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I never hear anyone talk about eating there javelina do you. We are hunting them first week of Feb. are they any good.
all is relevant and ..... as to taste and ........how it is prepared and cooked.... from my try . NO
Just shot my boar this morning. I usually clean all the meat off the bones, rinse each piece in cold water and pat dry and smell it to insure there is no residual odor . I freezer wrap all of it into 4 or 5 large packages then freeze before taking it all to the butcher. I have it blended into various sausage: (Italian for spagetti, Chorizo for breakfast, Jalapeno, Portuguese, etc.) Works out well and I am done with the whole affair pretty quickly. Had it all wrapped and in the freeze in a couple hours.
It makes a pretty good chili!
Depends how you handle it after you kill it. I went through many javies before I figured out what to do. Just remember that the hair is covered in the musk. DO NOT let the hair touch the meat. Also, don't touch the meat with a hand that has touched the hair. We have pit BB-Q'd, crock potted, and made italian suasage from them. No more musky after taste since we've started doing this. Good luck.
Got my javelina last week and yes we eat it absolutely. It makes great breakfast sausage, and even summer sausage if it's a sow preferably. I have heard of people who make roasts or do it pit BBQ style and it's supposed to be amazing!
Javvy meat is fine... SUPER lean like turkey and does make great chili or anything mexican with spices. The meat itself is actually very mild with a very unique flavor. But you absolutely cannot touch the hair, then the meat. Not even once. As you're skinning it, NEVER let the hand holding the hide ever touch the meat. NEVER cut the knife through hide and into the meat. The musk on the hide is why people think that Javvy meat is bad, and when you smell one in person you can't help but believe them. The smell is right up there with a skunk. But if your cool the meat properly like any other game animal, and be VERY anal about skinning it, it should be fine! Again it's extremely lean, so overcooking solid pieces will turn it into cardboard very quickly. I'd recommend grinding most of it, but try some straps or a ham in a smoker or slow cooker.... but again there is absolutely no fat so it's really easy to dry it out- even with slow cooking.
As you notice all of the recipes here have something to flavor the meat. So, dotn try to fry up a steak, you will ahve to throw the pan away.
Goes without saying they make great tamales and chili. (my old boots could probably make decent tamales and chili). But if you limit javalinas to that you are shortchanging them.
First, it goes with the preparation. Don't shoot an old boar if you want to eat it. Get that scent gland off ASAP. (bring dog shampoo for the fleas and take a shower ASAP after cleaning them -- you'll thank me for this). Get it skinned and cooled ASAP. If you do that, with a young boar or a sow, the hindquarters, backstraps, tenders, etc. are fine for roasting in an oven. I'd suggest marinading -- I like some red wine, garlic, onions, Italian dressing or whatever you like. Put in some cloves on the surface and cook slow, in liquid and covered so it doesn't dry out. It ain't bad.
Been my experience that desert ghost meat is great just about anyway you want to fix it as long as you mix it 10 parts beef to one part javelina !! I have to admit it...i don't like it a bit...fortunately i have made some great friends in the Tucson area who are glad to have the meat so it is a win/win for us whenever i get an arrow in one of those pesky critters...
Joe
after reading some previous post on the subject of eating Javies, most post were not positive. I was bit apprehensinve in trying to eat the two I shot in South Texas last month. just got up the nerve to try some last week. looks like I went overbroard on trying to over come the "suspected" smell and taste. I put alot of cloves and garlic and uncooked bacon in with a Javi hindquater in the crock pot. I must have shot a young one as it came out tender and and so tasty that my lovely even had some. I can back off on the cloves and other spices as they overwhemled the taste a bit too much.
looking forward try another receipe.
I have eaten some, I did not think it to be so bad. My outfitter cooked some on the grill (marinated, bacon wraped, backstrap) which was pretty damn good. By far the best meal they served, which is not saying a whole lot, but it was good.
What I have cooked at home was more along the lines of tacos or chili, and it was decent as well.
Jim
Was a time that I used to prepare the meat like the loins, backstraps etc, as a stand alone, but ended up prefering to work it all up as either sausage, chili or shredded BBQ. It is very lean meat and will tend to dry out quickly and toughen up. It's not my favorite game meat, but I would never think of not using it.
P.S I agree 100% with field care to keep the hair side of the hide from the meat when skinning. I prefer to hang them upside down and start skinning it down to the head, then sever the neck/spine. That way all of the hide can be removed without contaiminating the meat. The scent gland is only incorporated in the depth of the skin and is located on the small of the back. It comes off with the skin, so you should never even have to touch it. Once you have it all skinned, gutted and in the place you plan to butcher it, you should moisten the outer membranes and try to trim off the outer film where possible, as this can still be tainted with scent no matter how careful you thought you were. Also, when I filet or debone the meat to be wrapped for freezing, etc, I smell it for any residual odor which you can immediately sense. If needed I will dipp and wash the meat in cold water and pat dry with a towel then re-smell it. This usually takes care of any faint residual odors and it does work very effectively.
Javelina are really fun to hunt and should be enjoyed for what they can also provide as meat. If prepared properly, it will be fine for many uses, but IMO not so much as a stand alone meat, at least compared to elk, deer, antelope, bighorn, etc.
I've had it pit barbequed and cooked on the frying pan. The stuff from the pit was just like pulled pork or carnitas. Excellent table fare if you just keep the musk off the meat.
Nick
I normally take off the backstraps in a whole piece, then soak them in milk overnight. Then I marinate it and grill it whole, but don't over cook. Then slice it thin and it's delicious.
I bone out the rest of the body and take it to a sausage shop and have bratwurst made from it.
Field care is everything and I absolutely echo the sentiments regarding the prevention of hair touching the meat.
However, Javalina can make fantastic table fare. It made quite literally the best carne guisada I have ever put in my mouth and is frequently used in tamales, chorizo and other sausages. Javalina tends to make extremely tasty pulled BBQ, particularly if slow smoked.
Thank you so much everyone I will bring home the meat.
I believe people not liking it is 90% mental. Take care of the meat and it tastes EXACTLY like pork loin. We grind up the front quarters and neck meat for sausage, etc.. The backstraps and hind quarters go right on the grill with a little salt, pepper, and onion. DELICIOUS!
crock pot with Tequilla um,um,good
crock pot with Tequilla um,um,good
crock pot with Tequilla um,um,good
I live in Michigan now, and want to get some javi meat. anyone know where i can order some?
I always loved the "well you just have to know how to cook it" Translation: Make it taste like it's not supposed to taste
Clark, If you think that anything can make a decent tamale, then you have never had a tamale made right.
As far as Javi meat, some is good, some is bad. Shot placement is important, a bad shot stinks like crazy and I would guess that the meat suffers as well (refused to eat that one). My family always makes it into chorizo, but we are a bunch of latinos so go fig.
blacktopshaman
Not sure you can do that. Texas I know you cannot order it. Game animal, cannot sell it.
I have never heard of anyone raising them for meat, there is probably a reason for that.
Not sure on Arizona laws. Takes a Cite Permit to get it out of Mexico. New Mexico not sure on that but probably not legal there either.
That being said, how much of it do you need and when do you need it. We have lots left over every year. You pay the shipping and it is yours. PM me and we can set something up.
RK
