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So.... Are wild hogs tasty?
How exactly do you butcher them? Do you just cut them into steaks/roasts like a deer? Or do you grind most of it for sausage?
Also, I heard that the bigger ones aren't really worth eating. I assume that is an exageration...
I'm trying to justify a hog hunting trip to Shiloh. A load of good meat might help justify it.
I used to eat them, but I don't any more . It's just a personal thing I guess, but they are nasty animals. I know lots of folks who do, and that's fine. I just feed 'em to the coyotes. Maybe they will get fat and slow !
Older/bigger of anything isn't like young and tender of anything.
I don't think I've had a bad tasting pig per se. Wild obviously is leaner, eats a less grain diet. Our rainforest pigs are a good deal heavier than the mountain pigs. The mountain pigs can just about disappear when they face you or turn away, like a playing card.
My experience is they are mostly just leaner. But I'm sure a lot has to do with their environment.
We have folks that trap the young pigs, castrate the boars and turn em all back out. They grow up with less "gamey" flavor and more fat than just straight boars. They usually notch an ear to mark them.
I'm a frequent flyer at Shiloh Ranch. Never had a bad one, including my 300 lb boar and a 225 lb boar.
Some of the best meat you'll eat.
However, a 40 lb pig cooked slow just is as tender as it is tasty... yum.
Mad_Angler, I've shot a few hogs at Shiloh. I've used a processor close to the ranch and had the whole hog cut into breakfast sausage. I've also had them cut the meat into chops and sausage. I've done many hogs myself, mostly breakfast sausage or burger.
Long story short, the meat is good.
Things to keep in mind: Where on the body was the hog hit?, how was it cleaned?, how long until recovery?, what was the temperatures if you had to leave it overnight?. Much like we would do with other game.
I've killed a few hogs over 200 pounds and the meat is tougher but still edible. Hogs up to 150 pounds or so are usually really good.
Absolutely worth eating BUT, if you don't want the meat, just ship it to me! BTW, the ribs are really good too!
Good luck with whatever you decide. I'll be there in 2 weeks.
I had rather eat wild pigs than domestic. usually cut ribbs,shoulder, hams, tenderloin, back straps. its really good . Forrest
I heard one of the top bbq contest winners secret was wild hogs. Also heard yuppies are now preferring wild hogs over tame. They are really good eating. I saw on meateater how they burnt out the hair off and scraped the hair off and then cooked half a hog with hide on just like tame hogs.
Never eat a bigger one. But, the few I have eaten are delicious as sausage and chops. Don't expect bacon. :^) Good luck and God Bless
I processed a sow that dressed at 140 lbs back in 1999. Last one I've processed. Much rather eat deer and elk. Coyotes, buzzards and other pigs have eaten the ones I've killed since. I hate them and all the problems they bring.
But... Sounds like you need to kill some. Go and have fun!
Never had one that tasted bad. I prefer it to domestic hogs.
I have a fair amount of experience at Shiloh too. I'll agree with what the others have said. Wild hog is good eating, properly cared for. I would go if I were you. You will have a great time, and you will want to go back.
I heard one of the top bbq contest winners secret was wild hogs. Also heard yuppies are now preferring wild hogs over tame. They are really good eating. I saw on meateater how they burnt out the hair off and scraped the hair off and then cooked half a hog with hide on just like tame hogs.
All I've eaten have been very good, even some older boars.
Of course it's going to be tougher than domestic pork. Feral hogs have to work for a living!
My "perfect pig" is a sow of about 120-130 lbs. because of how much meat it yields.
Pigs from Shiloh may be a bit better than free-ranging, since they've been corned since coming to the operation.
It's a fun hunt.
They are excellent eating. However, the fat is not, so trim off as much as possible. When you make sausage, use pork fat from a domestic pig, like the pros do.
Quarter them up and smoke em all day. Debone it all and cook it in a big pot with your favorite bbq sauce. Best pulled pork you'll eat. It is hard to mess one up by doing it this way.
I agree with Mailman, cook them low and slow they are so much leaner than what you get at the market. The best cuts cook up great and the rest makes great sausage.
Trim the fat. I killed one in the spring and the butcher round the fat into the sausage. Every the bit tasted like it was seasoned with lawn clippings.
My family/friends have enjoyed 30+ wild hogs that we've killed during the past 12 years. I've only killed one that I couldn't eat but he was over 300 pounds. Some of the bigger boars taste just fine. I think it depends on what they're eating more than anything. We usually grill the backstraps, cook the hams in the crock-pot (after separating them into roast like a deer) and turn the shoulder meat and trimmings into sausage.
