Smoking boar

[bisonic]

Looking for some tips on smoking wild boar... I have a Traeger smoker that I got recently and adore (have some boar chops smoking on it as I type this!). I've done pulled pork using store-bought pork shoulder and it's come out great, but the one time I smoked a wild boar ham the results were only so-so as the meat came out tasting good but was pretty dry. I may have overcooked it as I took the internal temperature to 190 degrees - is that too high? Also the ham had very little fat in it so I'm wondering if you can ever get wild boar to get that great fall-apart consistency of pulled pork. I just picked up my last hog (a 200 lb sow) from the butcher and had him keep a shoulder for me to smoke.

The chops are great on the smoker - I just marinate them in a teriake (sp?) sause, start them on "smoke" for an hour or so, then fire it up to the hottest temp to grill them. Yum!

 

[jwollam]

Howdy!
I'm new here, but I do alot of smoking. I would really recommend brining your pork shoulder next time (I do it with all of my pork shoulders and briskets)
I usually do a 14 lb pork shoulder (store bought) I'll soak it in brine (I usually use about 2 cups apple juice, 1 cup kosher salt, 1 cup brown sugar, mix well, and then I'll cut up an onion and add it into the brine I put my shoulder in, fill the rest of the way with water and let it brine for about 24 hours prior to smoking). The meat always turns out juicy and tender, and it falls apart. Kudo's on the traeger, I'm looking into getting one soon, for now I use a cookshack smoker, great unit for being electric! Oh, also I've found that smoking with apple or cherry wood really add a great flavor to the meat.

 

[solus]

I always love using citrus or cherry but it can get expensive

 

[ltdann]

I did a write up last year, you can find it here http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/showthread.php/202016-Before-and-After

There's a link somewhere in there call "a beginners easter ham" that talks to the whole process.

Good luck, its worth the time spent!

 

[cjack]

I have a wild bore shoulder that I would like to do a pulled pork with, any ideas on how to do it without a smoker?

Welcome to the site jwollam!

 

[myfriendis410]

If you want pulled pork from wild hog, use a slow cooker and when the meat is falling apart season as necessary. The advantage to doing wild pork in the slow cooker is that you can introduce seasoning elements that improve the moisture, or "mouth feel" of moisture which is really fat.

The thing is; if you treat wild game like store-bought meat you are going to be in for disappointment. There are things you can do to get great results from wild game, but it often requires some trial and error. LtDann has already done most of that so he's a great resource. I've used his ham recipe and it's the best ham I've ever eaten.

 

[cjack]

If you want pulled pork from wild hog, use a slow cooker and when the meat is falling apart season as necessary. The advantage to doing wild pork in the slow cooker is that you can introduce seasoning elements that improve the moisture, or "mouth feel" of moisture which is really fat.

The thing is; if you treat wild game like store-bought meat you are going to be in for disappointment. There are things you can do to get great results from wild game, but it often requires some trial and error. LtDann has already done most of that so he's a great resource. I've used his ham recipe and it's the best ham I've ever eaten.

Slow cooker as in Crock Pot? Do you soak it in brine first and do you put any liquids in with the meat in the slow cooker?

 

[ltdann]

I've probably made every mistake there is when it comes to wild game. When I talk to folks that have had a bad experience with wild game, it usually falls into two catagories. Bad field care and overcooking.

I could write a book on proper field care but that's for a diffrent time.

When I say overcooking, it's either cooking too long, or at too high a temp. Invariably, the meat comes out tough and dry.

When it comes to wild game, the meat thermometer is a must have.

The USDA recently lowered the cooking temperature for whole pork to 145 degrees. That's becaue the US really has a excellent and safe system in place to prevent trichinosis (found in pigs and bears). But, since we're talking wild hogs, stick with 152-155 internal temp, measured at the thickest portion of the ham.

As a rule of thumb, cooking half the time you would for store bought meats.

For venison, because of the lack of fat content here are the final internal cooking temps:

Rare 130-135
Medium-rare 135-140
Medium 140-145
Medium-well 150-155
Well done 155-160

Remember, wild animals work to stay alive, so there's not much fat. In case of venison, the meat will almost never look like it's done, when in fact it is.

 

[cjack]

It's a toss up when I cook my venison, 50% success rate the other 50% of the time it's as you said DRY! Thanks for the tips, hopefully my success rate will improve.

 

[OnShore]

I smoke alot! Some may say too much. I just got into hunting big game so no experience on wild bore yet! SOOOONNN! Sounds like it likes to dry out easy. Brine first as stated above. I would try using a water tray in your smoker filled with water,beer, apple juice, or water ever you like. Smoke it to an internal temp of 140, remove it rap in heavy duty foil, add a cup or more apple juice (or what ever u like) and contiue cooking to desired temp. Sorry can't help with temp because I have not experimented with wild bore yet. Hope this helps some.
Today I'm smoking a quail version of ABT's. YUMM!

 

[ltdann]

As mentioned above, some wild game benefits from an overnight soak in apple cider. It tenderizes and takes quite a bit of the "wild" taste out.

 

[Redneck75]

Outstanding timing LtDann. I was actually searching for your smoked ham recipe yesterday and didn't find it. Good to go now! Christmas Ham it will be!

 

[ltdann]

We aim to please!

 

[inchr48]

+1 on adding a pan of liquid when smoking (slow roasting). Once desired smokiness is achieved, wrapping in foil will keep in moisture. Remove from foil and add any sauce or glaze the last 15 minutes or so.

Now I'm hungry (and I just had breakfast).

 

[myfriendis410]

What we associate with "moist" is actually fat. Introducing some kind of fat to the meat will never be a bad idea. I usually use olive oil when possible. I often wrap with bacon. When I do a venison roast it gets liberally coated in olive oil and beef broth which I then inject into the roast while in the oven. It's a recipe that is asked for in my home.