Man Orders Whole, Cooked Alligator Off Facebook Marketplace In Florida: ‘Found That Sucker In His Backyard’

It’s the kind of meal that might make some people say, “Oh, h— no!” A Florida man dug into a meal that might’ve been walking through the chef’s backyard a day or two prior. And he got it off Facebook Marketplace.

Gabriel Rivera (@itsgabrielrivera) is about that mukbang life. And like any self-respecting TikToker whose focus is food, he’s trying local delicacies. In Florida, that clearly means sampling an alligator platter sourced from Facebook Marketplace.

‘Craziest Dish Ever’

In his video, which has gone legit viral, with over 17.5 million views, Rivera is waiting on his meal in his car. He’s parked in a Tampa neighborhood when a smiling man, Dady Cooks (@dady_cooks), approaches his vehicle, arms loaded with a huge pan of foil-wrapped food.

“Special order for you,” says the cook, as he slides the meal into the driver’s side window. The scene cuts to Rivera pulling back the foil and revealing a fully recognizable alligator, complete with head and teeth, basted in bright red barbecue sauce. “I’m fascinated and terrified at the same time,” admits Rivera.

And he says he doesn’t know how to begin to eat it. But he figures it out quickly. Rivera starts by peeling a long piece off of the tail. To be fair, it just looks like a long strip of white meat brushed with sauce. “I would describe the meat as firm and chewy,” he says, but the barbecue sauce tastes like barbecue sauce.

Then he pauses to call out the care that’s gone into the meal, saying, “You can tell he takes pride in his food. The way he displays it—it looks like art.” And if a video on Dady Cooks’s page is accurate, the gator is presented with its jaws clamped around a smoked chicken, garnished with lettuce, oranges, and homemade buns.

Next, Rivera reveals he’s done research in advance of his alligator alley-inspired meal. “I read online that the meat on the inner tail is more tender,” he says as he peels a piece off.

The verdict? “I did enjoy it,” he said in an email to BroBible. “I try to be as adventurous as possible with what I eat, this meal was definitely that for me.”

Asked if he’d order it again, he wrote, “I wouldn’t order an entire alligator again for just myself, maybe if I shared it with others.” For the record, he “100%” preferred the chicken.

Either way, he admits it’s “the craziest dish” he’s ever had.

‘Dark Web Food’

The internet remains unbeaten at noticing everything. People come with indignation, legal concerns, and fashion commentary.

TikToker @jenqo said, “I wish I could eat this but I’m Lacoste intolerant.”

Meanwhile, user @_macola made the factually supportable observation that Dady Cooks “found that sucker in his back yard.” There is no evidence that he pulled it out of a neighborhood retention pond. But alligators are a part of the neighborhood fauna in many suburban Florida areas.

Safe, Responsible Hunting

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife, alligator season just opened and runs through the beginning of November. The hunting times are staggered. Individuals who apply for a permit are allowed to hunt one of the first four-week sessions, depending on which harvest lot they draw.

For Florida ‘gator hunters, there are two types of permits: “One is for a particular county and the other is for a specific harvest unit.” If you get a “Harvest Unit,” you may only hunt within that particular lake, impoundment or section of river that you’ve signed up for.

But a “Countywide Unit” is available in 65 of the state’s 67 counties. It allows hunters “to hunt alligators in most public bodies of water within that particular county.” For those planning to operate from the water, Florida’s got a boat ramp finder for ease of access.

Though Rivera told BroBible he thinks that Dady Cooks got the alligator  from”a local vendor that provided gators already prepared to cook,” it is still plausible that not only did Dady Cooks serve up the meal, but he could have hunted it, too. Real Florida Man vibes for sure.

BroBible sent a TikTok direct message to Dady Cooks. We will update this if he replies.