Ahhh.... never had to deal with the fat too much... we hunt the mountain pigs... =D
A good deal of wild game fat has a bad flavor.
A friend showed me once... to test the "gameyness" of meat take chunk of the fat, pan fry real quick, burn it.... you will know from the smell right away if the animal will have a strong gamey flavor to it. He was referring to feral goats, but I have found you can apply it to most anything.
All meat has at least some "marbling" to it, even if it appears completely lean. Much of any bad flavor comes from the fat they have.
I've killed and eaten several dozen, and only one was so tough that I had to grind it. The rest were great.
I've never noticed much correlation between size and tastiness, but (unlike venison) I've observed that the backstraps weren't the best part.
This is what I use to cook them
I'll take a wild hog over a deer anyday.
I've killed close to 30 wild hogs (most in the southeast) and have yet to eat a hog that did not taste good. Tastes the same as domestic port, just leaner and a bit tougher. I'll take wild pig over deer meat any day of the week.
They are ALL delicious!!!
You have to remember that if you shoot a piglet or a 6 year old they aren't going to be the same in tenderness.
So if you slow cook the meat from a big hog or make sausage you will be fine. I had a place in Dallas that you take my big boars and turn them into sausage gold. I miss those days.
A piglet roasted is by far the #1 eating wild game you will EVER have. Mostly because we can't shoot big game animals that are 6-8 weeks old.
They can be very good if you take care of the meat properly! My friend's dad had a rule that he would never kill one that was too big to fit in the oven whole, he made some TASTY roast pigs!
I've been using Stubbs Pork Marinade for the loin (grilled), all I can say is "wow"! Now my Wife wants me to kill more pigs!
Had everything but the loin and ribs made into Italian Sausage, it is extremely good.
Best of Luck, Jeff
I'm with Cajunarcher. I will trade all my deer for a young hog any dy. Just came back from Ft Stewart GA. on a traditional bowhunt for porkers. Killed a nice 80# hog the third day that will definitely provide some good eating's.
Cajunarcher the old china box been using them since they first came out bought so many the owner of the company wanted me to be a dealer.Great cookers.How are you getting the hair off the skin Looks tasty we live in So.Fl{Cuba north)Lewis
Some of you must be pretty young. Your dilemma is, domestic pork is not what it used to be. When I was a kid, pigs were raised pretty much on garbage. Now, they are all grain-based fed. The main difference is that now you can eat it cooked however you like, since pigs not eating any uncooked meat products don't carry trichinosis, which was the reason for recommending it be cooked well done. Wild pigs are more like those early domestic products, especially if killed when young. Just be sure to cook them thoroughly.
I have always found the shoulders to be the best part to smoke. Cook em till the meat seperates and falls off the bone. Then it is ready. 8 hours minimum.
I'll have to add one interesting story. I shot a hog very close to the beach (few hundred yards) a few years ago. It was a 90-100 sow, perfect eating size. But.......all the meat had a fishy taste. We ate it but I'll admit it was a little hard to swallow. Guess you are what you eat!
My understanding is fish eating bears are about the only game in AK you don't have to recover the meat from. Even the F&G must think they are nasty.
I'm guessing in many ways pigs and bear are very similar... omnivores and all.
I've eaten a lot of wild hogs over the yrs...some good some bad. 99.9% of them females. The best tasting hogs I've eaten had been eating acorns and had lots of white fat..(a really fat acorn feed hog may have over a half inch layer of white fat) which tastes just like domestic hog fat.
When there's no acorn crop and hogs are eating mostly roots (especially pink root in Fl.) they aren't as good to eat and fat is yellow.
weekender-
I had an old girlfriend like that once. I probably should have told her to stop eating fish.
I just ate my first wild pig down in AL and man I thought it was tasty. It was a 120 pound boar, would definitely say yes to anyone giving away meat. I was told the over 250 pounders are pretty tough and gamey.
LOL Kevin...LOL
I think TD pretty much summed it up in his first post- those big ole boars are nasty- you can smell the stank when you cook some of them.
Shoot a 160# sow and its excellent- much better than the blacktails and mule deer here.
There is a learning curve to cooking wild meat, if you overcook- you wreck it.
I'm getting seriously salivery reading the posts, so you can tell where my preferences lie.
I can pretty much tell what a boar is going to taste like by what it smells like. You get a rank old boar and it is best used with heavy seasoning. A lot of people will sausage big boars.
My Laotian friends eat the whole animal from asshole to oink (literally) and boy do they know how to do it right. There are a lot of pig parts that are ignored (wasted?) by most hunters. The ribs are fabulous imo.
