Over the years, I have cooked a lot of different things… wild critters and tame alike. In our family, I have a reputation as one who doesn’t shy away, and I quick to rise to the challenge to cook anything at hand using my grill, smoker, deep fryer, Dutch oven or cast iron skillet.

I have to admit, thanks to our oldest daughter Kristi and our son-in-law Mike Cooper, I had the opportunity to prepare what has to be my most unusual culinary item to date. For our anniversary, they bought us a full alligator.

The gator came hard-frozen, shrink-wrapped and weighed about 7 pounds. The carcass had been expertly and meticulously cleaned, gutted and skinned except for the head and the feet. (I thought it was a nice touch!)

Having no experience smoking a full gator, even a small one, I went to the internet to hopefully find some instructions. I found plenty of information including blogs, videos and cooking reviews. Turns out, cooking and smoking whole gators has been done for a long time, just not in Southern Rush County and not in my garage.

To start the process, I brined the carcass for 24 hours in a solution of one cup of pickling salt, one cup of brown sugar and two gallons of water.

To prepare the critter for the smoker, I rinsed it thoroughly, coiled it into a tight circle so it would fit in the smoker and used metal skewers to hold it in place. I placed the gator on a greased smoker rack, and blanketed the carcass with pieces of bacon to help keep it moist while smoking. (Everything is better with bacon!)

Into a 240 degree wet smoker it went, basking in apple and hickory wood smoke for a little over 5 hours. I have to admit, it was truly a unique experience. The result was a moist meat, very reminiscent of high grade smoked fish. The gator is the only thing I have ever taken out of the smoker that came out smiling at me!

The meat would make an excellent “gator salad” sandwich or blended with cream cheese and chives would make an excellent spread for crackers.

The main course was served with my wife’s homemade bread, macaroni, leek and cheese, and paired with a crisp, white, homemade gooseberry wine. With seven pounds of smoked meat on the platter, there was plenty of gator to go around!

Registration for Full Moon 5K race

The event could be billed as one of the most unusual foot races around. Registration is now open for Patoka Lake’s Full Moon 5K. The race will start on the beach on July 23 at 9:30 p.m. Participants will race 3.1 miles through the woods on roadways, a well-maintained gravel path and a paved bike trail lit by the moon and Tiki torches.

All proceeds from the race will go to support Patoka’s educational ambassador birds of prey, which include a red-tailed hawk, an Eastern screech owl and a bald eagle. Early registration is $25 and includes a race T-shirt. To register, go to fullmoon5K.itsyourrace.com.

For more information about the race, or if you are interested in sponsoring the event, please contact race director and park interpretive naturalist Dana Reckelhoff at 812-685-2447 or dreckelhoff@dnr.IN.gov.

Patoka Lake (on.IN.gov/patokalake) is at 3084 N. Dillard Road, Birdseye, IN 47513.

As for yours truly, I don’t think I’ll be participating. If you would happen see me running through the woods at night, get ready to kill whatever is chasing me!

Volunteer for garlic mustard pull

Interested in becoming a volunteer at Clifty Falls State Park? The park will be hosting a Volunteer Callout Day on April 24 from 10-11 a.m. at the Nature Center. Applications will be available as well as water and snacks. Find out about the volunteer opportunities available including caring for the animals, invasive species removal or helping with the pollinator garden.

If you’re ready to jump right in, a garlic mustard pull is planned for 10:30 a.m.-noon. Just bring your work gloves and meet at the Nature Center. Staff will show you how to identify this pesky invasive plant and the proper way to remove it. Find out more about volunteer opportunities or download a volunteer application at on.IN.gov/INStateParksVolunteer.

Clifty Falls is hiring

Want to work at Clifty Falls State Park this summer? Clifty Falls is hiring gate attendants, housekeepers, laborers, lifeguards, security, a seasonal naturalist and resource management technicians. All positions are expected to work weekends and holidays. Apply for the positions at IN.gov/spd/2333.htm and search by zip code 47250. For more information call 812-273-8885.

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication or e-mail to jackspaulding@hughes.net. Spaulding’s books, “The Best of Spaulding Outdoors,” and his latest, “The Coon Hunter And The Kid,” are available from Amazon.com.