I have taken some pretty nice boars on my land in the trinity river bottom of east texas and they seem to taste pretty good. Have any of you found that once they reach a certain size, that the meat seems to taste too gamey?
Theres no size range that smells stronger than others, just give the meat a good whiff. I've killed stinky boars and even stinky sows. Every once in a while one smells so strong I just cook it up for my dog. She loves the stuff. Ive eaten full grown boars that taste as good as the store bought stuff too.
Third.
I've shot 250-300lb boars that taste great. I've not run into too many nasty ones but they do exist regardless of size. The big ones will usually be a bit tougher in texture though. There are ways to deal with the funky taste/smell. Soak the quarters under ice water in a large cooler. Keep meat submerged. You can even add just a little lemon juice and/or vinegar to the ice water too. Change the water out at least once a day and let the meat soak for a few days. This will leech out the funk. Sounds funny but it works. I've personally killed close to 30 pigs and combined with my friends have probably been associated with somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 CA hog kills. I've only had to do this soaking routine twice. It's not like all big boars are inedible, far from it.
I've shot 250-300lb boars that taste great. I've not run into too many nasty ones but they do exist regardless of size. The big ones will usually be a bit tougher in texture though. There are ways to deal with the funky taste/smell. Soak the quarters under ice water in a large cooler. Keep meat submerged. You can even add just a little lemon juice and/or vinegar to the ice water too. Change the water out at least once a day and let the meat soak for a few days. This will leech out the funk. Sounds funny but it works. I've personally killed close to 30 pigs and combined with my friends have probably been associated with somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 CA hog kills. I've only had to do this soaking routine twice. It's not like all big boars are inedible, far from it.
biscuitbarrel
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2007
- Messages
- 41
- Reaction score
- 0
I'd be wary of anything that drinks Trinity river water!
i agree with sdhunter on the ice water method, also. i usually soak mine in an ice water brine in the cooler at least overnight, to get the blood out of the meat. keep as much ice as you can in there, and it usually comes out pretty decent.
actually, i do this with all meat i shoot, with the exception of deer.. they only get a short ice water rinse, as they dont stink.
actually, i do this with all meat i shoot, with the exception of deer.. they only get a short ice water rinse, as they dont stink.
bigworm
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2007
- Messages
- 312
- Reaction score
- 0
I have killed a couple, and my experience has been you will find more that stink, that are old boars, than any others. But I think it is more about what they have too eat. Go kill some that feed on grain fields, and acorns, or have plenty of good quality food, and they will be good to eat, no matter how old. Eat one that has been a scavenger, or surviving during drought and it should be fed to the dogs.
myfriendis410
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2006
- Messages
- 2,814
- Reaction score
- 82
I think it's more a matter of how the carcass is handled; if you get the knife nasty when gutting it you can transfer that to the rest of the meat. I have killed or handled 30-40 hogs in the last couple of years and none of them had any hint of nasty. Gutted weights up to 288 lbs. It's all been good.
Even more important than soaking the meat is to allow the carcass to hang for five days in the cooler before butchering. I find this dries the meat out and makes for a really mild flavored meat. Just like the store, but way leaner.
Even more important than soaking the meat is to allow the carcass to hang for five days in the cooler before butchering. I find this dries the meat out and makes for a really mild flavored meat. Just like the store, but way leaner.
It really comes down to what the animal has been eating. Justs look at domestic live stock that we butcher, the ones eating corn usually taste the best.
I don't know what some hogs eat that make them taste good but my guess is fresh green stuff. I say this because the best tasting hogs I usually shoot between the mouth of Dec-Apr.
I don't know what some hogs eat that make them taste good but my guess is fresh green stuff. I say this because the best tasting hogs I usually shoot between the mouth of Dec-Apr.
Amen to Shot, you are what you eat, and that applies double for pigs. When I lived MAUI I would prefer a big fat boar from Kaupo 1.5 hours away to a young smal pig ten minutes up the road from me because those Kaupo boars feed on fruits- Guava, Mango, Vaivi, etc. the ones in the Kula Forest Reserve feeding on herby plants which gave them a almost turpentine odor. Same for when I lived the Big Island of Hawaii, i'd prefer the pigs at Laupahoehoe a 2.5 hour 4x4 drive over the ones in my backyard the Laupoepoe pigs feeding on Banana Poka Passion Fruit and grass, as opposed to the fern eating Hualalai pigs which were gamey at any size in my experiance. Of course any gut shot pigs will have a higher chance of gaminess as well as pigs not iced down soon enough after the kill.
