Bad Tattoo Brewingsa国际传媒檚 newest creation will have you saying sa国际传媒楥rikey!sa国际传媒� once yousa国际传媒檝e tasted their crocodile pizza.

Specially ordered from a farm in Australia, the Penticton brewery and restaurant decided to go wild and experiment with crocodile meatsa国际传媒搕he tail meat specifically. Donnie Carlson, head chef and dough boy at Bad Tattoo, said the idea to use an exotic meat as a topping arose during the recent Snakebite Film Festival.

sa国际传媒淲e were looking at funny stuff to do for a special. Our friend, Carl Meadows, held the Snakebite Film Festival a few weeks ago and we wanted to get rattlesnake for that night as a cross-promotion,sa国际传媒� said Carlson. sa国际传媒淏ut Sysco cansa国际传媒檛 stock it anymore, it used to be something you could buysa国际传媒� then we found the crocodile.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a farmed product out of Australia and what wesa国际传媒檙e using is the tail, so itsa国际传媒檚 a tail fillet.sa国际传媒�

Carlson said the meat comes frozen and staff only thaw as needed to preserve its freshness. He said this meat has surprising characteristics that one wouldnsa国际传媒檛 expect.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 actually really high in protein and super low in fat compared to chicken. Itsa国际传媒檚 just one of those things thatsa国际传媒檚 weird, so people donsa国际传媒檛 eat it. But itsa国际传媒檚 actually not as weird as you expect when you eat it,sa国际传媒� said Carlson. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 very similar to halibut in flavour, but itsa国际传媒檚 kind of similar to catfish in texture. So itsa国际传媒檚 tougher when itsa国际传媒檚 raw, and the joke of it tasting like chicken is very true.

sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 why we designed the pizza as like a barbecue chicken pizza. Except itsa国际传媒檚 barbecue sauce, ranch, and crocsa国际传媒� If I didnsa国际传媒檛 tell you (it was crocodile), you probably wouldnsa国际传媒檛 notice.sa国际传媒�

All dough for Bad Tattoo pizzas is made fresh, in-house and Carlson said they make a simple thin crust to sa国际传媒渇ocus on the toppings.sa国际传媒� A pizza takes about four minutes to fully cook in the restaurantsa国际传媒檚 pizza oven, another reason why thin crust is an advantage.

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Carlson said the biggest challenge, aside from keeping the meat fresh, is overcooking. He explained that crocodile meat can dry out and become tough if it spends too long cooking, but because of the short cooking time in their oven they can avoid that.

sa国际传媒淚t kind of is the perfect cooking method for it. Goes on raw, comes out super quick so it stays tender,sa国际传媒� said Carlson. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 actually not that chewy because we cut it thin as well.sa国际传媒�

The crocodile meat is paired with a mild-spiced barbecue sauce, crunchy onions, cilantro, mozzarella cheese and poblano ranch. Carlson said this specialty pizza will be available sa国际传媒渁ll spring and summersa国际传媒� until the end of September until they switch back to their fall and winter menu.

Carlson said the crocodile pizza is best paired with a bitter IPA, but said any beer goes with pizza in general.

sa国际传媒淭his is definitely one of the weirdest ingredients wesa国际传媒檝e brought in, even in the process of getting it. No one carries crocs, so we had to get it special-ordered in,sa国际传媒� said Carlson. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 pretty expensive but itsa国际传媒檚 just too cool not to do it. And working with any raw product gives you that extra layer of challenge in cooking it. But I think itsa国际传媒檚 worth that challenge because itsa国际传媒檚 just such a unique item.

sa国际传媒淗ow often can you say yousa国际传媒檝e had something like crocodile?sa国际传媒�

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

Jordyn Thomson | Reporter
 
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