Ok, Folks, I need some inputs as to how to cook snakes! I'm catching one in my chicken coop almost every week. I simply pick them up, carry them to the woods and thow them in. The next time, however, I want to eat the poor unfortunate who slithers in...

The last snake eaten was simply thrown on the BBQ pit, and it didn't turn out too well, as it was tough to chew.

Help, please?

Ok, Folks, I need some inputs as to how to cook snakes!  I'm catching one in my chicken coop almost every week. [....] Help, please?

Potentially helpful readers need some outputs from you:
What kind of snakes were or are they?

Is there some reason why captures "almost every week" don't give you enough of a sample size to identify them--at least to place them in some useful category of snakes?

I simply pick them up, carry them to the woods and th[r]ow them in.

"[P]ick them up"?  So can readers assume that they're not venomous snakes?  You'd want to be a lot more careful & meticulous about cleaning them if they were.

Potentially helpful readers need some outputs from you:
What kind of snakes were or are they?

Is there some reason why captures "almost every week" don't give you enough of a sample size to identify them--at least to place them in some useful category of snakes?

"[P]ick them up"?  So can readers assume that they're not venomous snakes?  You'd want to be a lot more careful & meticulous about cleaning them if they were.

I had to upthumb your post. If only I could be so meticulous with detail!

Yes, they are "chicken snakes," therefore not venomous. Though one could possibly catch salmonella poisoning if bitten, or some other infection. They come into the coop looking for eggs, sometimes finding a meal and others being deported from the premises. To catch them I can pull them backwards by the tail while they attempt to slither away and then quickly put my foot on their head to prevent them from turning around and bitting, grab them close to the head and lift them from the ground. I have even attached a photo or two for reference as attachments.

I would estimate that the nicer serpents are 2 inches or a bit more thick. Sure, that's not very helpful but, every snake is of a different length and diameter. About a month ago, one was caught and it was over 6 feet long! Some are thin as the thumb and others as thick as the palm of the hand.

Any kind of advice on cooking any kind of snake is welcome!

If only I could be so meticulous with detail!

I only insisted on the barest basics.  And C.I.'s overly brief allowance for editing time prevented me from adding a question about the snakes' sizes.  It's a social aspect of the Internet that whenever you ask for help in any discussion forum, you should expect to provide whatever information you already have, or assumptions you've already made.  Unless you don't mind having your request widely ignored by readers who might have exactly the answer you're seeking.

Yes, they are "chicken snakes," therefore not venomous.  Though one could possibly catch salmonella poisoning if bitten, or some other infection.

My practical concern was whether you needed to be particularly fussy about exactly where the snake is beheaded.  I'm not completely sure that the venom glands of the pit-viper[‡] varieties of our U.S. venomous snakes don't extend a little bit down the neck beyond the head itself.  Either way, the cited source[†] directs the adventurous cook to clean the snake by slicing it open from the anal vent to the decapitation point, gutting it, and skinning it.  Only then should you begin your culinary experimentation.

Snake meat in the wilds can be likened to eating a roasted bike innertube, unlike the tender snake meat in a fine Texas restaurant that has marinated in wine sauce overnight. [†]

I get the impression that quite a lot of marinade could be involved, which might make it too expensive to follow the high-falutin' advice never to cook (thus also never to marinate) with wine that's not good enough to serve in glasses to your house-guests.  I wonder whether a much-more frugal but nearly as useful marinade could be obtained from diluting a bottle of concentrated lemon juice.  Or even a gallon jug of "lemon drink", despite being adulterated with a hefty proportion of high-fructose-corn syrup?

Plus, the sheer amount of bones to sort through in a snake makes for a lengthy meal. [†]

Or maybe instead of being used for a meal, try it as a snack for reading on the Internet, e.g., catching up on CathInfo?  I'm thinking of 1 Chinese preparation for eels, whose approx. 1-in.-diameter length is cut into 2-in.-long pieces (then stir-fried).  Viability might depend on being able to separate snake vertebrae cleanly before cooking--in contrast with Chinese and Caribbean brute-force use of heavy cleavers, which creates nasty sharp bone-shards that are especially troublesome for distracted eating.

I've never prepped a snake for cooking, and I wonder if, by comparison with filleting thick-bodied fish, a snake has so little meat on the interior of its rib cage that that interior meat could be ignored?

I'd be surprised if there weren't something useful that could be done with the skin: By simple geometry, a snake 2 in. thick has a skin 6 in. wide at that point.  As for disposing of the remaining carcass, how about chopping it up, and using it as bait for catfish (or crabs, if you're near salt or brackish water)?

