Are rattlers tasty?

golok

golok

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I found out recently that rattle snakes are actually quite tasty.
Although I am game for trying some exotic meat, my wife who is deathly afraid of snakes has made me promised NOT to eat any snake meat.

But this piece of news about rattlers being rather tasty has aroused my curiosity.

So those who have tried it, please elaborate on the cooking process and how does the rattle compared to chicken.

Of course, one does not expect a hungry person to go around looking for a rattler to eat. It may turn out to be a one-way hunting trip.

Do you sort of barbeque it, or something like that?
:)
 
Golok -- your questions crack me up. They always lead to some interesting debates. I have not eaten a rattler but have had the displeasure of eating a garter snake on a survival hike. I was VERY hungry but it really tasted foul. Snakes have a rib cage that extends the entire length of their body, I was forced to eat many of the ribs since the meat did not seperate from the bone easily. Most rattlesnake species are too small to be worth eating unless under the most dire circumstances. However, a Diamond Back (Western or Eastern) is a large meaty rattler and could provide a decent meal.

I greatly admire rattlesnakes and have encountered them frequently in the wilderness. They are misunderstood and are often killed unneccessarily. Many rattlers are rare and should be left alone.

-- Jeff
 
I've eaten Rattler. It does not taste like chicken. If you over-cook it, it is tough as hell and tastes like rattler. If you are very careful not to overcook it (I assume on a spit over a fire) it is a bit more tasty, less tough, and still tastes like rattler. ;)
-carl
 
Yep, does NOT taste like chicken! When I've had it, it was a bit rubbery, and tasted a little fishy. It wasn't horrible, but I would rather have chicken! :)
 
I used to live in the Santa Cruz Mountains, above the famous Silicon Valley in California. This area is brimming with rattlers.

Over a period of 2 years, my wife and I had run-ins with and killed 3 mature rattlers (I killed two and she killed one), each approximately 3 feet in length.

We skinned all three, and ate 2 of them. We barbequed them same as any meat. We brushed them with sauce. A little tougher than we would have liked, but not bad. Makes a great conversation piece for guests.

Not worth the effort of bagging them though. We only killed them because they were way too close for comfort. We did not have the tools to properly relocate them.
 
Architect,
As an aside, I keep a Cal. Moutnain king whose parents were collected in the mountains of Santa Cruz... but I do not plan on eating him!! I ate gator once, tasted like catfish but tough/grisly.
Later,
Bill
 
Dizos discription matches my experience. As a kid I killed about a 3 foot rattlesnake (I would guess it was a southern pacific variety) and I cooked it on a charcoal grill. As I recall I marinated it to try and tenderize it. Even with that treatment the meat was tough and rubbery and stuck to the vast number of ribs. With the marinade and barbecue sauce it tasted pretty good. There just wasn't much meat you could extract. A six foot long eastern diamondback rattlesnake would probably be much better eating.
 
Mine was around 1973, in Smokey Mountains, backpacking. A couple guys wandered in with the rattler.., and we ate it. It was not great, though, to just put the snake in a stick on a wood fire..., it's pretty tough and chewing (and chewing, and chewing, and chewing...) :barf:

I've heard, though, that boiling slow for a while, then putting it in a pan, is suppposed to make a snake somewhat decent.
 
Never had rattler, but had some Cobra. Tasted more like frog jerky, pretty tough.

No fat, high sodium, high protein.
 
I've tried western diamondback a few times over the last 30 years and it has never been very good IMNSHO. If you cook it well done, it is very tough and rubbery, while if undercooked it tends to be greasy and unpleasant. Western dianondbacks can get very large. I have seen several that were over 6' long and up to 5 or 6 inches in diameter with a head bigger than my fist.
I don't bother them in the wild and generally try to catch and relocate them if they show up around the house. Only if there are pets or kids around will I harm them.
Rattlesnakes are a natural control on varmints that carry plague and Hanta virus in the SW. And besides, they have a better personality than many people-if you don't mess with them, they generally won't mess with you. People who get bitten, mostly do so because they screwed up and suprised the snake.
The only exception that I know of is the Mojave rattler which will chase you if you piss them off. They are fairly small and can't keep up with even a moderate walk.
Overall, I would have to be very hungry to eat any more of them.
 
I tell you guys what taste like chicken - bat! It is a long story and I was very young but my friend who happened to be a good cook made it all happen.

Maybe that's why today my sonar equipment is still in good shape! :D
 
There is a Rattle Snake Round-up every year in Sweetwater, TX.(which is not represented on that map) which is west Texas, 55 miles past the thriving metropolis of Abilene. There are pleanty of rattlers there. I'd have to agree with tknife. If it tastes like any chicken, it would be a rubber chicken.


Cerberus
 
I've had it. Breaded and deep fried is the only way to go. The meat will take on the flavor of whatever was cooked in the fryer previously. That is probably where the "tastes like chicken" comes from.

You have to keep an eye on it and not overcook or it will, as others have said, be tough.

It is not a meal that I would pay for, but if that is all I had I'd eat it and be thankful.
 
Your picture is of a Timber Rattlesnake, which is listed as an endangered, threatened, or protected species in many states, and will probably soon be protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act.

Just thought you should know before you try to kill and eat one of these (could be an expensive meal).

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't see where you are from. Obviously, this would only apply to those in the U.S.
 
I had the chance to eat eel & refused! I sure as heck ain't going to try no rattlesnake! Certainly not after all these 'glowing' reports! If I'm hungry in the wilderness, I'll try & stick with the berries & bugs.:D
 
I would rate eating rattler the same way I do tacos and chicken wings:

They're only worth the trouble if they're tasty.:D

I tried a little once at a "wild foods buffet." The texture was like undercooked pasta, the flavor was kinda bland. It had been sauteed, so all I could taste was butter, black pepper and a vague, metallic fishiness. And- there was a bone in it.

Incidentally, the picture is of the "canebrake" variation of timber rattler- a marking pattern occurring in a small area of the snake's range, and prized by collectors and breeders. Good lookin' snake.

I'm curious why people only talk about eating rattlers. There are lots of other snakes out there, larger and less hazardous to harvest. They all eat essentially the the same things, so the taste ought not to vary too much. I've seen black rat snakes over eight feet long that couldn't kill me, and would feed me longer than a four foot rattler.

How would you cook snake eggs?
 
I have eaten a couple of Rattlers. Fried is MUCH better than grilled but still nothing to write home about. To me, reptiles all have a similar flavor. The more prone they are to eat fish or frogs, the worse they taste, the more prone to eat other meats, bugs, or fruits the better. (Hence, water moccasin taste terrible!) My fave reptiles that I have tried in order of preference are:
1) Alligator/Caiman/Croc
2) Iguana (Green is better than Black)
3) Turtles
4) Snakes

Remember that I am in Central America and get served some pretty strange stuff!
 
have eaten rattlesnake many times and as many have said don't over cook.i do mine on a grill and bast with butter and add some garlic salt,pretty dam good.when i first moved to arizona about 22 years ago made quite abit of side money selling rattlesnake skins made into hat bands or just tanned.big seller was key chains made from the rattles.
 
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