No comparison between 'aerobic pork' and factory pork. Maybe I've been living in commie Cali too long, but any animal that's been continuously on antibiotics has no place on my dinner table.
My favorite eater is a dry sow running up to 200 lbs or so, fat but not hanging all over the place. Either sex up to the 150 lbs range is pretty awesome. Get one in the fall during/after the acorn drop and the meat gets a wonderful nutty flavor.
Wild pork presents a challenge wrt trichinosis. I like to have game medium rare for tenderness, but roundworms larvae can survive typical chest freezer temps. Used to have access to a laboratory freezer that would take the meat down to minus 20, and a weekend in there took care of that. Pit roasting will get you thoroughly cooked meat that is fall off the bone tender.
Wild Hogs: The best eating in the woods.
Who else in here shoots piglets?
I know it sounds harsh but honestly a 10-20 piglet is world class eating.
I am talking Michelin star.
Even my sister-in-law who doesn't like meat eats it with glee.
I roast them whole until outside is crunch and the meat is so tender inside it literally melts in your mouth.
I wish I lived in hog country again.
A guy came walking by my stand one day in Fl. After a few minutes I hear a bunch of shooting down in the swamp and he comes walking back by with 4 little pigs hanging from his belt.
I personally never shot them (although as you say cooked on the grill whole they are delicious...my Dad killed several one hunt and that's the way he cooked them)
In my latter days of hunting in hog country I very seldom shot any hogs..didn't want to screw up a deer spot. But when I did it had to be good eat'n size female, fat and close to a road.
I let some very big ole boar hogs walk right under several times.
When I killed this one I told myself it's my last big boar hog..just too much trouble to move and all I did was give them away anyhow.
Sage Buffalo I am with you :-)
I can't imagine anyone not enjoying the taste of a wild pig - roasted, bbq'd, slow cooked, crock pot, whatever!!
I've killed both genders, all different sizes, and never had a bad one - both the wife and myself prefer them to store bought, which have no taste at all.
Lots of ways to prepare them, two of my favorites: BBQ chops on the grill: just coat in olive oil, add garlic powder and Montreal seasoning. Cook well and then slightly char on both sides - eats like candy!!
Pulled pork: slow cook rump or should roast in crock pot (no need to brown first). Place on bed of onions and chopped garlic, add chili powder, kosher salt, brown sugar and cinnamon. Throw in some liquid (chicken broth or apple juice or 7up/sprite or rootbeer).
Before...
Can't forget, no BBQ is complete without the wild hog RIBS!!
Wild1 we would get along well...
My friend, Daren, shoots pigs in the 38-42 lb range, and cooks them whole, slowly, in his oven. They are as good as it gets.... tender, delicious, table fare.
When I was a kid, my father required that I gut and skin everything I killed. Except for wild hogs... despite their being tough to skin, he told me to shoot a hundred of them, and he'd do everything else.
I don't feel good if my freezer is hog free, hence the 2x/year trips to Shiloh.
I'm thinking about getting one processed again after seeing Wild1's photos. Dang it man. How big was the hog that those ribs came from?
I have a freezer full of deer and turkey, and I am itching to go get some wild pork....
I will say 99% of the reason guys don't mess with them is because they aren't a sissy job like a deer. It's work to get them to the table - like anything else it usually means it's worth it!
Plus guys are scared cause of all the stories of disease.
I must be in the 1% Sage buffalo. I don't mess with them because I despise them and want them dead.
Bowme2 -
The butcher (I process my own venison, but for hogs I need a band saw, and I don't own one) weighed it after I field dressed, skinned and removed the head, best we could tell, between 250 and 285 lbs. I'm inclined to think it was closer to 250lbs. Took me four hours to get it to my truck, and my truck was only a quarter mile away! It was free range, on public land! Check out the size of it's head. (I've never posted it here)
Sage is right, it can be work, just skinning these critters is tough - but the meat, oh my!!
By the way (hope this doesn't sound arrogant), but I'm pretty sure I kill more free range, public land hogs, in California, than anyone else - really. Most all the rest are killed on private land, or low fence. I'm the Bigdan of CA. hog hunters (I think I just insulted Big Dan)
Good luck fellas!
wild1,
Why do you need a band saw to butcher hogs? I've butchered more than 30 and never used one. Bone in chops?
Yep, bone-in chops. I should probably start doing my own, but it's also the time involved - very busy these days...
My butcher makes it so reasonable that it's not worth it to do it myself. The guy is great: ham (or ham slices), ribs, chops (all kinds), roasts, sausage. All for a total of $60.00 if it's under 150lbs, $75.00 if it's over 150lbs. - tough to beat that.
