MINGO, IA (July 23, 2022) - Kyle Johnson (T-Rex BBQ) invited me to a BBQ party way out in deep rural Iowa this weekend. So Saturday morning I set my GPS to Mingo, Iowa for an hour and a half drive. I've never been to Mingo, and I have never tried eating smoked alligator or boiled crawfish either. That would all change today.
Driving down highway 30, an airplane dived right out in front of me over the highway (literally low enough to touch my car!). I thought I was about to witness a crash. Nope. It was a simple crop duster. Thank God. Nearing the end of my trip, I reached a long and dusty gravel road that led me to my destination. I saw a nice house ahead and turned in and the American flag waving me into the driveway. Awesome! The well-groomed property is surrounded by cornfields from all directions. People parked their pickup trucks by the edge of the fields, so I squeezed my Prius right in between. Hilarious!
Driving down highway 30, an airplane dived right out in front of me over the highway (literally low enough to touch my car!). I thought I was about to witness a crash. Nope. It was a simple crop duster. Thank God. Nearing the end of my trip, I reached a long and dusty gravel road that led me to my destination. I saw a nice house ahead and turned in and the American flag waving me into the driveway. Awesome! The well-groomed property is surrounded by cornfields from all directions. People parked their pickup trucks by the edge of the fields, so I squeezed my Prius right in between. Hilarious!
 It was great to see Kyle and Tara Johnson. See you on the BBQ trail again soon! |  I squeezed my Prius in between all the pick up trucks. |  I love the American Flag - a constant reminder of the sacrifices made by brave men and women to preserve our FREEDOM. |
The air was filled with a strong aroma of smoked meat, similar to what it's like when arriving at a BBQ contest on judging day. A large machine shed is the center of attention. Guests sit around inside enjoying the shade on this very hot, summer day. Kyle is outside sweating heavily and tending to his smoker (a smoker he and a friend built together). Very nicely done. Upon arrival, Kyle introduces me to several people and not long after I felt at home, ready to try some new food experiences - Smoked Alligator and a Crawfish Boil..
Kyle is in charge of smoking up the small alligator which he did not hunt down himself, but ordered safely online. The alligator was curled up in the smoker with a whole chicken clenched between its razor sharp teeth. Oh, and Sheefish (an Alaskan fish comparable to Cod) is swimming around in that smoker, too.
Kyle is in charge of smoking up the small alligator which he did not hunt down himself, but ordered safely online. The alligator was curled up in the smoker with a whole chicken clenched between its razor sharp teeth. Oh, and Sheefish (an Alaskan fish comparable to Cod) is swimming around in that smoker, too.
 A sprinkle of SMOKEHOUSE72 Sweet & Savory rub should do the trick. The bottle says it is used for beef, chicken & pork. Well, now you can add gator! |  Kyle holds up the alligator right out of the cooler. I am glad we will be biting the gator, and not the other way around.. |  A rub called SWAMP THING may just be the perfect final touch! |
 Kyle temping the gator and chicken. |  Gator teeth are sharp as razor blades! |
It's not just Kyle Johnson (2022 "Memphis in May" Turkey Smoke World Champion) cooking here today. Brandon, a friend of Kyle's, is preparing a Jalapeno Brisket using a recipe from Darren Warth (of Iowa's Smokey D's BBQ), and he is smoking up a pork butt, too. Mike is on the Crawfish Boil and Dalton on the Fish Fry. Several others contributed to sides and snacks. Music filled the air as folks gradually arrived. Many cooled off in the above ground swimming pool just on the other side of the shed. A perfect day for a fun summer cook-out.
Walking around I began talking with each of the cooks about their plan of action. Each one of them very enthusiastic about preparing of their food. So much so, I decided to let them tell you what they are going to do. Here are some short video clips from each cook, and I will write a brief review of the food served today.
Walking around I began talking with each of the cooks about their plan of action. Each one of them very enthusiastic about preparing of their food. So much so, I decided to let them tell you what they are going to do. Here are some short video clips from each cook, and I will write a brief review of the food served today.
