636315 Mon Jul 13 15:04:15 -0700 2009 44 31 Home Cooking 0 4854950 Hey guys Wondering how to cook burmese python. I had some fillets this weekend and hit them with some salt and pepper, lime juice and cilantro marinade and threw it on the grill. It came out super rubbery. Anyone have any experience with this or some suggestions? The only recipe I've been able to find is one that suggests poaching. Thanks! Mon Jul 13 15:04:15 -0700 2009 210760 captainspacefood 1 4854994 I suggest a 1-day marinade with soy sauce, orange juice concentrate, scallions, ginger, and honey. Bake it with the marinade and baste occasionally. Florida is overrun with them; we need to make them delicious. Mon Jul 13 15:19:46 -0700 2009 4854950 57170 Veggo 2 4855535 There is not any ethnic market for them, that I know of. I think everyone of all ancestral heritage is equally in fear of them. House pets are snack food. They are truly to be feared. Mon Jul 13 18:21:54 -0700 2009 4855102 57170 Veggo 3 4855701 I googled "python as meat" and found snake steaks on sale, actually. You may have my share. Mon Jul 13 19:20:37 -0700 2009 4855535 15521 Querencia 1 4855652 How fun! I have not seen a python set for cooking. Tell us what the meat is like (like is it steakable or done like a regular snake). I would think mixed in a jambalaya or an etouffe would be nice. Depending on where you got it, it is bound to have a hint of seafood flavor. You could also spit roast it on the grill after marinating it in a mojo or just with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then there is frying. I would soak it first in some buttermilk over night and then make a mix of flour and cornmeal. You could make a nice tropical sauce that is sweet and sour to serve along side. Yum. If you can supply pics... Mon Jul 13 19:02:32 -0700 2009 4854950 137755 Sal Vanilla 1 4855715 i will give you lots of wonderful recipe ideas, but first you have to tell me where you obtained burmese python fillets! Mon Jul 13 19:24:14 -0700 2009 4854950 230242 madkittybadkitty 2 4856367 maybe it's the one dispatched after killing the baby in florida. http://www.ocala.com/article/20090712/ARTICLES/907121015/1001/NEWS01?Title=After-python-tragedy-will-girl-s-parents-face-criminal-prosecution- they should allow bounty hunting of those snakes in the 'glades. people are so irresponsible with these exotic species in non-native environments, and they escape or are "liberated" by idiots. then they wreak havoc on the eco-system. Tue Jul 14 04:41:11 -0700 2009 4855715 105717 alkapal 3 4856894 Back in April, there was a long New Yorker piece on the pythons and other escaped exotic reptiles/amphibians that are successfully reproducing in Florida's canals and wetlands, It's a tall order to overcome the "yuck" factor, but I hope catching these critters as food will become routine . At present it is costing the state a lot of money to try to control their spread - a food demand would limit that expense and also take some pressure off dwindling edible fish species. Tue Jul 14 07:49:16 -0700 2009 4856367 159317 greygarious 4 4857007 I dunno, that approach didn't work with nutrias, which were another pest species touted as food years ago. Here in the DC area, there was lots of concern a couple of years ago about snakehead fish showing up in the Potomac. I had several conversations about how we could solve the problem with a couple of Food section features. I eagerly await chowisdom on this python matter. Tue Jul 14 08:18:43 -0700 2009 4856894 280735 tcamp 3 4856996 Oh good grief, I agree with you 100%. Tue Jul 14 08:16:23 -0700 2009 4856367 50431 chef chicklet 3 4858915 Dispatched... LOL I think they are bounty hunting those buggers. I found a python baking himself on our dock when we lived in FL. If the neighbor (strange freak - who keeps a snake in their little apartment?) did not come to claim him, I may have shot him straight thru the head with a speargun and tossed him on the barby. Yep. Tough girl. Tue Jul 14 16:47:02 -0700 2009 4856367 137755 Sal Vanilla 1 4856688 The 2-3 times I've had snake, it's been rubbery (I haven't been in charge of cooking it). Makes sense, though, as it's all lean, highly-used muscle. I would go with cooking techniques that are recommended for any lean, tough meat, so grilling wouldn't be high on the list. Braising, stewing, poaching would be the way to proceed. For those wondering, the snake I've had has been white meat and mildly flavored, sort of a cross between scallop and chicken with a hint of gaminess thrown in. Tue Jul 14 06:58:30 -0700 2009 4854950 50613 weezycom 2 4857120 "cooking techniques that are recommended for any lean, tough meat" Hmm, that's exactly why I would think grilling *would* be a good option. If this meat is lean and doesn't have any fat or connective tissue that would melt under slow cooking, it would just get tougher and tougher if you braised it. Or is there connective tissue? Hmm, interesting question. I'm wondering if some of the techniques used for