Rattlesnake Chili
This chili is a real delight on any drover's trail. I first cooked this up on a cattle drive from Harrison to Crawford Nebraska in the spring of 2001.
This chili is a real delight on any drover's trail. I first cooked this up on a cattle drive from Harrison to Crawford Nebraska in the spring of 2001.
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 pound rattlesnake skinned, boned and de-rattled
- 1 pound pork shoulder lean, cooked
- 15 ounce green chiles roasted
- 4 cups onions chopped
- 8 ounce bacon
- 2 tblspoons corn meal
- 15 ounce tomatoes canned, undrained
- 4 tblspoons chile powder
- 5 each jalapeno peppers sliced
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter smooth
- 1/3 ounce semisweet chocolate 1/4 bar
- 15 ounce kidney beans
- 15 ounce pinto beans
- 15 ounce black beans
- 4 ounce tequila gold
- Carbohydrate 54.0619096479933 g
- Cholesterol 59.3031025641026 mg
- Fat 27.6320045515627 g
- Fiber 15.2833958071601 g
- Protein 28.4883997758654 g
- Saturated Fat 8.9812982339937 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (519g)
- Sodium 476.961714745706 mg
- Sugar 38.7785138408332 g
- Trans Fat 3.08905083337637 g
- Calories 596 calories
Step-by-step
- Rattlesnake preparation: Skin, clean, par-boil and pick the meat from the bones. Larger rattlesnakes (6 footers and above) can be tough and stringy. The meat nearer the head and tail is always good. Three to four foot rattleshakes are usuable throughout. Be sure to keep enough of the larger rib bones as they make marvelous after supper toothpics.
- Pork Shoulder preparation: trim off excess fat, then roast or grill until medium done. Discard the excess fat and keep the drippings for other recipies.
- In a stockpot, combine the cans of beans, undrained, along with the spices, garlic and undrained canned tomatoes (I used Rotel tomatoes).
- While simmering, roast fresh Jalapeno and green chilies over a low fire. Fry the bacon, cast iron skillet on an open fire is best but do what you can. Drain bacon and set aside.
- Remember to stir often! Don't let your mixture stick to the bottom of the stock pot! The taste of "burned bottom" is disasterous and can't be undone.
- Add your choice of meat. I used the rattlers that scared our cattle, the bacon AND some pork shoulder. Pull the pork, crumble the bacon prior to adding to the stock pot.
- Stir and simmer. Stir some more.
- Skin and dice the roasted peppers and chiles. Add them to the mixture. Stir some more.
- Add the semisweet chocolate, peanut butter into the mix . Stir some more.
- After about four hours of total simmering, add the onions, tequila. Stir and simmer.
- About now the flavorful smell is driving the men wild with only one question on their minds, "When do we eat!". Cookie isn't intemindated and mindfully stirs some more.
- Add corn meal slowly to thicken the mixture to your desired texture. You can't call my chili soup or paste! There's a special touch to get the thickness just right.
- Six hours have passed and we're ready to eat! I make sure to save off some of chili as I made more than enough for everyone. Tomorrow is another day and the chili gains in taste as it sits.
- Remember the pork drippings? I added them back into the chili on the fourth hour of simmering.
- This recipe was created in out of door, primitive conditions. I revived the recipe in my Florida kitchen especially for this posting to BigOven.com This recipe is for experienced cooks as I have not included temperatures or time intervals. Each session is a bit different when it comes to cooking out of doors.
Replacing snake meat with lean white rabbit or firm-textured farm-raised alligator alters the final collagen breakdown rate, requiring adjustments to the initial par-boiling phase. Game meats demand specific handling to balance their natural lean profiles against the rendered fat of accompanying pork shoulder. Understanding how unique proteins behave in a long braise prevents stringy textures and dry mouthfuls.
Protein Selection and Fat Management
Rattlesnake meat, specifically from specimens measuring three to four feet, yields tender results when simmered gently. Specimens exceeding six feet possess tougher muscle fibers that require extended mechanical breakdown. Pork shoulder introduces intermuscular fat, which melts during roasting to coat the lean game meat. Skim excess surface grease if the bacon fat renders too heavily, maintaining a balance where the lipids carry fat-soluble chili compounds without overwhelming the palate. Roasting the pork until medium doneness achieves a target internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit before it enters the stockpot.Thickening Agents and Flavor Integration
Cornmeal functions as a starch thickener through gelatinization. Sprinkle the meal slowly into the simmering pot while whisking to prevent clumping. Unrefined starches require adequate thermal energy to swell fully, so allow at least twenty minutes of gentle bubbling after the addition to eliminate raw corn flavors. The inclusion of semisweet chocolate and peanut butter introduces complex lipids and solids that emulsify the liquid base. Cocoa solids contribute bitterness that counters the sharp capsaicin heat from fresh jalapeños and green chiles. Hold the tequila until the final hour of simmering. Alcohol boils off at 173 degrees Fahrenheit, leaving behind volatile aromatic compounds rather than harsh ethanol burn. Store leftovers below 40 degrees Fahrenheit within two hours of cooking.
