How to Cook Alligator

Alligator meat is a popular dish in the southern part of the United States, and it's fairly easy to cook at home. Grilling and frying are some of the most popular ways to cook alligator, and both methods are perfect for an aspiring chef.

Ingredients

Alligator Kabobs

¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of orange juice concentrate
¹⁄₄ cup (59 mL) of orange juice
2 tablespoons (30 mL) of soy sauce
2 tablespoons (25 grams) of brown sugar
1 teaspoon (2.1 grams) of cumin
¼ teaspoon (0.45 grams) of cayenne
1 pound (450 g) of alligator meat, cubed
assorted chopped vegetables for alternating on kabobs (optional)

Fried Alligator

1 pound (0.45 kg) of alligator meat, cut into cubes or strips
2 tablespoons (30 mL) of vinegar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Fish batter
Vegetable or canola oil for frying

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Grilling Alligator Kabobs

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1
Mix the orange marinade in a bowl, splitting it into 2 equal portions. Combine ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of orange juice concentrate,¹⁄₄ cup (59 mL) of orange juice, 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons (29.6 ml) (25 grams) of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon (2.1 grams) of cumin, and ¼ teaspoon (0.45 grams) of cayenne. Mix them thoroughly until the marinade is an even consistency.
- You should set aside about half of the mixture to use for basting when the kabobs are on the grill.
2
Allow the alligator meat to marinate for 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Place 1 pound (0.45 kg) of the cubed pieces of meat into the bowl with the marinade and stir the mixture to coat the meat with the marinade. Cover the top of the bowl with a paper towel or piece of plastic wrap, and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
- It's safe to leave the meat in the fridge for up to 2 hours for a bolder flavor. If you let it sit for longer than 2 hours, the consistency of the meat might begin to change.
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3
Soak wooden skewers in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. Wooden kabob skewers can burn when placed on a hot grill. To prevent a fire, let the skewers sit submerged in water for 10 minutes while the meat is marinating.
- This will also help to keep your alligator meat moist as it cooks.
4
Skewer the alligator, alternating pieces of meat and vegetables. Remove the meat from the fridge and use your hands to push a skewer through a piece of meat. To make your kabobs, you can alternate between pieces of alligator and chopped vegetables, or just do a skewer of alligator meet.
- Try to leave a little gap of space between the meat and the vegetables to allow them to cook evenly over the grill.
- Avoid overloading your kabobs. Try to put 5-6 pieces of meat and vegetables on every skewer.
5
Place the kabobs over a grill on high heat for 3-4 minutes. Heat a grill to about 250 °F (121 °C) and place the kabobs directly on the grate. Make sure the kabobs are are about ¹⁄₄ inch (0.64 cm) apart as they cook!^{[1]XResearch source}
- You can grill them with the hood of the grill up or down. Putting the hood down will infuse a smoky taste into the kabobs, while leaving the hood up will let the flavor of the marinade come through.
6
Brush the skewers with extra marinade as soon as they're on the grill. As the kabobs are cooking, get the saved marinade and a basting brush. Then, use a basting brush to apply another layer of marinade to the kabobs.
- This will help to make the flavors more potent and keep the meat moist while it cooks on the grill.
7
Flip the kabobs over and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Use a pair of tongs to pick up the kabobs and flip them to the other side, and baste them again if necessary. After 3-4 minutes, remove the kabobs from the grill to cool.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Cooking the kabobs for a total of 6 minutes will leave you with meat that is a medium level of doneness, and cooking for 8 minutes will produce medium-well meat.
8
Cut open a piece of meat to ensure that the kabobs are fully cooked. Use a knife to cut one of the pieces of alligator open, and look inside of the meat. Like chicken, there shouldn't be any pink in the middle of the meat when it is cooked thoroughly.
- If there's still some pink in the middle, put the kabobs back on the grill for 1 minute before serving them.
- If you have extra kabobs, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making Fried Alligator

