8 weirdly appealing exotic meats

Mike Johnson, owner of Cooper’s Meat Market in Alamo Heights, has some of the most exotic meat case items in all of San Antonio. Right now he has skinned rattlesnake from Oklahoma, whole rabbits, turtle meat and even calf fries, the wee bits of a bull that also go by the name “Rocky Mountain oysters.”

Demand for these meats is growing, and exotic sales account for approximately 20 percent of his annual sales.

“Our business increased during the pandemic because they were looking to cook new things beyond steaks, burgers and whatnot,” Johnson said. “Elk and venison are probably the biggest sellers because they have the most awareness to them.”

While Cooper’s may have the most variety, pretty much any area meat market will have at least one exotic or unique offering for sale. Here are eight standouts I found recently:

Alligator fillet: Wiatreks Meat Market typically sticks to the classics, but if you look inside the cooler to your left near the entrance, things get swampy. There you will find 16-ounce packages of alligator fillet ($14.99). Fry it. Grill it. Smoke it. Wiatreks Meat Market, 8517 Blanco Road, 210-562-3222

Beef bacon: Most bacon is made from pork belly, but beef has belly, too, with a comparable fat ratio. At The Farmers Butcher, owners Mark and Kelley Escobedo make it with cured wagyu or Black Angus ($24 per pound). When frying, the lengthy slices don’t shrink as much as pork strips, but they do take on similar flavors. Give it a whirl and see for yourself. The Farmers Butcher, 1602 E. Houston St., Suite 107, 830-534-7993

Chicken sausage with broccoli, cheddar cheese and rice: This is broccoli cheese soup in a sausage. The Smoke Shack Meat Market has all the traditional cuts, but it is extremely creative with the sausage blends. These links ($10 per pound) are dead ringers for the classic soup — no bowl or spoon needed. Owner Chris Conger recommends calling ahead to check availability, because they rotate flavors, but it can be made with enough advance warning. Smoke Shack Meat Market, 3710 Broadway, 210-549-1090

Chuleta Can-Can: Yeah, I didn’t know what this was ei

ther, until Kelley Escobedo plopped it on the counter and explained it. Technically, it is a pork chop ($16 per pound), but it’s a special cut shaped like a hunting bow, and it includes skin, a spare rib, loin meat and pork belly all in a single cut. It’s a signature dish in Puerto Rico, where it’s usually fried to crisp up the pork skin and then finished on the grill. The Farmers Butcher, 1602 E. Houston St.,

Suite 107, 830-534-7993

Frog legs: There’s no way to know if these legs came from a jumping champ, but they sure do catch your eye. The skin is removed, and you can get four legs for the reasonable price of $4.72 if you want jump in this culinary pond. Bread them and fry them, or toss them on the grill. Cooper’s Meat Market, 6002 Broadway, 210-820-3838

Parisa: A staple in nearby Medina County, parisa is made the traditional way at Tri-County Meat Market: a blend of coarsely ground chopped beef mixed with cheese, onion and chopped jalapeño ($8.99 per pound). And if you aren’t familiar with this uniquely Texan dish, you probably don’t know that it’s designed to be eaten raw like steak tartare. Tri-County Meat Market, 13215 Huebner Road, 210-474-6827

Pheasant: This game bird is difficult to find in Texas, but Cooper’s stocks it ($35 per bird). People pay a lot of money to hunt them in the sprawling Midwestern grasslands. Way

larger than quail but not quite as big as the standard chicken, pheasant has a slightly smoky, gamy flavor, and it’s great roasted. Cooper’s Meat Market, 6002 Broadway, 210-820-3838

Stuffed chicken: A company named La Boucherie in Spring makes crazy stuffed chicken varieties with a Louisiana twist. At Wiatreks, you can get a 3-pound bird stuffed with shrimp and pork sausage jambalaya — almost all the major food groups — for $15.99. These beg to be grilled, and everything is done when the chicken hits 165 degrees. Wiatreks Meat Market, 8517 Blanco Road, 210562-3222

Chuck Blount / Staff For something different, try, from top left, pheasant, alligator, chicken stuffed with shrimp and sausage jambalaya, parisa, Chuleta Can-Can, broccoli-cheese sausage or beef bacon.

Photos by Chuck Blount / Staff Cooper’s Meat Market in Alamo Heights offers frog legs, as well as skinned rattlesnake, pheasant, whole rabbits and turtle meat.

Another unique meat at The Farmers Butcher is a pork cut called Chuleta Can-Can that includes pork skin, ribs, loin meat and belly in a single cut.

Beef bacon from The Farmers Butcher tastes much like traditional pork bacon.