Hogs for food

One thing you will hear often is wild hog meat is dry/tuff... One thing to remember is wild pork has very little fat which is crucial for the moistness we expect from pork. Number one rule is cook it until well done temp and NO MORE!!!
Second tip is mainly for large thick cuts like the hams. With a narrow long blade knife, pierce straight in. In each slot I insert a cube/hunk of the cheap fat back. Since you already have a large slit insert a piece of apple, pine apple or for a spanish flair, lemon off the rind. A piece of garlic clove is good in there with the fruit and fat. Wrap the meat very well and tightly formed with foil. Cook NO LESS than 1.5 hours before poking the meat thermometer the first time. If it is over 140-145 internal (thickest spot but not too close too bone) unwrap and finish cooking if you want it browned/glazed... If glazing brush your choice of glaze on then. Seasoning was left out as what ever you wish is fine...
For small roaster whole hogs, I do the above plus I pack the cavity with a fruit/vegetable "stuffing" of lemon, orange, apple, pineapple (I use canned unless fresh is on sale which is rare). Celery, onion and garlic cloves really add alot of good flavor IMHO... I use stainless steel tie wire to "sew" up the cavity. Then I use the best heavy duty foil to wrap the entire piggy form fit. I had pics of this but photobucket lost them!
I will clarify in detail if questions arise...

Brent
 
I should have waited until folks were home from work to post...:o the recipe tends to cause chop licking and I have heard reports that a tongue can cause a black eye if yer not careful...:D
Brent
 
Wild hogs are some really good eating. The ones around here are usually fat and the ribs and chops are much better than the supermarket stuff. I kill a lot of wild hogs and have found only one that was strong in flavor. That was a very old boar that was past his prime.

IMHO only, I feel a super huge majority of "gamey" pork is actually in the early stages of spoiled.
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Bingo!!!!

I hunt hogs 12 months of the year. Hunters ruin a lot of wild hog meat because they do not get the animal or meat cooled quick enough. When the temperature is over 80 degrees you have a maximum of four hours to get that hog cooled with ice or hung in a cooler. If the temperature is over 90 degrees a hunter has about three hours to get the hog carcass cooled. This cannot be stressed enough.

I know guys who go to hunt on the ranches in OK and TX. Their guides often let the hog lay around for hours before gutting it and getting it cooled down. Have seen several guys come home with spoiled meat. Much of the "strong" hog meat is really rotten hog meat.

Wild hogs are some really good eating. The ones around here are usually fat and the ribs and chops are much better than the supermarket stuff. I kill a lot of wild hogs and have found only one that was strong in flavor. That was a very old boar that was past his prime.
 
We have a alot of gypsy population that are only on a spot for a few days or a week and may go a long way before settling on the next spot.
Also the amount of hunting pressure (doggin' is best) will really run them around, thus the leanness. They do get chubby when the food crops are up good!
Brent
 
I hunt for pigs in Central Coastal hills of Californa. I prefer them under 175 pounds or so...I keep the loins whole, the rest gets turned into sausage. The game processors in the area have terrific recipes for sausage. I usually mix some 20-30 % fat ground chuck... These links don't last long!!!
 
The next time I shoot a hog and clean it I will take a pic and show you the worm. It's no big deal as long you cook the hog
 
Wild Boar Meatballs

Try This. Take a pound of ground boar, 2 eggs, and a 2 cups bread crumbs. Mix together with you favorites spices, add finely chopped onion,and a couple cloves of garlic. Roll into 1 to 2" balls and brown in a skillet. Put them an oven pan, cover with you favorite BBQ sauce,cover and bake in the oven @350 for about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep a stick handy to keep the riff raff at bay. Enjoy
 

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keep'em cool

Chill them off as fast as possible. A dead hog will spoil very quickly. If you don't have access to a walk in cooler skin the hog and get in a cooler with ice. I am lucky enough to have a refrigerated trailer at work. I skin the hogs and let them hang for 24 hours. My butcher says hogs (even those that are chilled) should be processed and frozen around 24 hours from death. Since I have adopted this theory, I have not had any off-flavor pork. I will say that if you harvest the hog with dogs, I would recommend tying and placing in a pen for a while.
 
Hunten Hogs and are they good to eat?

Have never hunted hogs in North America. I have however hunted and eaten wild Asian Bore in Germany. All I can say about wild bore as table fare is (OUTSTANDING)
 
I have not found them to be gamey tasting but they are different from domestic pigs. I have killed many on my place in TX nad all have had very lean meat. easy to overcook and dry out. I have trouble cooking them b/c of this, take it off too soon and you have a problem, too late and it's ruined.
 
On my ham recipe using the slits to hold the fat back chunks, I failed to mention I put upwards of 15-20 slits on a good size rear ham and 10-15 on a front ham.
It is for wild pork I bought a good mechanical (no trust in digitals nor their batteries) meat thermometer. As publius said over done is a very dry tuff piece of dog food.
Brent
 
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