Eating Wild Hog

[minisaw249]

I have hunted wild hogs in the past but never processed one. What are your experiences with eating wild hog?

 

[Sevens]

They taste great! Eaten tons of them, big or small. As with anything, proper care of the meat yields good results to eat.

 

[Tx_300wsm]

I’ve enjoyed every one I’ve eaten.

 

[minisaw249]

Do you ever eat the males or just stick with the females?

 

[hunterjmj]

They are so good! Id love to come home with a truck full from North Carolina. It's the only place I've hunted them and it was fantastic eating.

 

[JFK]

Good eating. Get them cold asap. The meat doesn’t hold up as well as deer or elk when it’s warm. Males do tend to be tougher but nothing that a grinder or crock pot won’t fix.

 

[TSAMP]

I've killed many from central to West TX. Boars and sows. 50-200 lbs. I generally make sausage and pork chops but never had a bad one. I've also never had one that had visible injury or infection.

 

[menhaden_man]

Cube up 25 lbs, sprinkle this on it and grind into tubes. Trust me.

https://www.amazon.com/Legg-10-Pork-Sausage-Seasoning/dp/B0063SYLM6

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Do you ever eat the males or just stick with the females?

We kill almost exclusively boars due to the way we hunt them, only had one out of the last 20 or so that was rank. The rest are fine. Anyone who tells you that wild hogs don't eat well is just looking for an excuse to waste them.

 

[thegrouse]

I cut the back straps out if it is below 40 and eat them. If not the buzzards need to eat.

 

[bojangles808]

Cookem low and slow

 

[TX_hunter]

I've eaten dozens, boars and sows, all sizes. All excellent, never had a bad one.

 

[robtattoo]

I've had 1 bad one in 15 years & I gave up counting how many I've killed when I hit triple digits.
@JFK is dead right. Get them as cold as possible, as quickly as possible.
When I'm hunting them during the hot months, I always keep 2, 120qt coolers in the truck. 1 empty, 1 full of ice that doesn't get touched until I have a hog down.
It's worth carrying either a spare knife (or blades) as hog skin will dull an edge as quickly as sandpaper.

I generally cook it exactly the way I would store bought pork. It's a little tougher, but rarely unmanageable.
Smoked or cured whole hams are better than store bought & the shoulders are great for pulling.
These days, i generally keep one ham, both loins & the rest gets ground for summer sausage, brats, boudins & burgers.

Boars & sows both taste the same & if your shooting for the pot, always go for the fattest first. Average 60-90 pounders generally are more tender than bigger pigs. The stripey little 5-10lb footballs; skinned, gutted & cooked whole in a crock pot with vidalia onion, brown sugar & SBRs, are as sweet as anything you'll ever taste.

 

[Weldor]

Agreed with the above. Going to try the Amazon sausage for sure. Just did a ham for Thanksgiving excellent. Instapot the hocks for pulled pork. Plus instapot ribs for 45 to 50 minutes on high, put bbq sauce and on the grill. Super tendor.

 

[SCHUNTER73]

Delicious, and I have killed and eaten dozens of them. I would recommend wearing gloves when cleaning them and/or be sure to have very clean hands before touching your face, mouth, etc.

Brucellosis is a very serious illness.

 

[Beendare]

Ive eaten them for decades…one of the best game meats…especially a mid size sow. The really big boars can be rank…especially if you don’t skin then and switch gloves when handling the meat.

Heres one for Bojangles


Backpack, who needs a backpack?- grin

 

[Presswood_936]

I stopped eating them when I started thermal hunting them at night . Seeing hogs eat dead cows , other dead hogs , road kill and a pile a pile of cull poultry farm chickens changed how I look at them . They are 4 legged buzzards .

 

[Reburn]

Ive eaten them for decades…one of the best game meats…especially a mid size sow. The really big boars can be rank…especially if you don’t skin then and switch gloves when handling the meat.

Heres one for Bojangles
View attachment 642967

Backpack, who needs a backpack?- grin

They eat better when you take them out and corn feed them for 30 days.
He was big enough to get bacon off of.

 

[UA_Blake]

I have eaten a lot as well, all the while being told I was “disgusting” by hunting partners. The fact that the meat gets a bad rap is silly. IMO you can’t treat it like a store bought pig. Meaning if you cut a chop and cook it to 165 degrees over a hot fire it is noticeably tougher. With that said crock pot and smoker recipes are great. Last year I did a copycat honey backed ham brine and glaze and it turned out great. Done whole pigs, Boston butts, made sausage pretty much everything. Loading a few pics from cooking them over the years

 

[Bubblehide]

I've harvested and eaten 100's, and plenty of big boars. I've never had a bad one. Hovever, if you cut through glands, the gland ooz taints the meat it touches. Proper car is everything.