I bagged my first boar on 5/12 and had it processed into chops,roasts asd sausage. While cooking it gives off a slight odor, however it doesn't seem to carry over too the taste. The wife say's its slightly musky and i say it smells blue. I've heard scientist claim people relate color to odors maybe in my case their right. The boar was 275 lbs and had been feeding on accorns which were in great abundance on the tehama county ranch. Can you tell me your experience ? Tonights dinner was a shoulder roast , think carnitas will be next.
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Rancho Loco
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That's a pretty big boy, and eating acorns too...If it tastes good, and only smells a little gamey when cooking, I'd say it could be alot worse.
Congrats on a big first hog. Tell us the story.
Congrats on a big first hog. Tell us the story.
buck_in_rut
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My brother shot one last week about 250lbs we made carnitas this weekend it tasted prity good i guess it all depends how you cook it.
buck_in_rut
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anyways congrats on your trophy.
Speckmisser
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Welcome to Jesse's Sidepass!
I'm one of those people who "tastes" everything I smell, so for me, if the meat has a bad odor while butchering or cooking, I taste it. However, I've noticed that other folks in my household don't seem to notice, so I figure it's just me.
Sounds like you smacked a real good hog, and I've always heard that the big boys are a little stronger... but the biggest one I ever shot was as tasty as the smaller ones. So who knows?
Enjoy that pork, and congrats on a nice pig.
I'm one of those people who "tastes" everything I smell, so for me, if the meat has a bad odor while butchering or cooking, I taste it. However, I've noticed that other folks in my household don't seem to notice, so I figure it's just me.
Sounds like you smacked a real good hog, and I've always heard that the big boys are a little stronger... but the biggest one I ever shot was as tasty as the smaller ones. So who knows?
Enjoy that pork, and congrats on a nice pig.
easymoney
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Welcome and I too agree with speckmisser.
I personally never try to shoot ANY pig over 200lbs, especially if I'm by myself. I try to get dry sows weighing 100-150lbs only. They seem to have little or no muskyness and taste great.
And the way the animal (any wild game)is butchered has a lot to do with it's flavor. I usually do all the butchering myself and I always wear rubber gloves, I cut away all the extra fat and blood shot meat, I try not to let any hair, dirt or scent glands touch the meat and I try to get it out and chilled ASAP. I am very picky, because I make almost all the pork into sausage and my wife refuses to eat any "gamey" meat.
just my 2 cents...
I personally never try to shoot ANY pig over 200lbs, especially if I'm by myself. I try to get dry sows weighing 100-150lbs only. They seem to have little or no muskyness and taste great.
And the way the animal (any wild game)is butchered has a lot to do with it's flavor. I usually do all the butchering myself and I always wear rubber gloves, I cut away all the extra fat and blood shot meat, I try not to let any hair, dirt or scent glands touch the meat and I try to get it out and chilled ASAP. I am very picky, because I make almost all the pork into sausage and my wife refuses to eat any "gamey" meat.
just my 2 cents...
Yep that smell is just the gaminess of the boar the bigger the hog the stronger the flavour. anything over about 150lbs live weight I have my butcher the sausage 50/50 with domestic pork and that brings it right down to a very very flavourful level. Also them acorns don't help the flavour much but compared to the rotted carcasses of anything it runs across and eats acorns aren't at the bottom of the list for sure. Congratulations though you got something my freezer is empty right now.
Rancho Loco
I give a brief story of my hunt and a photo under forum topic ( i finally scored ) . I had not hunted in 25 years and this my return to a passion of my early years. Divorce and the responsibilty of rearing 2 kids and educating them was first and formost . Now the youngest has 1 year of college left and my time is here.
I give a brief story of my hunt and a photo under forum topic ( i finally scored ) . I had not hunted in 25 years and this my return to a passion of my early years. Divorce and the responsibilty of rearing 2 kids and educating them was first and formost . Now the youngest has 1 year of college left and my time is here.
On another forum some info given was to soak the meat in vinegar and water to leach out the blood to improve the palatability of any meat.The blood carries the glandular secretions in fact one man tried some home grown pork that had a not too pleasing taste so he soaked it and it really improved the flavor.I've always soaked birds,rabbits & squirrels after watching my aunts do it to all game meat.We've been soaking bison roasts which helped improve the flavor.
Freedivr2
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I can relate.
My first boar was approx. 175 lbs. on the hoof. When we cooked the steaks, it gave off a very different smell, unlike steak or pork. However, the taste was FAR SUPERIOR to any pork we had ever had.
Since then, I've brought home 14 more boar, ranging from 50lbs. to 350 lbs. I can't say that I've noticed the same smell as I had from that first barley-fed boar, but I'm sure it was in the air. Probably just have gotten used to it.
All game has it's own smell and taste. I think the key thing with any critter that goes to the table, be it Game, Fish or Fowl, is not to target an older animal if you're looking for the finest available table fare. When I was a kid, working summers on charter boats, the commercial fishing industry had a "75 lb." rule. That is, fish under 75 lbs. fetched a higher price per lb. than fish over 75 lbs. did. That was because the smaller fish were more tasteful and tender. That's just a matter of fact.
So not to worry about the different kind of smell. It's different because you're used to beef and pork sizzling on the BBQ. Welcome to the world of wild game.......P.S. Be careful not to overcook it, a very common mistake with lean game meat......
My first boar was approx. 175 lbs. on the hoof. When we cooked the steaks, it gave off a very different smell, unlike steak or pork. However, the taste was FAR SUPERIOR to any pork we had ever had.
Since then, I've brought home 14 more boar, ranging from 50lbs. to 350 lbs. I can't say that I've noticed the same smell as I had from that first barley-fed boar, but I'm sure it was in the air. Probably just have gotten used to it.
All game has it's own smell and taste. I think the key thing with any critter that goes to the table, be it Game, Fish or Fowl, is not to target an older animal if you're looking for the finest available table fare. When I was a kid, working summers on charter boats, the commercial fishing industry had a "75 lb." rule. That is, fish under 75 lbs. fetched a higher price per lb. than fish over 75 lbs. did. That was because the smaller fish were more tasteful and tender. That's just a matter of fact.
So not to worry about the different kind of smell. It's different because you're used to beef and pork sizzling on the BBQ. Welcome to the world of wild game.......P.S. Be careful not to overcook it, a very common mistake with lean game meat......
The old saying "You are what you eat" does not have a better application than with wild boar. I live on Maui and I have a good population of pigs just 20 minutes up the road but they feed on ferns, and other odiferous vegetation so the meat is super gamey almost inedible regardless of size. I drive an hour, and a half to my friends property the pigs there feed mostly on fresh fruits like mango, guava, and vaivi, so they are sweet and tender, even the monsters over 400 lbs. Acorns sound like a good feed with only slight gameyness. Main thing it tastes good. My wife makes a killer Chile Verde in the crock pot with boar, great for rolling up into burritos, easy to cook too, just drop all ingredients in a crock pot, and let it slow cook all day while you're out having fun. She also makes a great Kalua Pig in the oven. Great with a cold one.