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1
Mix the alligator meat, salt, pepper, and vinegar in a medium-sized bowl. Put 1 pound (0.45 kg) of alligator meat into a bowl and add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Then, pour in 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of vinegar and stir the meat and vinegar together.^{[3]XResearch source}
- The vinegar works to make the meat slightly more tender before it's placed in the oil to cook.
2
Place the bowl in the refrigerator to marinate for 10-15 minutes. Cover the bowl with a paper towel or plastic wrap to keep the meat fresh while it marinates. Then, put it in the refrigerator and let the flavors soak into the meat. After 15 minutes, remove the meat from the refrigerator.^{[4]XResearch source}
- When you remove the meat from the refrigerator, there should be a small amount of vinegar left at the bottom of the bowl. The meat should have soaked up the rest of the liquid.
3
Place a skillet with 1 in (2.5 cm) of oil over medium-high heat. While the meat marinades, place a skillet on the stove and pour in vegetable or canola oil for frying your alligator. Once the oil is deep enough, turn the heat to a medium-high level and wait until the meat is marinated.^{[5]XResearch source}
- It's almost impossible to tell if the oil is hot enough just by looking at it. It takes around 10 minutes for the oil to heat to an appropriate level for frying, so be patient.
4
Dip each piece of the alligator meat into a fish batter. You can purchase pre-made fish batter at most grocery stores and supermarkets. Simply shake the container and pour the batter into a bowl. Then, dip the piece of meat into the batter until it's fully coated.^{[6]XResearch source}
- If you don't want to buy fish batter, you can make your own batter with just flour, milk, water, baking powder, and salt.
- If you want to batter all of the pieces before you fry them, place the dipped pieces on a plate while you finish battering the rest of them.
5
Transfer 3-4 pieces of the coated meat into the oil when it's hot. Use a thermometer to check that the oil is 350–375 °F (177–191 °C). Then, use a pair of tongs or a metal spoon with a long handle to carefully lower a few pieces of meat into the oil. The oil will start bubbling as soon as you put the first piece of meat into the pan.^{[7]XResearch source}
- Don't drop any of the pieces of meat into the oil. The hot oil can splash out of the pan and cause serious burns. Be sure to carefully lower the meat into the oil.
- Avoid overcrowding the oil with pieces of meat. Make sure there's room for the meat to float around while they cook. If the pieces can't move around in the oil, they won't cook evenly.
6
Fry the alligator for 3 minutes or until all of the pieces are floating in the oil. The meat will cook quickly in the hot oil, so keep your eye on the pan. When the batter turns a golden brown and the meat floats to the top of the oil, the alligator is cooked thoroughly!^{[8]XResearch source}
- You may need to turn the pieces over in the oil if they don't do it on their own. Use a pair of tongs to flip them over so that the batter is evenly cooked on both sides.
7
Use tongs to remove the finished pieces and place them on a paper towel. Carefully pull the pieces out of the oil and transfer them to a paper towel to drain. The towel will absorb the excess oil as the meat cools.^{[9]XResearch source}
- Continue frying the meat 3-4 pieces at a time until all of the pieces are cooked and cooled.
8
Serve with a variety of sauces for dipping. Alligator has a texture that's fairly similar to chicken, so fried alligator tastes great with many of the same dipping sauces as chicken nuggets. Try them with spicy mustard, sweet and sour sauce, or barbecue sauce!^{[10]XResearch source}
- If you want to make your own dipping sauces for a gourmet meal, you can mix a simply spicy mayo or a tasty garlic butter sauce.
- If you have leftover fried alligator, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Community Q&A

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Question
Can I wrap bacon around the tail meat while grilling?
Michele
Top Answerer
Why not? In my mind, you can wrap bacon around just about anything, so why not alligator tail?
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Tips

If it's your first time purchasing alligator meat, look for cuts from the tail. These tend to be a better texture and flavor than other cuts.
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