Just killed my first alligator and am hunting a recipe. Is there anything special I should do to it before cooking it.

It was only 6 foot so it should be tenderer than most.

(they shrink after you spear them)

I have cooked gator twice and got the same response each time: 1/3 M&W said it was the best fried meat they had ever eaten and could they have the recipe; 1/3 M&W said it was good, but one helping was enough; 1/3 M&W spit it out and said it was the nastiness thing they ever put in their mouth.
All I use is the tail and I cut all meat from the bone and cartilage into pieces' bout 2" X 2" by inch thick. I had a nine footer get into one of my catfish ponds in '68 and the Al Conservation Dept said I would be breaking the law to kill it and they would remove it when they had time. I told them to take all the time they needed, but if the gator fed on my catfish at feeding time tomorrow at dawn, I would shoot it, and I did. Skinning was a surpise as I did not know how soft and pliable the hide was, but the fat got on everything and was hard on hands and knives. Gator fat and cartilage are nasty and bottom group 3 probably got some by error. Pure meat is a joy and if the wimps(Do we have to eat outside?) , the second 1/3, do not know what they are eating they will get seconds.
Mix 1/2 flour and 1/2 fine white corn meal, sprinkle the gator with equal parts lemon juice and Tobasco Sauce and coat well with your hands.Shake on as much coarse ground black pepper as you like along with a sprinkle of salt. Add to the dry mixture and shake off excess. Have oil hot enough to "spit" when a drop of water hits it. Add gator piece by piece and cook only 'til light brown as the browner it gets, the tougher it gets.
Serve with real Bud in the bottle and Cole Slaw. Extra Tobasco is always nice.
Easy enough isn't it?

might try slicing some a bit thinner 1/2-3/4 inch, and don't overcook. The flour and cornmeal should work just right.

I like it cut into nuggets about 3/4 to an inch, wrap with a piece of bacon (just enough bacon to wrap once) and grill it over charcoal. We never cut into the gut but there is a lot of meat on the body (don't forget the jaw meat). Fried is good too, my kids like it that way. I mix Old Bay seasoning with the flour and batter the chunks.