I've always wanted to try rattlesnake meat but when I was a kid in the SE part of Ky. that was taboo. Mountain culture I suppose. Lots of rattlesnakes around in summer & fall months of various sizes from 2 to 6 feet long or larger. Most people considered them "works of the Devil." I have never found rattlesnake meat in butcher shops, meat markets or grocery stores. My youngest brother lives in Ohio near a Jungle Jim's international food market. I asked him to check with them for rattlesnake meat or any other snake meat. No rattler but they didd have one pack of python filet's left & got that for me. He was told rattlesnake meat was difficult to get & when available, it was 100 dollars a pound...... :cens:....The one pound pack of python was $32.99. There was one fairly large slab of meat & a small piecee just to make it a pound. After thawing it, I cut the large piece into two pieces. The piece was 3 to 4 tnth inch thick & 3 inches wide. I thought it would be like cutting fish. WRONG !!!.....It was more like cutting an old tire off the space shuttle. Finally got it cut. I fried it using lard. I didn't want anything  changing the flavor of the meat. Nothing to fret over there. When I tried a bite, the only flavor was lard. I managed to chew a few bites to the point I could swallow it.

The next piece I covered with Cajun seasoning so thick you couldn't see any meat. Fried it in lard & tried a bite. The Cajun seasoning was delicious. I don't know what the meat tasted like. There was simply no taste. Tougher than the first piece too. Chewing it is about like chewing pork skin after it's been half fried. .......I put all of it in a bowl & poured enough hi quality meat tenderizer on it to tenderize three medium size elephants & a mature Cape buffalo. Covered it with water & put it in the fridge. I suspect it'll be even tougher if that's possible. A can of caustic soda and a pint of battery acid might tenderize it too. ......Results later. .......Paul H

HOE LEEE SMOKE!

I've had rattle snake several times. "Tastes like chicken..."

That's amazing! What a world we live in!

I wonder if pressure cooking it would render it chewable?

Paul

Well.....so much for python  meat. Yesterday & "re fried" the pieces of python and tried  it out. I couldn't detect any  difference in it. It is still tough as saddle leather after soakking in meat tenderizer for 24 hours. There is simply no taste to savor. I took the meat out back for the red fox kits to chew on. Even if it was tender I dislike any food that has no flavor. I'm finished with python as food.

I have been giving some thought to the reason for the toughness of the meat. I have come to the deduction it is all in the structure of the muscles. My opinion is pythons, like most non venimous snakes, kill their prey by constriction. Venimous snakes kill by  venom & wait for the prey to die before consuming it. They don't have to squeeze it to death & don't need muscle like constrictors do. Body muscle is probably something like rope between the two types of snake. A twisted rope is considerably stronger than a braided rope. I don't know for sure but I suspect constrictors have more "linear" muscle construction & venimous snakes have a more "braided" construction. It seems reasonable to me that the venimous snake wouldn't be as tough. ......One could   probably grind the python & make "sausage patties & eat it but the grinder would likely require at least a 30 horsepower diesel engine for the task. .......Paul H