KYLE'S ALLIGATOR, CHICKEN AND SHEEFISH
Kyle's Intro to Gator cooking
Loading the Gator and Chicken in smoker
Kyle temps the gator and chicken
Unloading the cooked Gator and Chicken
GATOR: I cannot lie. I was a bit weary of trying the gator. I have never eaten this before. Ever! This is new food territory for my stomach. Regardless, I am all in. Kyle warned me to wipe off the fat. Normally fat means flavor like with brisket, but not in this case. So I gladly wiped off the fat and cautiously took a bite. To my surprise, it tasted a lot like fish. I took two pieces in total. Like I told Kyle, I would not go out of my way to search out gator meat, but it tasted just fine. The very look of this reptile plays with my mind, though. Kyle did do a fine job preparing the gator and it was quite a sight to behold.
WHOLE CHICKEN: When Kyle finally pried the chicken from the gators mouth, it was our turn to take a bite! The pulled chicken was extremely moist, tender and very flavorful. It was a good thing I got a piece, because that bird flew away fast!
SHEEFISH: The Sheefish was smoked skin down (protecting the meat). When it was done cooking, the meat peeled off the skin with little effort. It was so meaty and had a great natural flavor. I loved the flaky texture, too. Absolutely delicious!
Nice job on all three Kyle!
WHOLE CHICKEN: When Kyle finally pried the chicken from the gators mouth, it was our turn to take a bite! The pulled chicken was extremely moist, tender and very flavorful. It was a good thing I got a piece, because that bird flew away fast!
SHEEFISH: The Sheefish was smoked skin down (protecting the meat). When it was done cooking, the meat peeled off the skin with little effort. It was so meaty and had a great natural flavor. I loved the flaky texture, too. Absolutely delicious!
Nice job on all three Kyle!
 The Gator has landed! |  Kyle fillets the Gator, grabbing the very thick meat from the tail. |  A generous portion of alligator meat! |
 Absolutely gorgeous! So tender, moist and flavorful. |  Chicken rubbed up and ready to go to the smoker! |  Kyle pulled the chicken effortlessly. He nailed it! |
This Sheefish was tasty! It's comparable to Alaskan Cod in the same way Tilapia is comparable to Swai.
MIKE'S CRAWFISH BOIL
Mike's intro to Crawfish Boil
Crawfish is served!
CRAWFISH BOIL: It was interesting watching Mike put all the ingredients together. The cooking came in stages. First, boil the water with seasonings and add small ears of corn and potatoes which take the longest to cook. Later came the sausage and shrimp. Finally the crawfish dived in at the final stage for about 5 or 10 minutes more. Dinner is ready!
I was a bit weary of trying the gator, and now comes the crawfish. This is all new to me, but yet I cracked open the shell of this crustacean to pull out some meat. I was not sure of what I was doing, so Mike showed me later how he does it and I was close. The thing about crawfish, there is very little meat. Tiny! So I nibbled on the the meat and it was so small it was hard to determine the flavor. Maybe a cross between crab, lobster or shrimp? It's not fish (but neither was the gator which tasted like fish). It was ok, but my mind was still trying to figure out the flavor.
Now when I dipped that tiny piece of meat into Mike's special crawfish sauce, I lit up! The sauce gave this little crawfish some big flavor - something I could really enjoy. I noticed people kept going back to get more of Mike's crawfish and sauce, so those who really enjoy crawfish loved it. Mike has his process nailed down. A very successful cook! Nice job, Mike.
I was a bit weary of trying the gator, and now comes the crawfish. This is all new to me, but yet I cracked open the shell of this crustacean to pull out some meat. I was not sure of what I was doing, so Mike showed me later how he does it and I was close. The thing about crawfish, there is very little meat. Tiny! So I nibbled on the the meat and it was so small it was hard to determine the flavor. Maybe a cross between crab, lobster or shrimp? It's not fish (but neither was the gator which tasted like fish). It was ok, but my mind was still trying to figure out the flavor.
Now when I dipped that tiny piece of meat into Mike's special crawfish sauce, I lit up! The sauce gave this little crawfish some big flavor - something I could really enjoy. I noticed people kept going back to get more of Mike's crawfish and sauce, so those who really enjoy crawfish loved it. Mike has his process nailed down. A very successful cook! Nice job, Mike.
