Alligator is Florida on a plate, and in Gainesville Gators fans eat their mascot every chance they get. This one goes into a banh mi with sriracha mayo and pickled daikon and carrot, and the skewers grill in about 10 minutes. At Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, grills have to be attended, on level ground and 25 feet from any structure, vehicles included, so set up away from the car.
At the lot: The pickles and sauce are made the night before, the meat marinates in the cooler on the drive and the skewers grill in about 10 minutes. Homegating: Grill the skewers in the backyard, or swap in chicken thighs for a crowd that won't try the gator.
Home gear: 8 to 10 metal skewers
30 MIN
At home, pickles and marinade
20 MIN
At the lot
8
Serves
Ingredients
Pickles
- 1 small daikon radish (about 8 oz), cut into matchsticks
- 2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
- ¾ cup rice vinegar
- ¾ cup warm water
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
Alligator
- 2½ lb alligator tail meat, cut into 1½-inch cubes
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (2 limes)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for the grate
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
Sandwiches
- 8 soft 6-inch sub rolls
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp sriracha, plus more for serving
- 1 English cucumber, cut into thin spears
- 2 jalapeños, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch cilantro
Steps
At home
- The night before, stir the warm water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a quart jar until the sugar dissolves. Pack in the daikon and carrots, put the lid on and refrigerate. They're ready in an hour and keep a week.
- Stir the mayo and sriracha together in a small jar. Slice the cucumber and jalapeños and bag them with the cilantro. Refrigerate everything.
- The morning of the game, whisk the soy sauce, honey, lime juice, oil, garlic and ginger in a gallon zip-top bag. Add the alligator, press out the air and seal it. It goes straight into the cooler and marinates on the drive. Give it 2 to 6 hours, no longer, or the lime starts to toughen the meat.
At the lot
- Heat the grill to medium-high, 425°F to 450°F, hot enough that you can hold a hand over the grate for only 2 or 3 seconds. Thread the alligator onto the skewers and throw out the marinade.
- Oil the grate and grill the skewers, turning every 2 minutes, until the meat is browned in spots and reads 160°F in the thickest piece, 8 to 10 minutes. Move them to a clean plate.
- Split the rolls and toast them cut side down for about 1 minute.
- Spread the rolls with sriracha mayo, slide the meat off the skewers into them and top with drained pickles, cucumber, jalapeño and cilantro. Pass extra sriracha.
Pack for the lot
Lot notes
- Thawing: alligator is usually sold frozen. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, never on the counter.
- Raw meat: the marinade touched raw meat, so it goes in the trash, not on the skewers. Cooked meat goes on a clean plate.
- Cold stuff stays cold: the raw meat, pickles, mayo and vegetables ride in the cooler. Here's how to pack a cooler.
Can you make banh mi ahead for a tailgate?
The parts, yes. The pickles and sriracha mayo keep for days in the fridge. The meat marinates on the drive and goes on the grill at the lot. Build the sandwiches right before eating so the bread stays crisp.
How do you keep alligator from getting tough on the grill?
Cut it into even pieces, keep the marinade time under 6 hours and pull the skewers as soon as they're done. Alligator is lean, so a few extra minutes dries it out.
How much grilled alligator banh mi for 20 people?
Make 2½ times the recipe: 6¼ pounds of alligator, 20 rolls, about 2 cups of mayo with ⅓ cup of sriracha, 2 to 3 small daikon and 5 carrots for the pickles, 3 cucumbers, 5 jalapeños and 2 bunches of cilantro. Marinate the meat in 2 or 3 bags so it all stays coated.
Can you use chicken instead of alligator?
Yes. Use boneless chicken thighs cut the same size, marinate them the same way and grill them to 165°F.
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