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What to do with a Hog?

WapitiBob

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My brother told me we're going to Texas to shoot a cpl Hogs next month. Other than leave it there, what's the consensus? Local processor told me I could make breakfast sausage...
 
They’re good to eat, I prefer to smoke whole quarters on my big smoker pit and make pulled pork, But my wife made a crockpot pork loin with beans off a pig my son killed a couple days prior and it was out of sight. I killed two on Saturday but a buddy of mine wanted the meat so I gave it to him. In my experience once the boars get big enough to be stinky they’re not as good to eat, but under 150lbs or so they’re still usually great eating.
 
The only negative to wild pigs is the need to cook it to 140 to make 100% sure trichinosis is taken care of. Since I went to cooking with a sous vide it really lets me get there without overcooking the snot out of it.

Before sous vide I would smoke it and make it into pulled pork or other BBQ options.

I've eaten dozens of wild pigs and haven't ever had one that didn't taste perfectly fine. Some have been a little tough but they all tasted fine. There are a few glands in some unusual spots that you need to cut out when you are butchering one. If you are taking it apart like normal into quarters and stuff you will find them.
 
Depending on where they may be pretty lean even for sausage.
They taste and eat great, quarter them up and bring 'em back for the smoker.
 
Eat it, it's great! Butcher it like anything else you shoot. When I was in high school we'd take marinated pork chops and sausage from the wild pigs we killed down to the beach when we went spearfishing. Then, if the fishing was good we'd cook up a big old surf n' turf meal on the charcoal grill for whoever was around, met lots of new people, it was good times!
 
I've shot a couple here in CA and agree that you butcher it like anything else. Crockpot carnitas was a big hit in my house with the one I shot last year. All of the front shoulder, neck and anything else that had connective tissue was used for that. The rest was grilled.
 
What everyone else said about cooking them is accurate: chops, cutlets, roasts, ribs, ground, sausage. It sounds like your local processor may not be experienced with wild hogs (even though the process is exactly the same as farm-raised pork). If that’s the case, your Texas outfitter certainly can recommend someone who will ship your meat to you.
 
My brother told me we're going to Texas to shoot a cpl Hogs next month. Other than leave it there, what's the consensus? Local processor told me I could make breakfast sausage...
Take the quarters. Slow cook them in a gravy and vegetables and herbs. Then grill to brown/crisp up when you reach your desired internal temp. One of my best cooks was a hind quarter I cooked like a lamb leg. Inserted garlic and rosemary into the flesh. Put it on the weber in an aluminum pan covered in foil with an indirect fire. I also cut up potatoes, carrots, parsnips and a thin brown gravy with red wine. I think I cooked it to around 165? Since it had been seaming in the foil bin, the meat wasn't too palatable looking so I put it right on the grill for about 5-10 minutes a side. Best dang meat I ever grilled.

I've heard of guys taking the ribs but I don't think there's enough meat to be worth it.
 
The only negative to wild pigs is the need to cook it to 140 to make 100% sure trichinosis is taken care of. Since I went to cooking with a sous vide it really lets me get there without overcooking the snot out of it.

Before sous vide I would smoke it and make it into pulled pork or other BBQ options.

I've eaten dozens of wild pigs and haven't ever had one that didn't taste perfectly fine. Some have been a little tough but they all tasted fine. There are a few glands in some unusual spots that you need to cut out when you are butchering one. If you are taking it apart like normal into quarters and stuff you will find them.
1-s2.0-S0956713511000570-gr1.jpg



Wild pigs get T. Spiralis which can be killed through freezing

Bears get Spiralis, Nativa, T6, and Murelli. Native, T6, and Murelli are cold resistant.


Basically you can freeze a wild hog and be safe you can't freeze a black bear. Sous vide is a great option as well, as you can hold the temp longer and reduce the cook temp.
 
Have not tried Sous vide but Loin (backstrap) roast can be cut into chops (I prefer roast on grill).
Shoulders smoked and shredded for pulled pork,
Smoke one ham. That's enough for me.
Take 15# of trim meat and make 30# of sausage. Bratwurst, Garlic, Italian, and/or Drying sausage. Could do bulk or Breakfast links too. The trim meat can wait for the required deep freeze time...
 
My brother killed a 200 lb boar in on a WMA in Georgia recently. He made 18 lbs of sausage, cut pork chops, whole loins, saved a shoulder to smoke and one for a ham and he has said it’s all good. He even cooked part of one loin at camp the day they shot it and said it had no off flavor even then.
 
Eat it. They are good and are a nice change from red meat once and again.
 

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