when butchering rattle snake,is there anything special-venom wise-that I need to do for safe food prep???I hear it tastes like chicken.

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), August 02, 1999

Answers

The venom sacs are in the head. Cut off the head and skin the snake.

Got season salt???

droolin'...

The Dog

-- Dog (Desert Dog@-sand.com), August 02, 1999.

1. Very important, make darn sure it has not BITEN it self while you'r trying to kill it. It will make you very sick or worse, if it bites itself. 2. Remove head, I like to use a shovel. 3. The last one I killed still had strike in it after head was removed. 4. Roast on stick over open fire, yummm.

-- && (&&@&&.&), August 02, 1999.

Zoob's

Don't forget the tall boots. This is why our brethen in the South West wear 'em. I have heard that the round toe ropers are a good boot for snake country. Basically a work boot/cowboy boot hybrid.

And don't forget your chilli spices!

Wear tall boots and keep your...

-- eyes_open (best@wishes.net), August 02, 1999.

Hi Again Zoobie!

As far as preparation goes, chop off head, skin it like a catfish, slice the bottom open all the way from neck till tail, clean out all entrails and blood vessels, wash thoroughly, cut up in foot long sections, cut some green limbs roughly 4 ft. long, drape section over each limb, secure with baling wire, apply worchestshire,a-1,soy sauce,garlic salt, or what ever your taste buds prefer, roast over coals till meat will pull away freely.

Does taste like chicken, to a certain degree. Honestly, it's very good! Remember to keep the hide and rattles. You can tack the hide upside down to a board, salt it each day until it dries out, makes a decorative addition to the game room. The rattles make a very nice toy for the kids although can be nerve wracking for parents!

Take care!

-- Ex-Marine (Digging In@Home.com), August 02, 1999.

Zoob, In some eastern cultures, snakes are skinned alive and eaten while still quite active. Just thought you might want to know.

-- Zfirdflonsk (space@mail.zom), August 02, 1999.

Hey soak it in milk overnite, drop in a pot of boiling salted water for a few minutes tastes like Florida lobster.

-- Daryll (twinck@wfeca.net), August 03, 1999.

Zoob, you might want to skin em outside in a breeze because until you get the skin off and the guts out they stink something awful.

(Its also a great way to know you're about to crawl into a snake den, you'll smell em from a long ways off.)

-- Roger (pecosrog@earthlink.net), August 03, 1999.

Snakes in general taste good - a bit like a cross between chicken and crocodile. HOWEVER, the following link from New Scientist magazine gives some important information:

Revenge of the undead

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), August 09, 1999.

Roger,

I had forgotten about the smell!!! EWWW!

(memory on)

We used to "collect" rattlesnakes in the winter time for the Nolan County rattlesnake round-up. My grandfather would use a pump-up pressure sprayer and gasoline to "coax" the snakes out of their den. At 40 degrees F., A snake cannot move very fast at all, but a little petrol makes them move a little...;) As they would crawl out, we would just pick them up behind the head and put them in a potato sack. The largest we ever found was 9 1/2' and 7" in diameter at the widest spot. He had 135 rattlers... My uncle still has the skin from that bad boy.

(memory off)

sittin' and lickin'...

The Dog

-- Dog (Desert Dog@-sand.com), August 09, 1999.