Sow verse Boar for taste ??

[OPAH]

Man I can not believe the Back and forth with which taste better a sow or a Boar ?
this is what I figure with my limited knowledge:

A pig 100 to 140 lbs !! If I have a choice If not what ever is in front of me will do just fine

but say I do have a choice sow or Boar ?

 

[Planetcat]

In my experience, Sows are more likely to taste "better", but this is subjective, as I've eaten sows that weren't that great. Small boars under 150 lbs. tend to be pretty darn good too. I think it's highly dependent on their diet and breeding status. I shot a small wet sow once that tasted like filet mignon.

 

[flytrue]

Best eating pig I ever took was a dry sow that was pushing 200 lbs. She had the most fat I've ever seen on a pig. Haven't seen as much fat on the pigs since, though I did take a 100 lbs boar that I shot in the head and he was pretty good too. I big healthy boar has been good too, though you can taste a certain gamey-ness.

 

[OPAH]

So under 150 lbs is the one constant ! what about the head shot verse the lung heart shot ? Head shot has to be better for the meat, no adrenaline pumping all thru the meat

 

[baco]

Never noticed a difference in taste between a boar and sow unless it was a pregnant sow or old boar stay away from those

 

[Common Sense]

sow

 

[KTKT70]

Andy is the man to ask or just read his post. He has probably the most experience or close to out of anyone around here. He and his wife like to eat sow and he has said she can tell if he try's to bring home boar.

 

[asaxon]

I am not an expert but have some experience and knowledge. You can go directly to Wikipedia and find the following:

"Boar taint is the offensive odor or taste that can be evident during the cooking or eating of pork products derived from non-castrated male pigs once they reach puberty. Studies show that about 75% of consumers are sensitive to boar taint so it is necessary for pork producers to control it. Women appear to be more sensitive than men and some ethnic groups also seem to be more sensitive than others. Boar taint is caused by the accumulation of two compounds – androstenone and skatole – in the fat of male pigs. Androstenone (a male pheromone) is produced in the testes as male pigs reach puberty, while skatole (a byproduct of intestinal bacteria, or bacterial metabolite of the amino acid tryptophan) is produced in both male and female pigs. However levels are much higher in intact boars because testicular steroids inhibit its breakdown by the liver. As a result, skatole accumulates in the fat of male pigs as they mature."


My wife, "The Admiral" swore she could tell the difference so years ago I slipped in some boar meat as ground meat for tacos and immediately as it hit the fry pan she declared; "That is boar!" I was convinced. I asked Tom Willoughby about this and he agreed, often (but not always) boar meat has a distinctive odor/taste which can be mild or pretty strong. Thus "The Admiral" instructs me, "sows only". However, I have been known to stray
http://www.jesseshunting.com/showth...er-than-Squirrel-or-Oak-Tree?highlight=asaxon

 

[Bigbadboar]

The one that you see that has the plumpest, most robust hams will probably taste the best. Look for health and yield amount over gender.

 

[OPAH]

Great Info Asaxon Thank you

My freezer is really Bare, not much of the deer left. all the Catfish is gone and the Cotton tails and Quial are over My Gsons house waiting for some wild pork to have a GAME BQ, so I am looking at the whole pig not just the Hams

 

[flytrue]

The one that you see that has the plumpest, most robust hams will probably taste the best. Look for health and yield amount over gender.

I agree, the hams are a good indicator as to general overall condition of the whole pig. I've taken some lean looking young pigs and they weren't that great.

 

[OPAH]

So looking for a BIG ASS GIRl ! ONE OF THE BUTT Sisters

[video=youtube_share;BCV6paTXyCU]https://youtu.be/BCV6paTXyCU[/video]

 

[KTKT70]

Thank you Andy. I knew you would give the 411 on hog meat.