I use a sawsall to help process my game. Use a special blade just for meat cutting.
Not sure why anyone would drag a hog out of the woods. Pain n the the ass. I bone them out whee they drop. Back straps are grilled, hams and shoulders are rubbed down, sit for a few days before slow roasting. Otherwise it's canned. Yum. Canned pork makes for a quick meal too.
Interesting some guys say they leave them for the Coyotes. It's one hard up Yote that has to eat a dead hog when there's rabbits, mice and pack rats to be had.
wild1, you don't absolutely need a bandsaw to do bone-in chops. They can be done a couple ways with a hand meat saw, or a good quality, heavy, sharp cleaver.
I rarely mess with them b/c bone in just isn't worth the extra work though.
if you want info on doing chops by hand, PM me
For guys that leave the ribs in the woods - why deprive yourself of a 2000 BC barbecue where you can gnaw on a 1 1/2 foot long rib? Unlike deer or elk ribs which get really chalky on your teeth as soon as they cool down, pig ribs are m-m-good.
HBM, you'd probably be the Cali champ if you arrowed 10. If you're getting them 1/4 mile from your truck, I might give you a run for the money on distance hiked.
ditto the ribs (but then I leave NO ribs uneaten)
williamtell -
Don't get me wrong, I've done some of those hell hikes out with a quartered hog, but I'll still give you the nod though - I hate those hikes out.
I've got nine down, just missed my tenth last weekend - it'll happen soon my friend!! Until then, happy eating!!
williamtell -
No. 10. All DIY public land.
All this talk of pack outs... Started from very bottom killed up top.. Drag out (mostly down) whole but still a sob... Pigs taste great!
We like them 40-100#s and slow cook on a spit. I agree that I never had a bad one but the smaller ones eat better. Shawn
trkyslr -
love that picture!
Wild hog is about my favorite meat.
Years ago I was told a pregnant sow was the best eating. I shot a 200 pound one recently and it has been excellent. Had ham smoked and they did make some bacon. All very good
This was a wild hog one of my hunters shoot. Great pig!
Wild hog is very good! One of my favorites. I have hunted Shiloh numerous time, always a great hunt! I have also taken free range hogs on private and public land. All were good. You need to try a hunt at Shiloh. Mat and Cheryl are the best! and if you don't get a hog there it will be because you can't shoot straight!
TD is correct, here in Alaska you Don't have to keep the meat on a bear you shoot from June 1st to January 1st. From January 1st to June 1st you have to haul out/keep the meat of a bear. This mostly because of the bears eating fish. When a bear eats fish, there is nothing in the world that will get rid of the dead fish taste in the bear meat, even soaking it in milk for 3 days.
I would assume the same is true for boars, if they somehow eat fish the meat will be nasty.
One of the best pieces of meat I have ever eaten was a black bear my buddy shot that had been gorging on blueberries. Sweetest thing I have eaten!
So yes, what animals eat really does affect the taste.
My buddies and I in CA used to take a big bag of charcoal and cooler of wild pig meat to the beach, then go spearfishing for a couple hours. When we got out we'd have a surf n' turf bbq, those were the best beach days ever!
I've been hog hunting in Texas for about 9 years. During that time I have killed well over 200 hogs (no exaggeration). Generally speaking, I will smoke the whole hog on my smoker (after cleaning and skinning of course). The meat will fall right off the bone. If the hog is to large to fit or I don't have time to smoke it, then I will bone it out and get the individual cuts of meat. You can tell almost instantly once you cut into the pig how it is going to taste. If the Hog has yellow and smelly fat, then I will either leave it or make dog food out of it. If the fat is white, then I won't hesitate to use it to feed my family. A lot of the taste depends on how the meat is cared for after the shot. How long did it sit before getting skinned and gutted? What were the temperatures?
One thing that I always do with my pig meat is to bleed it out in my cooler. I will set my cooler in the back yard and cover all of the boned out meat in ice. Leaving the drain plug open, I will continue to add ice for about 5 days. This will ensure that the temperature keeps the meat fresh, and this process also ensures that all of the blood drains from the meat.
Once you have reached this point, i like to vacuum seal the meat in individual sections and cuts. I may even put a dry rub on it before vacuum sealing it.
Lightly breading and then frying the back strap medallions is a great addition to any meal.
Good luck on your hunting expeditions.
nomas 636 I do the same with the cooler and ice, but add a pound of salt to the first fill up of ice, the meat cools much faster that way
