAnna]

So gonna try making snake now.