Anyone successfully eaten Javelina?

[ssssnake529]

Online, I've seen conflicting information on eating Javelina.

Some folks say it's inedible. Others say that as long as you are careful and don't get any of the musk from the scent gland on your meat, that it's fine (tasty even.)

Assuming I get one, I'm going to use several pair of gloves and two knives, so that I don't touch the meat with gloves or knife that has touched the hide.

Anyone here been successful in eating it? Any tips or tricks to not ruining the meat?

 

[Fish N Chips]

It is ok, really not much flavor. I found it took on the flavor of what ever it is cooked with. I slow cooked and braised mine, but found it best in stews. I smoked some and that was decent. Not my favorite, but no reason you can't eat it. On guy told me cooked in the ground like a suckling pig was good.

Keep the musk off the meat, and get it skinned and cooled quickly. I have heard them called skunk pigs, but I found the one I got was not that smelly. They are just a big rat

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Brendan]

Skunk Pig: Mexico Javelina & Coyote - MeatEater Deluxe Volumes 1-5 + Special Edition Off-Cuts

 

[RoJo]

I've eaten a bunch of them. They are definitely edible, but not my favorite. I find the meat a bit on the gamy side no matter how carefully you field dress it. Depends on the animal too. The old boars are the smelliest, and gamiest, in my experience. But I have never had one I couldn't eat.

The first several years I hunted them, I ate the meat on its own, as steaks, roasts, stew, etc. It was OK, the best part in my opinion are the backstraps. But any more, I just bone them out and take the meat to a sausage place, and have it made into bratwurst. The sausage place has a 25 lb minimum, and a javelina will not have 25 lb of boned meat on it (at least no javelina I ever got), so they always cut it with pork, plus the fat they have to add to make the brats. Javelina brats are great!

But whatever you do, do NOT gut shoot it! I have helped a couple of friends field dress their gut-shot javelina and that is way bad! And it is pretty easy to gut shoot them because they seem to be almost all stomach.

 

[dmoto]

I've had mine done into jalapeno cheddar bratwurst by Von Hansen's here in Chandler. Turned out decent. Other hunters/eaters that would normally not touch one said they were pleasantly surprised and would eat them again. So, I'll be back at it again this year for my HAM hunt down south.

The way I usually prep them is simmer in beer, then finish on the grill. Or sous vide at 145* for an hour with herbs powdered garlic, then finish on the grill. A bunch of guys here in AZ brine them in iced saltwater and change out the water a few times. I'll probably try that this year, then process myself.

Skinning them, just be careful as with most game. Change gloves or wash hands after getting the hide off. Be sure to clean knives as well. Start skinning at the top near the neck and pull the hide back. The scent gland will come with it as it's near the back of the animal.

 

[RosinBag]

I have always made mine into something like pepperoni sticks or chorizo and they were fine, but never anything like a stand alone javelina steak.

 

[RoJo]

View attachment 63430

The dog looks interested.

I'll have to give Von Hansen's a try. I have used Denmark in the west valley, and Schreiner's near downtown Phx. Both of those are good.

 

[dmoto]

The dog looks interested.

I'll have to give Von Hansen's a try. I have used Denmark in the west valley, and Schreiner's near downtown Phx. Both of those are good.

Hounds being hounds. She loves the smoked cow bones from Von Hansen's. Another good place is Miller's Southwestern Processing in Queen Creek. They do great work with brats and sausages. They did my cow elk this year. Amazing job.

 

[Slim Jim]

I make all of mine into chorizo, pepperoni sticks, and or sausage except for backstrap and tenderloin. I really like making chorizo and egg burritos. One of my buddies in Phoenix always brags about making pepperoni and sausage pizza with his meat


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bubblehide]

Slow cooked, absolutely delicious.

 

[cali_hornhunter]

Slow cooked it made chili verde it was pretty darn good

 

[Superkodiak38]

The one I shot was about 42 pounds live weight, female. The gland came right off with the hide, I used fajita seasoning on mine, slow cooked, and it came out good.

 

[RoJo]

Hounds being hounds. She loves the smoked cow bones from Von Hansen's. Another good place is Miller's Southwestern Processing in Queen Creek. They do great work with brats and sausages. They did my cow elk this year. Amazing job.

I use Miller's regularly for deer and elk, but I don't generally do any kind of sausages or sticks from deer or elk. But yeah, Miller's is great, and Mark is an excellent taxidermist.

 

[boom]

my friend's mom turn a javalina into Tamales.

you can hide a lot of funky flavors simmering meat into a tamale. i havent shot one in years, because i dont know how to make tamales.

 

[gelton]

Down near the Rio Grande in TX, we would normally give them to the local Mexicans, they would use them for tamales and tacos. One year we kept one to use as bait for coyotes, we also put deer scraps in the same pile. The coyotes devoured the deer but would not touch the Javelina. Thats saying something.

With that said, next time I get one I plan on cooking it up to try.

 

[Racethesunset]

We use it exclusively in tamales. Stewed, shredded, mild Mexican red Chile sauce for preparation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Where's Bruce?]

My buddy and his family manage to kill their ranch rats every year, often while attending to other matters and happen upon them while ranching. He's tried it all and is of the opinion that anything can deemed edible if you put a ton of effort into it but javelina just aren't worth the time for a small amount of quasi-edible meat.

 

[fsuitw]

I've had mine done into jalapeno cheddar bratwurst by Von Hansen's here in Chandler. Turned out decent. Other hunters/eaters that would normally not touch one said they were pleasantly surprised and would eat them again. So, I'll be back at it again this year for my HAM hunt down south.

The way I usually prep them is simmer in beer, then finish on the grill. Or sous vide at 145* for an hour with herbs powdered garlic, then finish on the grill. A bunch of guys here in AZ brine them in iced saltwater and change out the water a few times. I'll probably try that this year, then process myself.

Skinning them, just be careful as with most game. Change gloves or wash hands after getting the hide off. Be sure to clean knives as well. Start skinning at the top near the neck and pull the hide back. The scent gland will come with it as it's near the back of the animal.

View attachment 63429

View attachment 63430

Just dropped my pig off at Von Hanson's for jalapeno cheddar sticks, so glad to hear people like them.

 

[gonhunting247]

Like most wild game, if they are taken care of properly they make excellent table fare.

 

[fsuitw]

Just dropped my pig off at Von Hanson's for jalapeno cheddar sticks, so glad to hear people like them.

Just picked up the sticks and they are delicious.