Wild hog meat… do you eat it or is it too risky?

[John the Electrician]

I have heard that wild hogs are great table fare. I have also heard they can be full of bad nasty things and should either be cooked to death or not eaten at all.

What does the group think?

 

[lockingblock]

No. I generally trap them and call some locals who come take them. Allegedly, they eat them…but they also eat carp, buffalo fish, and gar. I’ve heard they are full of parasites.

 

[Just Gina]

No. I think it tastes disgusting. I tried it once.
Regarding safety, I know people who do however, parasites…I just think it’s disgusting from all angles. Hence the cooking it to death but to me, no meat is worth getting sick over.

 

[Mekaniks]

I had hogs in Florida processed into breakfast links sausage and hogs from Hawaii processed into hunter stick. It was all really good...

 

[sgt_zim]

Anything over about 150#, we leave for the coyotes, buzzards, and worms.

The shoats and sucklings are pretty decent eating. Problem with wild hogs is they're often not much fattier than any other wild game, and when they are fatty, they're not fat from being farm fed. When cooked, the fat never sets up like you see in bacon from farm-raised pigs.

Trichinella and pork tape worms aren't a thing in feral hogs in the US. Most trichinella infections in North America come from undercooked bear, and there are thousands of times more pigs killed in the US annually than bears in the US and Canada combined.

Brucellosis and a few other microbes are potential problems. Wear neoprene gloves and try not to cut yourself when you're cleaning/butchering the meat, cook to an internal temp of 150 or 155 and you're good to do.

 

[Tex .416]

My wife and I eat only game meat since 2011, deer and pig. Where we hunt, the pig meat is wonderful. We made pan sausage out of a 250# boar everyone said would be awful.
We served it up for them without telling them what it was and they went back for seconds. As with deer, cook on lower temps and more slowly. The ribs are fantastic with some time on the grill and then finished in a large crock pot.

As for handling them, definitely wear rubber gloves while cleaning as they can have a blood borne parasite. I use the type ladies use to wash dishes as they are thicker and have texture on the grip to help handling knives. Medical gloves are too flimsy. Clean kitchen surfaces and the cutting board with bleach, but that is true for all meat with commercially raised chicken being the most risk.

 

[375Fox]

I’ve never heard of wild boar meat being wasted in Europe. I think this discussion comes more from the animal being considered a pest than a true game animal in the United States.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

Haven’t killed one in years but it was really good once I learned how to properly cook it.

It’s not domestic meat and was extremely tough when I treated it as such. Ground and made into sausage, it was tasty if rather lean. I actually ended up corning a lot of it and that was great. Braising in all forms is your friend. Google a recipe for Chairman Mao Pork- that is delicious.

Old cooking techniques such as Hawaiian style hole-in-the ground or a good old Carolina pig-pickin’ will work very well. Remember that at least in the South, pigs were often left to basically fend for themselves and the cooking techniques were developed accordingly.

 

[Tex .416]

I’ve never heard of wild boar meat being wasted in Europe. I think this discussion comes more from the animal being considered a pest than a true game animal in the United States.

The numbers can be overwhelming in some areas. A ranch next to the main one I hunt has a river through it. Twice a year, the owner brings in a helicopter and kills 600+ pigs in a couple of days off of an 8,000 acre pasture along the river. They devastate the other wildlife including catching and eating fawns and young deer. All ground nesting birds, reptiles, small animals and basically everything other than rocks are eaten by them.

 

[Ryan]

I've eaten them, never had any issues. Largest was 230 or so and it was fine. It was also in north Texas and feeding on leftovers from recently harvested corn, which I'm sure helped a lot. Killed several with a guy who had a set of dogs in Georgia, none very large except a big sow that was probably close to 200. All ended up as either ground meat or some hams for slow smoked barbecue. Can't complain about the chili, meat loaf, or pulled pork. Get them in farm country and they've been feeding well, and give them a couple/few days in the cooler to age.

 

[Nevada Wapati]

I smoked a front shoulder a couple weeks ago and it came out great.

 

[CBH Australia]

In Australia all of the authorities advise against eating it .
They warn of all the potential diseases they maybe carrying. As listed above.
In part I think it's relevant to what they are eating and the environmental conditions.
In dry times they are eating anything and in good times or cropping country they are eating grain and vegetation.
I only eat smoked and cured pork anyway so I would like to get some wild pigs of grain to make smallgoods as being free range it should be more flavourful than domestic pork.
I have worked in Biosecurity and all the training was advising against eating feral pigs and there are rules against transportation and the keeping of them.
Having shot them on dry conditions it makes them look less appealing but if I got one on grain I think I would consider processing it.

