The Oddest Grilled Meat You’ve Ever Heard Of

A barbecue can be a good opportunity to try all sorts of different recipes and new foods. A seasoned griller will find ways to cook just about anything on the grill. For most people, this means going beyond things like burgers and steaks and finding ways to innovate and make new and exciting barbecue recipes. For the adventurous few, this can mean taking some odd meats and throwing them on the grill to try something that is really out of the ordinary.

Guinea Pig

Most American’s know these little creatures as furry little friends that live in cages, but in some parts of the world, guinea pigs are considered a popular source of protein. While grilling a guinea pig might seem a little disturbing to the average American, it is nothing out of the ordinary for people that come from the Andean region of South America. Reportedly, guinea pig comes off the grill tender and delicious, though a little oily.

If you want to try guinea pig, it is completely legal and there are some South American restaurants that do offer it as an occasional menu item. However, I would not recommend trying to grill a guinea pig from the pet store. The ones that are served at restaurants are raised as livestock.

Alligator

When most people think of alligators, they think of a swamp beast that could rip your limbs off. For some other people, they look at an alligator and see a potential meal. People in states like Louisiana and Georgia have been eating gator for a long time, and if you take their word for it, an alligator tastes pretty good coming off the grill. From most reports, the meat tastes like chicken with a slight hint of seafood and it is surprisingly tender.

Placenta

This one is kind of weird and it sort of borders on cannibalism (that is human tissue after all), but many people consider it beneficial to eat the placenta after they give birth. For most people, they dehydrate the placenta and turn it into pills, but for many, the idea of cooking it as a meal is appealing.

People have prepared placenta in a variety of ways and grilling is just one of them. Most people describe it as having a taste and texture that is something like liver.

Pig’s Liver

Due to its stronger taste, pork liver is less popular than other types of liver in the US. However, you can find it for sale. While Americans do tend to shy away from pork liver, it is a popular food in other parts of the world and grilling is one of the most common ways to prepare it. However, as mentioned above, it is known to have a strong flavor and it is generally less tender than the liver of a cow, chicken or lamb.

In many cases, what is considered odd grilling for one person is going to seem perfectly normal for another. Much of it can come down to culture and the types of foods that a person was raised eating. If you travel the world and talk to enough grillers, you are bound to find some meats and grilling ideas that seem odd by your own taste. If you have tried grilling any strange meats, then tell us about it in the comments section.