New Gator Record

***SMWS6TA*** · 09-18-2014, 01:01 PM

13 1/2 feet, 792 lbs. That's a lot of gator meat

U.S. Marine helps bag record alligator - GrindTV.com

**FasstChevys** · 09-18-2014, 01:02 PM

I've never had gator meat - but I'd love a gator wallet or pair of boots!

***SMWS6TA*** · 09-18-2014, 01:04 PM

Fried gator tail is damn good.

**FasstChevys** · 09-18-2014, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

Fried gator tail is damn good.

Is it normal to have that in 'regular' restuarants in LA, TX, GA, FL, etc, etc?

***SMWS6TA*** · 09-18-2014, 01:18 PM

Not in any chain restaurants but almost every mom & pop place along the Gulf Coast from Houston to FL you'll see it and anywhere in LA & MS. Hell I ate some at 6 flags (ATL) and Orlando Universal.

Around here Fried Gator tail, Fried Catfish, Season & Boiled Crawfish/Shrimp, and Gumbo (all kinds) are like steaks to TX, Lobsters to Maine, and Crabs to Alaska.

**Zinergy** · 09-18-2014, 01:19 PM

Gator is good. I have been to restuarants that have it even in WI. You can buy it at sendiks grocery stores around here. And all the beef jerky markets have it as well.

Look at what small villages in the phillipines have to deal with. 21 ft long, over 2,000lbs.

World's largest crocodile captured in the Philippines by villagers | Daily Mail Online

***SMWS6TA*** · 09-18-2014, 01:24 PM

Gators (Alligator) are not Croc's (Crocodile) , common mistake. They are cousins or brother/sisters however you want to look at it.

Croc's grow much bigger than Alligators. Salt Water Croc's can grow much bigger than the one you posted. Kinda living dinosaurs.

**Zinergy** · 09-18-2014, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

Gators (Alligator) are not Croc's (Crocodile) , common mistake. They are cousins or brother/sisters however you want to look at it.

Croc's grow much bigger than Alligators. Salt Water Croc's can grow much bigger than the one you posted. Kinda living dinosaurs.

I know this. Doesn't change the fact that a bunch of poor villagers captured a reptile over twice the weight. And then pulled it miles to the nearest road, and built a raft that they put it on to cross a river that was full of more crocs.

And I don't know how much bigger they get, but that is the largest CONFIRMED croc in the world.

**wileyCoyote** · 09-18-2014, 01:33 PM

gonna need a bigger "knife"

***SMWS6TA*** · 09-18-2014, 01:35 PM

I've heard stories from guys station over there that sometimes on jungle survival training, guys doing water crossings would just never make it across or come up.

**theorangeguy** · 09-18-2014, 02:34 PM

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

Fried gator tail is damn good.

Gator ribs > gator tail. Usually can't get ribs unless you catch the alligator yourself.

**theorangeguy** · 09-18-2014, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by FasstChevys

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

Fried gator tail is damn good.

Is it normal to have that in 'regular' restuarants in LA, TX, GA, FL, etc, etc?

Yep very very common everywhere in LA, Southeast Texas, Lower Mississippi, central and southern FL and Lower Alabama, but not that common in GA.

***SMWS6TA*** · 09-18-2014, 03:42 PM

Pat I've only had it battered & fried, how else is it cooked?

**theorangeguy** · 09-18-2014, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

Pat I've only had it battered & fried, how else is it cooked?

You can blacken gator tail and its pretty freaking good...I make gator parmesan all the time. Cook it the same way you do chicken. Fried is by far the most popular because the meat reacts really well to batter. We use it for kabobs too. Toss some andouille sausage, gator meat, onion, chicken, and shrimp on a stick and hit it with some slap ya mama. If you really want to step it up, you can dip the whole thing in batter and do a fried kabob...they are a-m-a-z-i-n-g but can result in a heart attack lol

Gator ribs are by far my favorite tho...you can cook them just like any other ribs. I do mine in an oiless fryer or on the grill.

**67CamaroRSSS** · 09-19-2014, 07:21 AM

I've had gator tail battered and fried. One of the many experiences I had while at Ft. Polk for AIT more than 40 years ago...

**theorangeguy** · 09-19-2014, 07:24 AM

Originally Posted by 67CamaroRSSS

I've had gator tail battered and fried. One of the many experiences I had while at Ft. Polk for AIT more than 40 years ago...

Ft. Polk...I know all about that place. My dad went through Ft. Polk.

***SMWS6TA*** · 09-19-2014, 07:28 AM

Originally Posted by theorangeguy

You can blacken gator tail and its pretty freaking good...I make gator parmesan all the time. Cook it the same way you do chicken. Fried is by far the most popular because the meat reacts really well to batter. We use it for kabobs too. Toss some andouille sausage, gator meat, onion, chicken, and shrimp on a stick and hit it with some slap ya mama. If you really want to step it up, you can dip the whole thing in batter and do a fried kabob...they are a-m-a-z-i-n-g but can result in a heart attack lol

Gator ribs are by far my favorite tho...you can cook them just like any other ribs. I do mine in an oiless fryer or on the grill.

All sound great.

I swear everything has "andouille sausage" in it around here. Don't get me wrong, I like it, it's just something that seems to be a main ingredient in all local food.

**theorangeguy** · 09-19-2014, 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

Originally Posted by theorangeguy

You can blacken gator tail and its pretty freaking good...I make gator parmesan all the time. Cook it the same way you do chicken. Fried is by far the most popular because the meat reacts really well to batter. We use it for kabobs too. Toss some andouille sausage, gator meat, onion, chicken, and shrimp on a stick and hit it with some slap ya mama. If you really want to step it up, you can dip the whole thing in batter and do a fried kabob...they are a-m-a-z-i-n-g but can result in a heart attack lol

Gator ribs are by far my favorite tho...you can cook them just like any other ribs. I do mine in an oiless fryer or on the grill.

All sound great.

I swear everything has "andouille sausage" in it around here. Don't get me wrong, I like it, it's just something that seems to be a main ingredient in all local food.

Don't take it for granted lol it's hard to get outside of the lower south...I couldn't find it anywhere when I lived north of Atlanta and I started to miss it.

**5.0THIS** · 09-19-2014, 11:46 PM

There's even a couple places in Colorado where you can get gator, or at least fried gator bites. I want to try it, but I can never get anyone I'm with to try it. I've heard it's fairly mild too, so I'm not sure why. Most anything you fry and then dip in something has a good chance of tasting good, although I still haven't had the nerve to try rocky mountain oysters.

**0rion** · 09-20-2014, 07:11 AM

Originally Posted by 5.0THIS

There's even a couple places in Colorado where you can get gator, or at least fried gator bites. I want to try it, but I can never get anyone I'm with to try it. I've heard it's fairly mild too, so I'm not sure why. Most anything you fry and then dip in something has a good chance of tasting good, although I still haven't had the nerve to try rocky mountain oysters.

tastes like chicken......just order the chicken nuggets and call it good.

There's a place about an hour from here that serves a ton of "exotic" type shit. I've ate the gator and rattle snack which are both pretty good....gator is a lot better IMO. They also sell caribou which my wife gets. Tried that......it's pretty good too but every time I go I get the buffalo. I'm a big fan of buffalo.