 

[mark-hunter]

I have heard that wild hogs are great table fare. I have also heard they can be full of bad nasty things and should either be cooked to death or not eaten at all.

What does the group think?

European wild boar is excellent.
But for each one shot, a sample is sent to vet office, to check for trichinosis.

Feral hogs, anywhere I never had a chance to try.

So, shoot the hog, send the sample to vet to check for trichinosis, and enjoy your meal later. No problem.

Trichinosis is also frequently found in brown bears.

 

[Tgood1]

Grew up in Florida eating them rather constantly. As long as they were a healthy animal we devoured them.

 

[BJH65]

Surprised by some of the comments. My family and I haven eaten every wild pig I’ve shot over the years, maybe 40-50. Half were killed in Texas and the other half in California. I felt that a young boar or sow feeding on the barley fields in the Central Valley of California was better tasting than venison, almost a sweet flavor.

If a killed a large male boar, I usually had it ground into sausage and just smoked the hams. Smaller boars and any size sow, we utilized the steaks and chops. Just like a domestic pig, the meat needs to be fully cooked. I think wild boar make excellent table fare.

Like any wild game, the meat needs to be taken care of properly which means cooled as soon as possible. Every wild pig I’ve killed was gutted immediately and skinned within an hour usually and if killed in warm weather put on ice.

I believe wild pig are just as safe to eat as domestic swine and there are a variety of great recipes. The meat is lean, low in fat and healthy like other wild game. If properly cared for and cooked, a young boar or sow are just as good as venison in my opinion.

I have friends and other relations who won’t ever eat venison because they say it tastes “Gamey.” Probably because it wasn’t cared for very well in the field.

 

[PCC600]

I often eat pigs I have shot but only yearling type . Hind legs and back straps . Never eat the offal . When I was a kid we’d shoot a sow and get the suckers with dogs . Take them home , worm them and lock them up in pens and feed them up . The best suckling pig roasts .

 

[Hunter-Habib]

University Of Peshawar
Principles Of Forestry Text Book (1967 EDITION)
Human-Wildlife Conflict Module
Chapter 10: Culling Of Feral Swine Subsection E- Carcass Utilization

"The flesh of wild boars that feed on the grain/corn/ nut fields may be distributed amongst the non Muslim communities (with stringent instructions to cook the meat to a temperature above 138 degrees Fahrenheit), but the flesh of wild boars that feed upon garbage (as found on the outskirts of the cities & towns) must be destroyed without any permissible scope for human consumption"

This is the policy that we forest rangers were trained to follow back in the day.

 

[PCC600]

University Of Peshawar
Principles Of Forestry Text Book (1967 EDITION)
Chapter 10: Culling Of Feral Swine Subsection E- CARCASS UTILIZATION

"The flesh of wild boars that feed on the grain/corn/ nut fields may be distributed amongst the non Muslim communities (with stringent instructions to cook the meat to a temperature above 138 degrees Fahrenheit), but the flesh of wild boars that feed upon garbage (as found on the outskirts of the cities & towns) must be destroyed without any permissible scope for human consumption"

This is the policy that we forest rangers were taught back in the day.

That makes good sense . The wild pigs we shot and ate roamed across vast tracts of cattle grazing land and consequently were largely parasite and disease free .

 

[mdwest]

I hunt them a few times a year… most end up coyote bait.. but I’ll keep 1 or 2 smaller ones and turn them into jerky, or blend them with ground beef and make sausage…

The key (for me) is icing/brining them… I typically keep the hog hanging in the walk in cooler for at least 2 days, and then keep it on ice and salt for about another 3-4 days before processing it… that gets a lot of the gamey flavor out and gets it a little closer (although still not the same) to farm raised pork..

While still in camp we have a guy that loves slow cooking the heads for the cheek meat… it’s a long process… a couple of hours wrapped in foil over the fire… but I have to admit, it makes outstanding camp tacos…

I’ve actually got a couple of pounds of ground meat from a hog I took a couple of weekends ago thawing out in the fridge now that I plan on spicing up and blending with beef in the next day or so then making sausage…

I’m the only person in the house that enjoys it though.. so a couple of 50-70 lb hogs last a pretty long time around here…

 

[Fatback]

We shoot quite a few of them on one of my deer leases here in South Georgia. The one here became link sausage. We also make pan sausage, keep the ribs for the smoker, keep the back straps and lions for grilling or frying and on smaller ones we will smoke whole shoulders or hams to make BBQ.

As mentioned we take precautions when cleaning with gloves, etc…. And cook to well done. Never have had any issues. I’m planning on going out and trying to shoot one this evening if I get out of work in time.