Hey all,
I am going to south Florida for a while in a few weeks and am thinking of trying some feral hog hunting. I have never done it before and it looks like it might be exciting.
I have also never had the chance to eat any of the meat from a feral hog or wild boar. I have asked a couple of people who are NOT hunters and they tell me that the meat isn't as good as you think it will be and if you think it is going to be as good as pork in the store you are going to be disappointed. I know there are LOTS of people here that have hunted them or had the chance to eat some of the meat so I thought I would ask and see what you all think.
Does the meat have a real gamey taste to it? Tell me about the flavor of these hogs and what to expect if I get one and what NOT to expect.
Thanks for your help.
Nala
Nala, I killed a wild boar about 3 years ago. I thought the meat was fantastic. I'm constantly looking to go back down south to hunt them all the time. Something always comes up. I'm seriously thinking of trying one of the high fence places here, just cause I want some more meat. The ribs were out of this world and I had a spicy ground sausage made as well. I think they are as good as domestic pork without all the fat...Mike
I have a friend lives down there.He kills them all the time,he eats em all up too. :campfire:
What mooseman76 said, ...just as good without the fat, mind you it depends on where they feed to, the ones here that live in the fern forests aren't near as good as the ones that feed mostly in the forests with guavas, lilikoi, and avocados :bigsmyl:
DELICIOUS!! The crock pot is a good thing.
As with all game the taste starts with field care. Process them quickly and cleanly and you're on your way to some fine eating! It's been a couple of years since we've had store bought pork. That "wild" stuff makes for some good eats! Given the choice try to take a small "dry" sow or a young boar, over a large boar. Good luck!
Much better than venison in my book. My family usually eats 4-5 pigs every year. Be very careful skinning, so as not to contaminate the meat with hair and dirt. Cut away all the fat, and remove the large glands as you would on a deer. Hard to beat slow cooked on a smoker.
I'd rather eat a small wild sow then anything sold at the corner butcher shop. Big boars make nice pictures for your freinds to say wow when you show them but for eating, small sows. If you do shoot a big one, soak the cuts in a brine of water and Morton Tender Quick for an hour of so and pulls the blood and some of the so called "wild taste" out. When cooking don't over cook unless you crock pot it and cook it all day.
Love 'em on a big cooker cooked whole for hours.The littler ones are by far better eatin than the big nasty boars.
Have a friend who's a whitetail fanatic that has hunted them several times in Tennessee, and claims they're as lean as a whitetail but much better tasting.
Yum! YUMMY! Tastes Like Chicken! :jumper:
... mike ...
Ive had em from Texas and preserves in NY and they are just as tasty but a little dryer.
Pork Rules!!!!!
Delicious. I'd rather hang up a hog than a deer.
Feral hogs taste great. But they are not butcher shop pork and won't turn out very good if you cook them like pork-at least that has been my experience.
Google for wild Boar recipes, experiment a bit, and find what works for you.
JBiorn mentioned a crockpot, and that is a good basis for success. Wild hogs are not fatty enough for BBQ, except completely indirect heat and slow cooking.
Real fruit jellies mixed with Dijon mustard and crushed garlic will work wonders with hogs.
Great meat, but some of the older males can be way too gamey for my taste. Around here the pigs are very lean and the meat can be almost fat free.
slow cooked in mojo and bitter orange and seasonings on the grill in a pan. a little fresh cuban bread and you are good to go.
I think wild hogs are very good, I disagree with removing all the fat its pork fat and has good flavor unlike venison fat or tallow. As with all wild game the fat is on the outside of the meat and is not in the meat like domestic animals. Go get em!!
Agree. Leave the fat on :wavey: ...Van
Anyone turned them into bacon or hams
Mighty Fine!!! If you want a trophy Boar Hog don't plan to eat it unless you cook for long time and season well....but the ones in the 75-125 pound class is as good as anything you can put on the grill or in the smoker. The larger ones are great for sausage also.
Good Luck!
if I had more freezer space I would eat it all year. Save the straps and tenderloins and ground the rest up. We put it in everything.
Hogs are acorn fat this year in South Florida.Excellent food value. Big old boars are the exception, they can be gamey. We use them for sausage. A 100pnd dry sow is the best.Enjoy!
Only done two, so I'm no expert. Slow cooked on the smoker and pulled for sandwiches, I will put feral hog up agaisnt any meat you care to cook.
Like folks siad above, if you shoot a 300 lb boar, you are in for a challenge cooking-wise.
Rico, I've never had a feral that had bacon...But the hams are great slow-roasted, smoked, or made into pulled-pork BBQ.
Shot a real big ole boar once. Tried my best to make somethin good outa him. Now I only take'em if they're about 200 lbs. or less.
No it dont taste like chicken...The little 80 50 pound porkers rule , :)just right for ole Marco's smoker!!! em mmmm Good!!! :)
And a good way to remove the "gamey" taste is to marinade in milk overnight in the refrigerator. The lactic acid breaks it down pretty well, and tenderizes it, too. I agree about leaving the fat on----it just adds flavor.
hmmm,..I still have some ribs from my last one, you guys make me wanna cook it up right now.
I personally think it taste a lot like SPOTED OWL !!!!
But my friend said more like CONDOR :smileystooges:
Aloha,
I think wild pork is better than the store bought one because it is all natural---- nothing added.
Here the pork will taste different depending on where it was caught. The mac nut field pigs are excellent while their brothers that live in the forrest and eat hapu--fern, have an earthy taste.
Good luck!
Mark
I think they taste great, but the smaller sows are better table fare than the big boars. When you kill one process it wuickly and cleanly. I like to take the quarters and soak it in a tub of ice and salt water. It seems to draw the blood out and makes for a better taste. Get your wife's permission before using the bathtub or plan on spending the night with your hunting dog. :)
Derrick
100 lbs boar or sow is fine. I do a whole hog BBQ,-- INDIRECT heat , low and slow, maybe 200-225 degrees for about 12(plus) hours. Pull or chop, season with salt,pepper,sugar and apple cider vinegar for an Eastern Carolina style feast.
For smaller roasts, sear and smoke for about 2 hours and wrap in foil and finish at low heat (200) for 10-12 hours in the oven. Should pull nicely.
For big pigs, get it to a good meat cutter for sausage. (save the straps)
If you screw up then go shoot another one.
DonD
I tell my friends that Feral Hog meat is a cross between venison and pork. They eat much the same things. The hog is lean compared to domestic hogs but not as course as venison. They make for great table fare. Just put another one into the freezer. Some of my closest friends will get to benefit from my recent hunting experience. Good luck on your hunt. Kill, eat and enjoy :thumbsup:
I usually smoke mine. Tender and tasty!!!
It's great!
We eat 'em all! 30# to 300#. The bigger boars are better ground into sausage and the smaller boars and all the sows, hams and shoulders YUMMMMMY!
This has been a Fatguy testimonial.