 Mike is preparing the sausage and potatoes. |  Adding more shrimp to the boil! |
 The corn and potatoes boil first. They take the longest. Gotta get those potatoes cooked fully. Not hard. |  Once this boiler is lit, it boils! It was great watching the process of making crawfish. |  The Crawfish Boil |
 This crawfish sauce is absolutely delicious! |  The crawfish boil comes together beautifully. The seasonings added flavor to the corn and potatoes. Everything! |
BRANDON'S JALAPENO BRISKET AND PORK
Brandon's Intro to Jalapeno Brisket
Brandon on slicing brisket
PULLED PORK: Brandon's pork tasted good. although he should have let it rest 30 or 60 min to allow it to cook more and restore the juices. Instead, he pulled the meat right after it came out of the smoker. It was clear Brandon was way too excited to let anything rest. He wanted to dig in it and now! I enjoyed watching his eagerness to cook. The flavor of the pork was good and I especially loved the crunchy bark (Brandon's favorite part, too). T-Rex BBQ also laid out some left-over competition pork on the food table. Yum! All in all, it was a great pork day.
JALAPENO BRISKET: Brandon's pork butt was good, but he knocked it out of the cornfield with this Jalapeno Brisket. It's no surprise the recipe originated from Darren Warth (of Iowa's Smokey D's). Seasoned with salt & pepper, swimming in a broth of jalapeno and onions this combination of flavors hit a home run. The extra spice was so nice, I think I may need to be a little more creative with brisket in my spare time. Nice job, Brandon!
JALAPENO BRISKET: Brandon's pork butt was good, but he knocked it out of the cornfield with this Jalapeno Brisket. It's no surprise the recipe originated from Darren Warth (of Iowa's Smokey D's). Seasoned with salt & pepper, swimming in a broth of jalapeno and onions this combination of flavors hit a home run. The extra spice was so nice, I think I may need to be a little more creative with brisket in my spare time. Nice job, Brandon!
Brandon's pork and jalapeno brisket hanging out together in Kyle's smoker.
 Brandon slicing up the brisket! |  I love beef brisket! Just thought I'd get that off my chest. |  More brisket slicing! |
When that foil pulled back, I was in awe of this brisket, and the aroma coming forth.
DALTON'S FISH FRY
Dalton's intro to frying catfish
FISH FRY: It was interesting that Dalton provided two variations of catfish to try. The early spring fish and the summer fish. In the video, he said the early spring should taste the freshest. Well I did try both, but I did not know which was which. However, I did notice a difference in taste. One was kind of gamey, and the other piece I loved. I am thinking the spring fish was my favorite.
Dalton's battered up morsels of deliciousness satisfied my fish craving. When Kyle had mentioned there would be a fish fry, I already knew I would try my hardest to attend this event. I love fried catfish and Dalton's fish fry delivered. Nice job!
Dalton's battered up morsels of deliciousness satisfied my fish craving. When Kyle had mentioned there would be a fish fry, I already knew I would try my hardest to attend this event. I love fried catfish and Dalton's fish fry delivered. Nice job!
Oh yes. Beautiful!
 Battered up and ready to swim! |  Dalton frying some catfish. Good stuff! |
FINAL THOUGHTS
The brisket, pork, chicken and fish came easy to me. I did learn something from this experience. Don't be so freaky about trying, well, freaky foods. Yeah, I may not go out on a mission to find gator or crawfish, but I would try it again. I am gonna need Mike's sauce, though!
Watching T-Rex smoke up a gator was pretty cool. It's funny because that gator's face looks a lot like Kyle's T-Rex BBQ team logo. Thanks for the invite, Kyle, and thanks to all the cooks who made this a delicious day of summer cooking. It was great meeting everyone.
- BBQ CRITIC
Watching T-Rex smoke up a gator was pretty cool. It's funny because that gator's face looks a lot like Kyle's T-Rex BBQ team logo. Thanks for the invite, Kyle, and thanks to all the cooks who made this a delicious day of summer cooking. It was great meeting everyone.
- BBQ CRITIC
 |  |
FUN BONUS VIDEO!
Brandon's take on Alligator
RSS Feed
