BLOODY MARY ALLIGATOR

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Defrost and Prep your Alligator.

1. Put your alligator in the refrigerator 2 days ahead of cooking it to thaw (but you can always short cut it by putting it in water)

2. Before you start preparing the alligator, get your smoker or grill going (you want your temperature to be 250-275 degrees).

3. After the alligator is thawed out, we are going to open the cavity and clean it out. I usually take a large spoon and scrape the inside, and then I cut off any fat or pieces of meat that might be hanging from them cutting the alligator open.

4. After I have washed the inside and outside, I pat the alligator (DRY).

For the recipe..

1) The night before take you gator and place it in a tray or on a cookie sheet. Then start to make deep cuts along the legs and down the back and deeper on the tail. This can be done along the left and right sides that is where our Tenderloin and Sirloin are. You can also go to our FB Page and find a video of me preparing one on KTBS TV's Rick Rowe Show.

2) Slowly Pour your Favorite Vodka all over and rub it in good to make sure it gets down into the slits.

3) Next, we do the same with our Bloody Mary Mix.

4) Let it set over night in the Refrigerator if you have room if not prepare the next morning.

5) Next morning, we want to repeat the steps we did the night before.

6) Now we are on to stuffing our gator, use your Grandma's Corn Bread Dressing or mine you can find on website and add a few things. You can add sausage, shrimp, crawfish tail meat, cream cheese, whatever your heart desires.

7) Now we take our rub, remember our gator is a very lean meat and it will take on the flavor you add. So, whatever you do keep using your own rub unless you want to try something different. There is no need to change up just because it is a gator. If you like to inject, please do so in the tail.

8) We need to wrap the gator in bacon, to add flavor and to help keep the gator moist during cooking.

9) We want to cook it at 250-275 degrees until the thickest part of the tail reaches between 185-190 degrees. When that happens, it is ready to eat.

10) Set back and enjoy the time you have had with your Family and Friends in preparing this Unique Louisiana Delicacy.

11) After the gator is ready to eat you will ENJOY the tasting of something you have created. And please send us a picture so we can add it to our wall!

As my Grand Ma would say while she was thumping you on the head for asking so many questions when you wanted to know how she cooked food that you loved. Now, she was all of 90 lbs., but you would think the thump came from a 240 lbs. man. Then she would say KISS is how we do it. I am 70 years old so when you are told KISS at 10 years old you have no idea what she was talking about. Then she explains we are going to (KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID). So, I will try not to have flash backs and give you this recipe. You can always adjust it, to fit you needs.

1. Put your alligator in the refrigerator 2 days ahead of cooking it to thaw (but you can always short cut it by putting it in water.
2. Before you start preparing the alligator, get your smoker or grill going (you want your temperture to be 250-275 degrees).
3. After the alligator is thawed out, we are going to open the cavity and clean it out. I usually take a large spoon and scrape the inside, and then I cut off any fat or pieces of meat that might be hanging from them cutting the alligator open.
4. After I have washed the inside and outside, I pat the alligator (DRY). Next, we are going to cut slits about an inch long down the back, sides, legs and tail meat. Make sure you make several slits. Then I usually take between 4 and 6 slits and make them a little deeper, this is because I like garlic, so I am going to stuff a clove each in those 4-6 slits.
5. Now we start getting into the fun stuff, I look around for my favorite night cap (Jack Danial’s) and rub a generous amount on to the alligator. I am wanting to be able to have something for my rub to adhere to. Now this is one that I added that Grand Ma did not teach me, she used (Moonshine). Most of us have our favorite rub that we use when we are grilling or smoking our food. Do not change just because it is an alligator. The alligator is a lean meat with almost no fat so it will take to the flavor you put on it. You can use a rub that you find in the Cajun section of your local Market if you choose. (or you can check out our friends at BC Seasonings & Rubs)
6. When you put your rub on, make sure you cover everything. With the alligator being such a (lean meat), we are going to (wrap it in bacon). Now we do not want to use a smoked bacon, (no competing flavors) with our rub. We don't want our alligator to dry out and keep splintering during the late stages of the cooking.
7. It’s time to put your handy work on the smoker or grill. Make sure your temperature is between 250-275 degrees and steady. Depending on the weight of the alligator this will be a 4-hour process. The most important part of cooking comes into play now. We want to keep checking the meat at the thickest part of the alligator which is behind the back legs were the tail comes off the back. You want your temperature to be between 175-190.
8. If you want to save the Head or Feet (great back scratchers), wrap them in aluminum foil.
9. A lot of people brine their meat and that’s okay, I usually do not but when I have, I put it in (butter milk for 2 days in the refrigerator) with a little seasoning like bay leaves, thyme, and whole allspice.

Enjoy everyone and please like us on FB at Big Pop’s Fresh Louisiana Seafood and post your PICTURES.