Any good to eat ?

[Deleted member 48126]

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!

In my experience it's been uncles, cousins, friends, and the deer cooler who highly advise me not eat big hogs. Also the few times I cleaned big hogs they are nasty and smell bad. It's hard to get those memories out of your head when you go to eat them. In my experience, again, the smaller ones haven't been around long enough to eat nasty stuff, get cysts, pus filled injuries, or be all muscled up pumped full of adrenaline and testosterone.

If there are guys here who say it tastes good and they know how to clean and cook big hogs, then I'm all for it. It's an animal that hasn't gone to waste and that's awesome.

 

[03USMC]

I eat up to 250 pounders, once you get passed that weight range other than the backstraps it can be a toss up what you get. If they're sows they'll taste better than a big boar.

 

[Buck1970]

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 ?

In response, yes and no.

A lot of valuable info has been given and it all boils down to your own personal preference.
For many of us in Texas who are associated with agriculture, we kill every hog we see. Large, small, male, female.
Years ago we processed a large hog that had some odd odor when cooked. Smelled up the entire house and my wife won't have anything to do with them since. Now, every now and and then I'll take the back straps from a 100 pounder and slice and grill and she is okay with it, but nothing cooked inside.
More than likely, unless all conditions are perfect with an instant kill, quick, clean skinning and quartering, wash and chill, you will Probably not be happy with meat form a large boar.
Really there is only one way to find out for sure for your house hold but I'd take a small One to compare.

Enjoy your hunt and stay safe.

Knk

 

[MZmoose]

Doubt you will see a true 400lb wild hog. Anything under 100 lbs is good eating. Back straps on the bigger ones gets a little tough but it all makes great sausage. We mix it with venison and make some awesome summer sausage or Texas style hot gut sausage. Shoulders and hams on the smoker make great pulled pork. Tastes just like domestic pork that's had some exercise.

 

[MZmoose]

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!

I've hunted pigs in Texas for the last 5 years and they all taste the same except the piglets which are absolutely delicious. All of them taste great but the big boars are tough and we use them for sausage, smoke em low and slow, or crockpot to make pulled pork. We hang em, rinse with cold water, skin em, bone them out, cut off the ribs, and never actually gut em. It's hot there so the meat goes on the ice quick. Never had bad tasting pork that way. The piglet was gutted, skinned, seasoned and smoked whole. It was amazing.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

Doubt you will see a true 400lb wild hog.

The hogzillas in Georgia turned out to be escaped domesticated hogs that went feral pretty quickly.

 

[GBWS]

The biggest wild boar I've ever caught weighed 385 pounds quartered with no head. So easily 400# dressed we packed him out quite a ways before getting back to the truck. Most of our hogs are taken with dogs so rarely quick clean kill as shooting etc. And getting them out of the forest on our back takes awhile. We do debone a lot and bring out just the meat less to do when we get back home etc. While I do agree that taking an animal at rest or relaxed is much better than one that's pumped full of adrenaline etc. I personally feel it can be made into very tasty table fare. We've been doing it for generations.

 

[J E Custom]

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!

Taste is the only reason I cull any game animal, Because I know that some game is not properly cared for and not properly prepared causing it to be more gamely and lowering the taste quality.

I like a good steak, but hate a poorly raised or cooked one. Wild game is the same in many ways.

Lots of people eat bear meet, but having tried it two different times that it was bad i have no desire to try it a third time. I know that some hunters know how the clean and cook it where it will be good, but I was turned off by some bad bear meat and cant get interested in trying it again.

So having eaten wild hogs that were marginal, I gust decided to stay with the really good hogs
and pass on the not so good or worse the really bad ones. it's not like they are very rare and hard to come buy, So I pick and choose the best ones for my taste.

If anything stinks up the house while cooking it, I have a hard time eating it and have even a harder time getting anyone in my family to eat it ether.

I also like to mix wild pork with my venison sausage, but even the quality has to be good enough to eat like any other pork. (If it is rank enough to only grind it up for sausage, I am not interested)
Some times I have killed a hog that would normally be a good eating size but during cleaning, I will change my mind for many reasons that have been discussed and discard it rather than ruin my taste for wild hog/pork.

Just my taste and opinion.

J E CUSTOM

 

[aushunter1]

What diseases do you guys have over there that affect wild pigs because that's what I would be asking?

We have here in Australia, mainly in the northern half of the country but it is spreading south & I also believe you have it over there in the USA as well?

Disease Alert: Swine Brucellosis

Swine brucellosis is an infectious disease that causes abortions, infertility, and low milk production in infected pigs.

www.aphis.usda.gov

This is tranferable to humans & these are some of the affects in can have on you-

Brucellosis-Brucellosis - Symptoms & causes - Mayo Clinic

Brucellosis is an infectious bacterial disease often spread via direct contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.

www.mayoclinic.org

I just wanted to point that out but obviously you would track where if any infections would be state by state with your applicable authority.

Not sure how your wild pig population feed but here in Australia a lot of the pigs here due to weather/ land conditions/amount of available natural diet like bulbs/roots etc, when there is no regular feed they start becoming carnivores & will eat anything they can find including kangaroo, goat, fox, sheep, cattle carcasses.

It may not be to different an many other countries?

So with all this in mind if I take a pig it will be very young, still probably while it is still suckling or not long after.

I just do not want to take the chance of parasites, swine brucellosis or even the taste of the meat being affected by eating rotten flesh.

Each to their own of course & its really dependant on local environment of course.

 

[J E Custom]

What diseases do you guys have over there that affect wild pigs because that's what I would be asking?

