Hog Hunting - Tasty or

[bwillits]

I’m going on a hog hunt in May and am wondering if hog is tasty… buddies in TX say it’s horrible and they just stack the bodies and don’t process. Others in the Carolina’s have told me it’s tasty. I’m curious if anyone in the group has had it, enjoyed it, and has suggests on preparation.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

I enjoy it, my ex gf did not.
If you cook it then put it in the fridge and warm it up the next day it's gamey as ****. However, if you warm it up on a skillet with a fair amount of Irish butter it's perfect fine.

The loin is super yummy when smoked.

 

[flyingsquirrel]

I had some sausage from Texas that the butcher really knew how to season it. Two thumbs up

 

[Jaybird1980]

I've had some from Texas that was terrible and some from I think Tennessee that was good. Could be diet, butcher or combination of both would be my guess.

 

[bwframe]

Wonder how much of wild hog being "horrible" is from bad meat handling?


.

 

[Itchytriggerfinger]

We had all the hogs from last year made into breakfast sausage and ground pork.

The tenderloins are good but easy to overcook. I still have several in the freezer if you want to try it.

 

[cg21]

Most of the time when you find “terrible & gamey“ descriptions I chalk that up to “bad cook and / or butcher”

But sometimes it is a taste issue. Most of that goes back to your “normal” diet and what part of the world you’re from. Example… most other countries use chicken breast meat for dog food lol

 

[Magyars]

Went boar hunting many moons ago with a good friend.
His looked more piglike and was very tasty. Mine looked more like a Russian boar and was stringy and gamey..

 

[Michigan Slim]

The key is too cook it long enough to kill the parasites but not cook it too long. Lol

 

[two70]

There is not much difference in the taste of domestic and feral hogs. Domestic hogs will normally have more fat while feral hogs are leaner, that is about it. It depends on the individual person and the individual hog but most uncut adult male pigs, whether feral or domestic, will taste bad to terrible to most people. The real difference between feral and domestic pork is that domestic male hogs are castrated at an young age to improve the taste of the meat. All of this is with the caveat that the meat needs to be cared for properly, ie. the hog dressed and cooled down as soon as possible after harvest.

Some say that a small amount of white vinegar added while cooking will remove the testosterone flavor, others say that a lot of spice works well. Personally, I cannot even stand the smell of boar meat being cooked. If you're curious what boar meat tastes like, it tastes pretty much like it smells.

If you're worried about the taste of the meat then only shoot sows or smaller pigs. If you do kill an adult boar, then keep the meat separate from other pork and give it a try. Some people don't mind the taste, you might be one of those or know someone that is. I'm not a fan of wasting the meat if you can find someone that likes it.

 

[yetti462]

Every boar I've killed unless it was 80 pounds, was not fit to eat. A sow or young boar, good vittles. These were the corn fed good ones from southern Indiana.

 

[tomcat13]

I've had Sausage made from a Hog outta Tenn & it was Horrible.
Don't know why anyone would even go to the trouble of Processing that stuff.
I'm sure a Lot of it has to do with the Processing.
Good Luck on your Hunt!

 

[hooky]

My understanding is it's a combo of diet, handling and processing. I've had some that was delicious and some that would have gagged the dog.

 

[two70]

Every boar I've killed unless it was 80 pounds, was not fit to eat. A sow or young boar, good vittles. These were the corn fed good ones from southern Indiana.

I'm kind of surprised an 80 lb. boar would still be good, I would have guessed it would be 50 or under. An 80 lb. corn fed boar is probably similar in age to 50 lb. boar with a more restricted diet though.

 

[El Conquistador]

I got a boar in Tennessee and it was very tasty

 

[BigRed]

I’m going on a hog hunt in May and am wondering if hog is tasty… buddies in TX say it’s horrible and they just stack the bodies and don’t process. Others in the Carolina’s have told me it’s tasty. I’m curious if anyone in the group has had it, enjoyed it, and has suggests on preparation.

Depends a good deal on where the pigs are. Around Waxahachie, pigs taste like ****. South and East in pine country, different story.

Most anything Russian will taste like ****. Small non Russians (essentially feral pigs) are pretty good. Much leaner than domestic pigs...keep it in mind when prepping.

For edibles, I like OK better. Have not hunted TN or GA much, but expect it would be similar there.

Regardless, have fun....hunting trips are about making memories with friends and family.

 

[MRP2003]

I’m going on a hog hunt in May and am wondering if hog is tasty… buddies in TX say it’s horrible and they just stack the bodies and don’t process. Others in the Carolina’s have told me it’s tasty. I’m curious if anyone in the group has had it, enjoyed it, and has suggests on preparation.

I’ve done 4 hunts in Tennessee at 2 different places. All hogs were/are delicious. Breakfast sausage is tremendous. Ribs and loins were great. The only criticism would be that the chops were a little less tender than a store bought one. Mine were either Russians and Russian/domesticated. Maybe in Texas they are Havalinas or a different breed

 

[Cozy439]

4 hunts in TN. First time we were new and went for complete butcher package. Sausage was great, loins OK, roasts were not good at all (but the dogs did not choke, nor did they turn it down). I am sure what they eat matters (just like Indiana deer vs Wyoming deer) but I think the butcher and the prep matter too. Every trip after 1st we did ALL SAUSAGE and the butcher had a wonderful seasoning recipe. As I have done more hunting and more processing myself, I would now debone it, bring it home, and make my own sausage. Who dont love sausage.

 

[cg21]

4 hunts in TN. First time we were new and went for complete butcher package. Sausage was great, loins OK, roasts were not good at all (but the dogs did not choke, nor did they turn it down). I am sure what they eat matters (just like Indiana deer vs Wyoming deer) but I think the butcher and the prep matter too. Every trip after 1st we did ALL SAUSAGE and the butcher had a wonderful seasoning recipe. As I have done more hunting and more processing myself, I would now debone it, bring it home, and make my own sausage. Who dont love sausage.

Congrats on the hunt. Did your son (assuming) use that bayonet on that pig?!

 

[Cavman]

Only ever done 1 hog hunt. It was in Tennessee. They had a butcher package and they got the meat to us so fast i swear they already had meat ready and our pigs would be processed to next hunter. It was good and tasty though.