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Note †: Tony Nester: "Is it safe to eat snakes?".  <https://www.outsideonline.com/1769726/it-safe-eat-snakes>,  whose logo identifies it as the on-line presence of the well-regarded Outside magazine.  Jun 2, 2010.  I don't claim that my brief excerpts above included the most important parts of this article, so please do read this article in its entirety.

Note ‡: I.e.: rattler, copperhead, and cottonmouth (a.k.a. water moccasin).  Coral snakes are a whole 'nother genus, with venom that's way too potent to risk handling for cooking.

The only snake I have tasted was simply thrown into an open fire. I don't know what type it was but it was a bit like chicken meat. It was coming up to 50 years ago.

The snake in your photo appears to be a python, sometimes referred to as a carpet snake. If you only throw it out of the coop into the woods it is not surprising that it comes back. That snake would not just be a chicken snake, but a cat snake or a pig snake or whatever it can swallow. 

Why not try a stew with plenty of onions and garlic and a few of your favourite vegies and herbs/spices added.

Why waste good meat? Buon appetito!

The snake in your photo appears to be a python, sometimes referred to as a carpet snake. If you only throw it out of the coop into the woods it is not surprising that it comes back. That snake would not just be a chicken snake, but a cat snake or a pig snake or whatever it can swallow.

You are right in that they are like pythons in various ways, but they do not seem to be related. Here is the taxonomic name of what we're working with:

Texas rat snake
Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri or Pantherophis obsoleta lindheimeri

Aha!  A "dairy cow"[Δ]!

After cleaning your problem snakes, you can marinade them in unpasteurized (but food-safe) dairy by-products that contain substantial amounts of lactic acid (which serves as the tenderizer), notably the Southern-classic buttermilk, or yoghurt (and presumably cheeses still in mostly-liquid form)[†][‡]  Maybe there's already an obvious candidate in your household, i.e.: a dairy by-product that's so unpopular at the table (e.g., cottage cheese?) that it usually spoils before much of it gets eaten?  If so, it might be ideal as your experimental marinade: The 1975 Joy of Cooking, whose marinade recipes typically contain several ingredients, lists only 2 ingredients for its yoghurt marinade: The namesake dairy product, plus crushed cloves of garlic.

Cutting a snake into short segments significantly reduces the time needed to achieve whatever benefits its marinade will provide (presumably by multiplying the surface-area through which the marinade can soak in).

I learned from today's on-line reading that I don't need to push my luck on the healthfulness of merely refrigerated dairy products when they're beginning to, um, ripen: Potential health risk can be avoided by freezing your chosen or experimental dairy-marinade base when it's fresh[‡], before your next serpent presents itself for capture.

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Note Δ: <https://www.cathinfo.com/the-sacred-catholic-liturgy-chant-prayers/please-pray-for-my-dairy-cow/>.  Readers can hope that the prayers requested were answered by restoring her to health & productivity.

Note †: A touchy-feely source (albeit of unknown expertise) Katherine Martinko (now "senior writer"): "Got sour milk? Don't throw it out!".  <https://www.treehugger.com/green-food/got-sour-milk-dont-throw-it-out.html>,  or

Note ‡: The well-established and more technical "editors of Cook's Illustrated: "5 Buttermilk Questions You Were Too Embarrassed to Ask".  <https://www.cooksillustrated.com/features/8502-5-buttermilk-questions-you-were-too-embarrassed-to-ask>.  The links from this publicly accessible Web page are anchored at pages obscured by pay-walls (unsurprising for a site hosted by a no-adverts magazine supported by newsstand sales and subscriptions).

My husband's an "adventurous eater"...I've fixed a few interesting things since we've been married...cow heads, chicken feet, raccoon, frog legs, a neighbor brought us a turtle we'll be eating soon...so I feel as though I've got some experience to offer you some good input!! :D

Here's what I would do:

After killing, skinning, gutting (the man's job!), soak it in salt water overnight, in the fridge, of course.  This helps break up any toughness.  Rinse well.  Then crockpot it in enough water to barely cover, on high, say 4-5 hours, or until tender.  Then, get out your cast iron skillet, and on med-low, melt some butter, lard, whatever you use.  When sizzling hot, add the cooked snake.  Season w/salt (or not, depending on how much salt you soaked it in, taste first), pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Turn frequently, until browned and crispy.  ENJOY! 

Soaking, long slow cooking, followed by a quick sautéing in a pan are usually good rules of thumb for fixing any kind of elderly wild game. 

Hope that helped.  I'm curious how you did fix it, by the way.