octopus, which is also often tough and rubbery, could be used here. Pounding, marinating, either very quick or very long cooking, but not somewhere in between. Or take a cue from abalone, another often rubbery meat. I think pounding is the solution used there, but I haven't cooked it myself. Tue Jul 14 08:41:02 -0700 2009 4856688 19542 Karen_Schaffer 2 4860000 lol, weezycom, i was going to ask if it tasted like "chicken"? Wed Jul 15 05:02:29 -0700 2009 4856688 105717 alkapal 1 4856770 First you need a very, very long meatloaf pan Tue Jul 14 07:18:39 -0700 2009 4854950 151974 HotMelly 2 4856821 HotMelly, you made me laugh out loud with that comment about the loaf pan! Made me think of the 'I Love Lucy' episode where she is attempting to make bread, and makes too much dough. She puts the bread in the oven, and when she goes to take it out, the bread and loaf pan is as long as the kitchen! As long as a python, at least. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLdf8WwkMWw Tue Jul 14 07:30:36 -0700 2009 4856770 95489 mschow 2 4856887 A 10 ft piece of aluminum Gutter with end caps!!! Tue Jul 14 07:48:02 -0700 2009 4856770 225234 KiltedCook 3 4858921 Aren't you the creative one! Kitchen McGyver! Tue Jul 14 16:48:57 -0700 2009 4856887 137755 Sal Vanilla 1 4856919 Can't comprehend why anyone would want ro eat anything like a reptile! Is there something wrong with me?? Perhaps I could understand it if a body were all alone on a deserted island, desperate, hungry, and had to eat whatever is available, or could be caught, to keep body-and-soul together, But in this "land-of-plenty", with supermarkets buldging with appetizing, wholesome, affordable foods.....why (uggh) snakes!!! ??? Tue Jul 14 07:57:30 -0700 2009 4854950 65993 Lisbet 2 4857089 What better way to eat green and local??? AND wipe out a pest in the process... but yes, the yuck-factor is high. Tue Jul 14 08:34:16 -0700 2009 4856919 197613 gourmetloveaffair 2 4857227 You will find many folks disagreeing with your assessment of supermarket foods as wholesome and affordable. Responsible stewardship of the environment would suggest that we use edible nuisance species as food to replace some of the more intensive use of natural resources required to raise livestock. People already eat alligator - you can buy it in Whole Foods. Supermarkets commonly sell pig ears and snouts in their offal section. (I have never had these and will admit to a major "yuck" reaction, but if they were served to me, I'd be "game" to taste them.) It's all in your outlook - if you were on your desert island and saw a snake and a crab (never having seen either species before), which one would you try first? Tue Jul 14 09:04:25 -0700 2009 4856919 159317 greygarious 3 4857776 Le'me know when they start packaging rat and mouse tenders....maybe shrews, too. We also have too many stray animals (cats & dogs) that are an environmental nuisance, or hazzard. How adout insects? I know that there are numerous cultures in the world, but I sure wouldn't want to adopt their dietary customs when it comes to meats. Tue Jul 14 11:27:50 -0700 2009 4857227 65993 Lisbet 4 4861568 Rice field rats in the rainfed rice areas of Burma are really good. The Burmese won't touch rats that live close to humans, but trap those out in the rice fields. And it makes all kinds of sense: the rats are responsible for substantial losses of rice. Snake is a part of the diet in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam: I liked every snake dish I ate there. Wed Jul 15 13:12:31 -0700 2009 4857776 36661 Sam Fujisaka 5 4863520 how was the snake prepared? Any recipes for us? Thu Jul 16 06:53:05 -0700 2009 4861568 50613 weezycom 6 4863846 You may have missed what I posted below: I've had a lot of snake in Vietnam simmered quickly in soy, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, Chinese cooking wine, touch of sugar, bit of lime juice - served over stir fried vegetables. They're often stir fried in a wok as well. The quick simmering was my favorite, however. The only variable was that the smaller snakes are cut cross-wise, leaving a lot of bones to sort through. It's easier with large snakes where you can get clean fillets (I have no experience filleting snakes and would love to get my hands on some Florida - Burmese pythons to be able to learn). Thu Jul 16 08:23:12 -0700 2009 4863520 36661 Sam Fujisaka 5 4866962 Same idea, I guess as squab vs. pigeon. No one would eat a city pigeon, I don't think. But squab, due to a better diet than city scraps, is delicious. Fri Jul 17 07:30:04 -0700 2009 4861568 157056 grandgourmand 3 4864529 good point... Thu Jul 16 11:06:57 -0700 2009 4857227 729068 cookieluvntasha 2 4858925 How about gator meat? YUM! The super markets may be bulging, but I will take my own catch or quarry over the prepackaged stuff any day! Tue Jul 14 16:50:42 -0700 2009 4856919 137755 Sal Vanilla 3 4859410 I.... love..... alligator. The meat is just so sweet and delicious! Why would anyone have chicken sausage