Gator Anyone?

Killed near Houma, 16' long and over a thousand pounds:

 

Wow, a suitcase, briefcase, couple of pairs of boots, and some good eatin' there.
Was it in a residential area?

 

Cool...You know i fly in a lot in helicopter's...
We have flown in over the cypress swamp's East of Dularge from time to time...I've seen at least 1 ''monster'' that i would est. at 20 ft....
However the smaller one's are better to eat...6 ft. or less.
I once put the meat from a 10 footer on my pit...The end result is i would have been better off throwing a Goodyear tire on the pit...Nasty stuff...To fishie tasting for me...

 

Das wha host sauce is for, bubba. Mask de tas' of fishy gator. Besides, tough meat, she's good for you. Make you chew harder. Exercise you jaw.

 

and your hot sauce of choice is _ _ _ _ _ ?

 

To me, gator meat almost lacks taste... it's a good base for whatever sauce piquante you cook it in, or whatever batter you fry it in.

Reminded me of the roughneck who admired the pusher's fancy boots - pusher told him they were alligator boots, the most comfortable, long-lasting boots he'd ever had. Asked the cost, the roughneck, ole Thib, was dismayed to hear $600.

On his way home from his tower that afternoon, Thib spotted a roadkill cat and picked it up and brought it home to his house on the bayou. Put it on a #12 saltwater hook and fastened it to a stout tree branch overhanging the water, hung about two feet off the surface.

Said, "I ain't got to pay nobody no $600 for no alligator boots, me !"

Next afternoon, came back and saw the tree jerking violently, and brought his hatchet down to the bank, and started pulling the rope in.

The big gator lunged out of the water and attacked Thib, and they rolled around in the mud rasslin' over and over, until finally, Thib got in a good lick with the hatchet and killed the gator.

Beat, bloody, muddy, exhausted, clothes torn to ribbons, he got up smiling happily and rolled the gator off of him and turned it belly up.

"Mais, goddoggit to hell, jus' my luck ! Dis one he's barefoot, him !"

 

Depends on what I am eating. Regular Tabasco is for most foods. I like a mix of Crystal and Franks Red Hot for wings. Green pepper vinegar for collards and the like, just to name a few. For the gator, I would likely dress it up with Tabasco - the Habanero or if I am in a mood, the Jalapeno.

 

That is one big lizard. We don't see many around here over 10ft. I know a guy the got charged for killing a 14ft one here years back.

 

Just to clarify the Bubba line here...
I was born in the yellow section...and i live in the yellow section...
Louisiana is a state divided...

 

Since you put this---Tabasco - the Habanero ...Good stuff...Regular Tabasco we call Good for the Tourist's...

 

Regular Tabasco is readily available most places you go. Sadly, the Habanero is not.

 

Sauce Picante recipes needed

Y'all know, the recipe section here at Monkey is sadly missing some good to great "Sauce Picante" recipes of any meat persuasion. Y'all might consider writing down a few of your favorites and posting them ........ Please !!!

 

May i suggest Melinda's to you...
A fine Cajun hot sauce that's made in Costa Rica...ccc

 

Arizona Gunslinger Pepper Products "Official" Hot Sauce of Farrer Distributing
Scroll down to the key ring and it's available in Habanero

 

Sadly, I can't seem to find the habanero at any of our local stores here in MT. I do go through a 5oz bottle of the jalapeno each month though.

I suppose I should just order in bulk from the online store.

Here's a nifty gift set. I do wish the jalapeno & habanero came in the 12oz size. Gallons seem just a tad large to sit on the kitchen table...

Byte

 

Googling up a few weeks ago, I learned our 'official size record' for Florida gators is 14.5 feet. I have seen one bigger than that in a local lake. Dad's boat is 16 feet, and this ol' boy swam beside us in broad daylight - his nose was past us on one end and his tail was still past us on the other end! He had NO fear of man.
Ten and twelve footers are killed every so often.
I visited the "Gatorland" attraction down in Kissimmee, Florida a few years back. They raise gators in a 'gator farm', and say the optimum size for leather and meat is 6 to 8 feet. Makes sense - huge anything ain't as good as moderate size - be it catfish, tomaters, etc. And I reckon a 6 footer would be easier to deal with.
Besides, it'll take a century to grow a gator to 16 feet!

 

Gallons are for the shelf, bud. Refills for the table bottle. Saves time, money, and trips. Heck order a gallon of Habanero and refill the regular old large bottle (the largest size has that pop off little nipple thing). Surprise your friends and relatives who grab the sauce, thinking it is the regular, they take a big ol bite and WHEEE DOGGY, it's off to the races.

 

I guess I might ba a greenee at heart, but I often wish those huge animals could wind up in zoos, think of it people have a reason to go to a city zoo again.

 

Gatorland Zoo use to have the largest gator in captivity@18'1".He was about 6' wide at the belly.
The Florida stat for the largest gator in killed is total BULL $#!+.They put that out there so the tourist wont be scared to come here.
I know for a fact that the state themselves have killed many gators over 16' in the past.
They killed three in Lake Holden(in Orlando)right down the street from the house I grew up in,that were bigger than what their stat says(14'8,16'2",18").
In Lake Jessup(Sanford,Fl.)it's said to hold the largest crocadilians on the planet.I've seen with my own two eyes,many gators there between 18'-20'long,and I've heard of rare accounts of them seen up to 25' that I wouldnt totally discount.
Some of our salt water croc's are said to have been spotted that big over by the cape as well.

As for the crappy taste of larger gator's,sour tasting shark,old beef,and roadkill venison.This can be neutrilized by soaking the cuts in a sealed container full of whole milk in the fridge over night.

When it comes to hot sauce,and pepper's.I'm suprised not one of ya'll mentioned"Ghost Peppers",or"Bonzai hobniero's"(WARNING!!THEY ARE TEOTWAWKI PEPPERS!!).Just one of those little tiny peppers will make an 8gal pot of chilli to hot to even taste.
My Mom use to grow both,and pickle them.
I would take a jar of them to the bars,and bet supposed tough guys a beer they couldnt chew one up and swallow it without a chaser of some kind.I'd even put one in my mouth,pretend to chew,and then swallow it whole like it was nothing.
Those babies got me more laugh's,and free beer than any other bar joke I've seen pulled.
Matt