Any good to eat ?

[Deleted member 48126]

We shot a PILE of large hogs on a recent night hunting trip in Georgia. Unfortunately, almost every one of them was a large boar. Our outfitter said that they were definitely not fit to eat.View attachment 187775

what part of Georgia did you go? I'm assuming hogs that big were south ga. Can you PM me the guide you used?

 

[Jerry Mckenzie]

Took these this week one boar and one sow 240 & 200 lbs respectively. I taken them to a processor loins whole, ribs for bbq and the rest is made into links, breakfast sausage etc

 

[Deleted member 48126]

@K-HILL, I wouldn't eat any wild pig over 150lbs. I shot a 200lb boar in the winter in Missouri, and I brought it to the butcher and he said he wouldn't do it. He said it would taste foul.

My cousin shoots them all the time in South Georgia and his rule is anything up to 100lbs is pretty good table fare.

All the hogs I have eaten were between 60-120lbs and they tasted like normal pork.

 

[david g ranes]

If you shoot a hog that has a burnt brown sugar smell Kind of like molasses in sweet feed haven't had one of them that tasted bad yet. David

 

[bdyal1972]

I have found a 200lb to 400lb boar is acceptable table fare if it is:
1. Bone it out in the field IMMEDIATELY
2. DISCARD ALL FAT!
3. SALT, marinate or cook well done...

Not ALL BOARS taste bad. Smell bad yes.

GET THE MEAT OFF THE BONE ASAP!!!

GET ALL FAT OFF THE MEAT ASAP!!!

cool the meat asap...

The fat makes great tasty lard when rendered down, usually...

It's kind of like shooting a elk, pronghorn or bear in August....

ALL ABOUT THE PREP...

 

[LanceS4803]

Looking into preserve hunt in Tennessee this fall . Quick weekend away with wife and these hunts look like fun .

Where are you thinking of going? A Tennessean here, who has yet to do one of these hunts.

 

[loneranger]

Sows are good at any size/age, but boars have a definite distinct taste/odor that is not liked by many. However, some folks can tolerate that distinct flavor just fine.

Got to remove the scent glands out of hams.No more gamey taste or odor. Try it !!

 

[Varmint Hunter]

what part of Georgia did you go? I'm assuming hogs that big were south ga. Can you PM me the guide you used?

PM inbound

 

[crazyhorse]

We have killed a bunch of them on a couple of our places in north MS. We kill most of them for management and crop protection, therefore most of them go in a giant hole we dig in the ground for disposal.
Good advice here about the sub 120 pounders. We have found the best method for us is to grind everything into Brats or breakfast sausage (both really good) and cook the backstraps whole or in loin chops. You can make a big mature hog palatable, but you can also wash your truck with a toothbrush, I don't recommend either...

 

[Patriot007]

Got to remove the scent glands out of hams.No more gamey taste or odor. Try it !!

Out of all the post that I have read on this topic. You are the only one that said the magic words. You Got to remove the scent glands.. This is one of the first things that I learned as a boy, to do with all of our wild game that we killed.
Any Coon Hunters out there???? You Know how we size up the size of the Coons we shoot!!! LOL.
The first thing we do is take out the sent glands. Wild hogs are the SAME. That is why we castrate little male piglets, also to control the jean pool. One of my farmer buddies down here has started capturing the little male piglets and castrating and marking them and releasing them back into the wild. Some even have trackers on them so we can see where they are moving around on his property. He has feed plots set up so they are not getting into his fields destroying his crops. All this helps with controlling the wild hog population on his farm, and makes for a great hog hunt, and good tasting meat.

 

[TexSavage]

I have found a 200lb to 400lb boar is acceptable table fare if it is:
1. Bone it out in the field IMMEDIATELY
2. DISCARD ALL FAT!
3. SALT, marinate or cook well done...

Not ALL BOARS taste bad. Smell bad yes.

GET THE MEAT OFF THE BONE ASAP!!!

GET ALL FAT OFF THE MEAT ASAP!!!

cool the meat asap...

The fat makes great tasty lard when rendered down, usually...

It's kind of like shooting a elk, pronghorn or bear in August....

ALL ABOUT THE PREP...

I had an rancher/guide in Oklahoma who showed us on our first boar on removing that large gland/puss pocket on the abdomen first and foremost. When we started, that 400 lb boar stunk like you could not believe. Once he removed that massive gland/puss pocket the smell was gone. The meat was excellent although I only kept 1 ham, the tenderloins and ground the remainder into fine grind burger. One of my daughters has used it often for various recipes that call for ground pork. I've been trying for a good breakfast sausage recipe or a good bratt recipe but have not found one to date . He told us be it domestic or wild that gland/puss pocket had to come off first and thrown as far away as possible. He also said take plenty of margin and keep your knife out of it. From my little known and followed experiences in life,

Your Mileage May Vary!

 

[basinman]

60 pounds or less are the best eating.

 

[Uncle yib]

Looking into preserve hunt in Tennessee this fall . Quick weekend away with wife and these hunts look like fun .
My concern is , are these big 350-400lb hogs any good to eat ?

10-4 on that they taste better than store bought pork you can hunt them year round here in north fla-south ga you will be surprised at the taste if done properly

 

[JTComfort]

Whatever you do, don't throw the meat away because someone said it wasn't worth eating. I have never eaten a 400 lb boar but I have eaten a 250lb boar from Texas and have eaten allot in the 150 lb range from south Georgia. I have yet to taste one that did not taste like store bought pig. The meat does start to go bad fairly quickly so you have to get it on ice and processed as quickly as possible. My theory on why people say it taste bad is because they let it sit too long before they gutted it and put it on ice. When you smoke them, you won't be able to tell the difference between a sow and a boar. When you make sausage, you won't be able to tell the difference between a sow and a boar. If you slow cook a roast, you won't know the difference between a sow and a boar. If you decide to slice up the loin and throw it on the grill, a big boar will be tough. Take a meat tenderizer and beat on it a little.

Totally agree here JE. Caring for meat in the field quickly and properly observing temperature really pays off on the table.