when they can have alligator sausage? Tue Jul 14 19:36:06 -0700 2009 4858925 264146 kubasd 4 4860005 it's a little tough, though, don't you think? Wed Jul 15 05:04:28 -0700 2009 4859410 105717 alkapal 5 4866718 If you have tough gator meat a Jaccard tendorizer is priceless for home use. When I was working in Fl we could get gator alreay needled. Not tough at all. http://www.jaccard.com/ Fri Jul 17 05:54:29 -0700 2009 4860005 253154 Fritter 6 4866859 Y'alls use that thing before or after y'alls kill the gator? Fri Jul 17 06:53:59 -0700 2009 4866718 36661 Sam Fujisaka 6 4867065 i have that tenderizer, too. Fri Jul 17 07:59:56 -0700 2009 4866718 105717 alkapal 2 5336463 I would much rather eat snake (meat from a vertebrate) than bugs like shrimp, crab, crawfish, snails(escargot), scallops, mussels, etc. Same goes for organs and offal.... Wed Jan 20 12:12:56 -0800 2010 4856919 287602 DigitalVelvet 1 4857459 Hey all - thanks for the replies. So to be clear, no one has any actual experience with cooking python, right? And we're divided on whether slow cooking methods or grilling are hypothetically best? It came from the Cambridge location of this place: http://www.savenorsmarket.com/ And it came vacuum sealed as filets, maybe 8 inches long and 4 inches wide. Tue Jul 14 10:04:42 -0700 2009 4854950 210760 captainspacefood 2 4858933 I like your sense of adventure. How about popping the thicker piece on the grill, fry the thinner pieces and take the other filet and do that yummy Thai style braise someone was suggesting. A boa trilogy. I have cooked rattle snake. Do not forget to post what you did and the taste/texture details. And pics if you can manage it. OK?? Tue Jul 14 16:53:47 -0700 2009 4857459 137755 Sal Vanilla 2 4859173 aww, shucks. i thought you had a row with your neighbor with the python pet and decided, HA, so there! to be honest, the only snakey things I have cooked and eaten are pretty tame - buttermilk fried rattlesnake, and lots of grilled unagi. I'm not entirely sure, but I would treat a big snake like a big lean fish. We all know swordfish and tuna get really dry when totally cooked. I like everything raw (except maybe chicken), but I'm not totally sure about eating python raw. What about an oil poach, which is really good for big swordfish-like fish? 1/2 small pot EVOO to just a bare simmer, flavor with whatever you feel like. I personally wouldn't grill unless you slice thin and baste a lot. Tue Jul 14 18:14:06 -0700 2009 4857459 230242 madkittybadkitty 3 4859306 Oil poaching sounds like a terrific idea. Tue Jul 14 18:59:57 -0700 2009 4859173 137755 Sal Vanilla 4 4864411 Ooh - if you're going that route - how about snake baked in parchment? with a little olive oil, lemon and some shallots...maybe ginger? Thu Jul 16 10:37:37 -0700 2009 4859306 200569 emmaroseeats 2 4861574 I've had a lot of snake in Vietnam simmered quickly in soy, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, Chinese cooking wine, touch of sugar, bit of lime juice. Wed Jul 15 13:14:24 -0700 2009 4857459 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 4864827 OK, no experience with a large snake, but many years ago I had a piece of a much smaller water snake cooked by the campfire in NE at a camp I attended. The snake was caught by a counselor in a swamp we were trekking through, gutted and packed in clay (skin on) that was placed in the coals. In my dim recollection, it cooked for some time as the fire burned down. When it was dug out of the coals, the skin was peeled back revealing a long muscle that separated cleanly. Counselors cut it up and some of the more daring campers ate a piece. I recall it was not bad. No seasonings, much smaller snake... but it might give you some ideas.. Thu Jul 16 12:24:14 -0700 2009 4857459 261092 BernalKC 1 4863132 http://www.rattlesnakerecipe.us/recipes.htm I wonder if this might help? Thu Jul 16 00:54:34 -0700 2009 4854950 67706 WCchopper 1 4863200 the burmese python may be in greater supply soon, as a food item. the florida wildlife commission is just starting a pilot program to allow certain herpetologists to hunt, capture and kill the invasive snakes on state land: http://www.winknews.com/news/local/50803382.html http://xml.orlandosentinel.com/sfl-nelson-pythons-everglades-bn071409,0,5146500.story get out your machetes, folks! Thu Jul 16 03:37:24 -0700 2009 4854950 105717 alkapal 2 5338132 Eat 'em before they eat you! Thu Jan 21 04:25:27 -0800 2010 4863200 1095104 bushwickgirl 2 5338419 I've never cooked a snake but did eat some grilled rattlesnake on a backpacking trip years ago. However, I confess that I am intrigued by the notion of finding delicious ways to reduce invasive species populations. Here in the DC area, when snake head fish were discovered in the Potomac, I kept wishing the Post food section would do a piece on ways to prepare. Get those local puppies on the menu at upscale dc joints and we could overfish them out of existence! Thu Jan 21 07:13:09 -0800 2010 4863200 280735 tcamp