Any good to eat ?

[Australia]

Yep it is always good to get the small sow to eat however the big pig are ok if you age the meat

 

[James DeTorre]

Live in S.C. Shot 50 plus pigs . Don't eat big boars! Make nice mount , however.

 

[Wedgy]

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

Yes !!! that is why the big boars stink. I learned the hard way and cut into one and couldn't get rid of the stink on my arm and shirt for the rest of the weekend. I couldn't imagine cooking or grinding the meat with them in. It's almost as bad as gut shot meat. Ours in CA have been hit or miss in taste and toughness so we generally grind everything up into burger meat with very little added fat. My two favorites are jalapeno cheese(we add puree canned jalapenos and shreaded cheese) and chorizo. Make them into burger patties then put in a zip lock and freeze. Spicey Italian is great for meat balls and in spaghetti. A cheap mix from this place is pretty good.

AC LEGG's Sausage & Jerky Seasonings - Page 1 - Smokehouse Chef

www.smokehousechef.com

 

[swe123]

We don't mess with the big boars. There are plenty of the eating size and they are easyer to work with.

 

[denniss]

I shot a large boar several years ago, probably around 250 lbs. A friend wanted the meat so we brought it in to process. Once the hind quarters were separated we saw a disgusting sight, puss pockets all over, that's it for me, sows only, the smaller the better

 

[GBWS]

****! I wish there was a way l could get all that meat here from you guys lol. A lot of us here in the islands are born n raised on wild pork. It all is in the care and prep of the meat we process easily a 1000 or more wild pigs in a year and we eat all we can get. When using the dogs some meat is lost due to damage while the dogs hold the pig but other wise we take the meat we catch. Even the biggest boars!!! How you prep it after really helps in the way it can taste. And many boars take hours to get out of the mountains here in Hawaii but they still taste great on the table.

So my answer to your question is Yes! Most definitely!! Enjoy

 

[JSHKS]

I find this an interesting thread. I see picking and choosing of hogs. I mean passing on whacking one of the bigger breeder boars or sows for an eating size.
Then some mention they want a few sounders around.

Is the hog issue as bad as I have been led to believe?

I have worked around a hog or two. Boars always had a stink to them. I was never inclined to go looking for the place of origin of the offending stank. Nutted lots of little boars piglets, never saw a "gland" I recall.

Anyone have any pictures of said gland? I am curious as if I shoot a boar at some time I want it taken care of properly.

 

[Rem7mm08]

I always start with a thorough wash down with running water and scrub brush before skinning. Skin immediately and cut out the entry and exit wounds. Like others said, watch out for those nasty glands. I have yet to have a hog of any size that wasn't delicious. Bigger ones were just tougher. Chops out of the loins (tenderize the bigger hogs), sausage out of the rest. Homemade bacon is pretty awesome as well.

 

[J E Custom]

I find this an interesting thread. I see picking and choosing of hogs. I mean passing on whacking one of the bigger breeder boars or sows for an eating size.
Then some mention they want a few sounders around.

Is the hog issue as bad as I have been led to believe?

I have worked around a hog or two. Boars always had a stink to them. I was never inclined to go looking for the place of origin of the offending stank. Nutted lots of little boars piglets, never saw a "gland" I recall.

Anyone have any pictures of said gland? I am curious as if I shoot a boar at some time I want it taken care of properly.

When the hogs came to our area, they took over because we weren't ready for how fast they breed.
Once we got a handle on what to do the numbers came down. and the quality went up because there are no more big 3 to 400 pound hogs. If one moves into our area, we kill it even if there are eating size hogs in the sounder. By controlling the number of sounders, we can control the quality of the hogs we take, When a new litter hits the ground, we can take a few of the 8 to 10 pound pigs for barbecuing whole, then later take a few in the 40 to 50 pound range. This way we can control the total number we have at any time. as they get larger we start taking the 80 to 120 pound hogs for ground meat, except the hams and back strap.

We have never eaten a bad one because we don't risk it by trying to process the big ones. I feel that if you are in doubt about the quality of the meat, just don't take a chance and eat it, spoiling your taste for the meat in general The puss pockets are parasites, And sometimes the glands are mistaken for them.

I also believe that all glands should be removed from "ANY" wild game while processing. If you do it yourself you should know where every gland is located and remove it without cutting it.

The quality of any wild game is effected by these glands. Many people don't remove the glands from deer and miss out on some fine eating.

J E CUSTOM

 

[rm76]

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

What scent glands are you referring to? The scent glands on a hog are on the hind leg and head. You must be referring to the lymph nodes which are located though out the body. While these are somewhat bitter if eaten, they have no impact on meat taste aside from the node itself. You can remove the larger ones within the handquarter, neck, and shoulder, but there are many many other smaller ones that are hard to find and not typically removed, even in commercial pork packing plants. Removing the obvious lymph nodes while butchering means you don't have to worry about biting into them, but they have nothing to do with mitigating the taste of the meat itself. This bore taste/smell is a result of testosterone levels of the live pig, and the off flavor can be exasperated by stress at time of death. For example, a hog slaughter (boar or sow) after being captured and held for several hours in a trap will likely have a stronger gamey taste than one killed instantly at rest. This stress factor with pork is taken seriously at commercial slaughter houses and all efforts are taken to keep the stress levels leading up to the kill low.

The distinct boar gamey taste/smell can be masked to some degree with seasonings and some cooking methods, and as mentioned, some folks have more or less affinity to that taste than others. However, there is no way to completely rid the meat of that boar taste by any ritual at the time of butchering. There are many old wifes' tales out there that attest to such, (and I have tried them all), but they just do not work. If you are pleased with your method and believe it works for you, then please continue, but everyone will not agree.

 

[JSHKS]

Show me the glands and I will be more than willing to cut around them or remove them.
Worked in a locker plant enough on summer to learn a little, and never recall any glands. Then again never processed a feral free roaming hog.
The destruction a hog let alone hogs can do in a short amount of time in a pen is one thing. Free range hogs is something else.
I would be willing to shoot all that were put in front of me, but I won't eat a large sow or boar, coyote bait imho.

From what I have been around, when a sow comes into season, the boars will get all worked up. They will hump up and **** and squirt all over their front legs, stink can be an understatement. On the other hand the sows think it is like channel5.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

^^ Same for bucks in the rut. My buddy shot a nice 8 point in the rut and I made the mistake of grabbing his hind legs at the joint to drag him out. I smelled so bad. Even after a shower I stilled smelled like it. If I could describe it, it smelled like sweat, pi ss, and testosterone. It was like a nasty gym locker smell.

 

[JSHKS]

^^ Same for bucks in the rut. My buddy shot a nice 8 point in the rut and I made the mistake of grabbing his hind legs at the joint to drag him out. I smelled so bad. Even after a shower I stilled smelled like it. If I could describe it, it smelled like sweat, pi ss, and testosterone. It was like a nasty gym locker smell.

Reminds me of the story of the two guys dragging the deer out by the back legs, kept getting hung up on brush and trees. The smarter one of the two says, hey how about we drag him by the horns? So after dragging the buck some distance one says to the other, a lot easier ain't it? Sure is, but we are getting further and further away from the truck!

 

[GBWS]

If I may ask a question, its an honest question and one l don't understand from what I've read here and other places. Why doesn't most of you eat larger hogs? Is it honest experience or is it just because others said its no good? I really do want to know!

If you could go so far as to explain what it was that was bad about it and how you prepped and cared for the meat before cooking. Thanks very much! If any are interested in how we do it please feel free to pm me.

Thanks and aloha!