We have here in Australia, mainly in the northern half of the country but it is spreading south & I also believe you have it over there in the USA as well?

Disease Alert: Swine Brucellosis

Swine brucellosis is an infectious disease that causes abortions, infertility, and low milk production in infected pigs.

www.aphis.usda.gov

This is tranferable to humans & these are some of the affects in can have on you-

Brucellosis-Brucellosis - Symptoms & causes - Mayo Clinic

Brucellosis is an infectious bacterial disease often spread via direct contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.

www.mayoclinic.org

I just wanted to point that out but obviously you would track where if any infections would be state by state with your applicable authority.

Not sure how your wild pig population feed but here in Australia a lot of the pigs here due to weather/ land conditions/amount of available natural diet like bulbs/roots etc, when there is no regular feed they start becoming carnivores & will eat anything they can find including kangaroo, goat, fox, sheep, cattle carcasses.

It may not be to different an many other countries?

So with all this in mind if I take a pig it will be very young, still probably while it is still suckling or not long after.

I just do not want to take the chance of parasites, swine brucellosis or even the taste of the meat being affected by eating rotten flesh.

Each to their own of course & its really dependant on local environment of course.

You may not wan't to hear all the things that hogs can have, But here goes.
The known diseases they can have are, Psevdorablies, Swine Brucellosis, Tuberculosis, Bubonic Plague, Tularemia, hog Coleria, and Anthrax.. Not sure how many of these can be transmitted to humans though.

The common parasites that we see (Mostly during hot weather are, Kidney worms, Stomach worms, Round worms, Whip worms, liver Flukes, and Trichinosis.

All these things can be eliminated by cooking properly, and culling if anything doesn't look or smell right.

Hope this doesn't scare anyone away from eating wild hog (Or any other wild game) because they need managing.

J E CUSTOM

 

[JimFromTN]

I go down to south Ga every year in the winter after deer season with some friends. The hogs feed primarily on peanuts, pecans, winter wheat, and whatever they can find to eat in the swamps. After being killed, the hogs never sit in warm weather and are stripped down and in a cooler within a few hours of being killed. We brought home 5 boars ranging from 105 to 155 pounds. Should of had a couple more but I missed. We butcher them ourselves. This year they were coated in fat from all of the peanuts. You would almost swear they were farm raised. So far I have eaten smoked ribs, smoked ham, breakfast sausage, italian sausage, brats, and just plain ground. All the meat was fantastic. No funky smells or flavors. I have some loins and tenderloins I still need to try. Probably just throw the tenderloins on the grill. Might get creative with the loins. Thinking about taking one and slicing it, beating with a meat tenderizer and making jagerschnitzel. Basically, coat in flour and panko, pan fry, make a mushroom gravy with some beef broth and serve with spaetzle I picked up from Aldi. I want to try my luck at making smoked andouille and tasso. I saved the belly meat off of one of them that I am going to see if I can make bacon. Its just for experimenting this one time. The belly meat is only about. 2/3 the thickness of farm raised.

 

[J E Custom]

I go down to south Ga every year in the winter after deer season with some friends. The hogs feed primarily on peanuts, pecans, winter wheat, and whatever they can find to eat in the swamps. After being killed, the hogs never sit in warm weather and are stripped down and in a cooler within a few hours of being killed. We brought home 5 boars ranging from 105 to 155 pounds. Should of had a couple more but I missed. We butcher them ourselves. This year they were coated in fat from all of the peanuts. You would almost swear they were farm raised. So far I have eaten smoked ribs, smoked ham, breakfast sausage, italian sausage, brats, and just plain ground. All the meat was fantastic. No funky smells or flavors. I have some loins and tenderloins I still need to try. Probably just throw the tenderloins on the grill. Might get creative with the loins. Thinking about taking one and slicing it, beating with a meat tenderizer and making jagerschnitzel. Basically, coat in flour and panko, pan fry, make a mushroom gravy with some beef broth and serve with spaetzle I picked up from Aldi. I want to try my luck at making smoked andouille and tasso. I saved the belly meat off of one of them that I am going to see if I can make bacon. Its just for experimenting this one time. The belly meat is only about. 2/3 the thickness of farm raised.

Winter Is the best time to take hogs for consumption. Down hear traditionally we wait for the first frost to take eating hogs because it normally kills all of the Parasites, plus the winter improves hogs diet and the taste is better.

Sounds like you had a great hunt and brought home some fine eating.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Buck1970]

All good Information!
I also will only eat hogs harvested In the cold of winter.
I would suggest that if you plan to process wild hog, especially In warm weather, to wear plastic gloves. Be extra cautious if you have cuts or abrasions on your hands or arms.
FYI, if you like fried venison blackstrap, prepare some tenderized pork straps the same way.
Delicious!
Knk

 

[aushunter1]

Hope this doesn't scare anyone away from eating wild hog (Or any other wild game) because they need managing.
J E CUSTOM

Yes I am aware of other diseases & parasites they may have, I was just highling this one as its the most prevalent here.

The problem is as hunters 99.9% of the time we bypass the regularity bodies that inspect animals for consumption so people do need to be aware of all of what your saying & how to look for the signs, & not even feed them to dogs etc when in any doubt!

They can still be managed without the sole idea of consumption, actually probably 99.9% of wild pigs shot here get left where they are shot which is a shame but after all they are a massive pest here.

I am a chef by trade & although I have pest control on my my as a high priority I always like to utilise that I can, there is to much waste in the world & especially amongst many deer trophy hunters!

Seeing a nice deer with its head cut off & the rest just left to rot in a paddock makes me cringe & angry!!