Alligator Chili

"I love my recipe. Since this was first submitted I have started using red & yellow peppers and a teaspoon of smoked paprika. Thanks..." See more"

"I was a little skeptical about this recipe, for starters because I've never cooked with alligator. Also, I thought V-8 juice, cinnamon and ginger were odd indgredients for chili, but I believe if you ..." See moreare going to use a recipe, you should try to make it as exact as possible on the first try and then change it if you think it needs it. I put the cinnamon in with a wince on my face, but I have to say I liked the final flavor quite a bit, and it smelled devine. The only things I did differently was that the store didn't have ground alligator, but frozen slabs in packs, so I had to chop it up after thawing in the refrigerator overnight. Also I don't see any reason to cook canned beans for three hours so I added those in the last 30 minutes. Probably most important, I cooked it with the lid off. When you have this many spices, the evaporation process is what causes the melding of flavors that you want. You would just need to add some water, but I didn't find I needed any. The most important reason to cook it with the lid off, though, is that you don't want to confine that smell. The main reason I am not giving five stars is not the recipe itself, but that I'm not sure I like the taste of alligator that much. It's not bad at all, just not special enough to justify the price, which was $9 a pound. And it doesn't taste like chicken. I saw another reviewer compared it to rattlesnake meat. I've never had rattlesnake, but this is what I would imagine it would taste like."

"As a vegetarian, I was impressed with this recipe, because I could easily substitute extra beans (cannellini and black beans) and vegetables for the alligator meat (I hate soy and won't use it!). Thi..." See mores recipe has lots of beans and spices, so it's a great basic chili recipe. I especially like the spice blend, because I detest premade chili powder. I use coriander/fresh cillantro leaves as a garnish, along with some sour cream, cheddar cheese, and sliced green onions. (In case you're interested, I use corn (Green Giant Peaches and Cream ONLY (frozen or canned), diced carrots, onions, mixed sweet peppers, and sometimes peas and broccoli pieces (love the stems, peeled and diced!) in my chili.) Bon appetit!"