# Boar Hog Meat?



## Buck Dropper (Dec 28, 2019)

I killed a young boar this evening, around 125 pounds. I thought he was younger than he may have actually been. When I got to cleaning him, he stunk pretty good. Any advice on how to take care of the meat? Most folks I know just toss the boars.


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## Arrow3 (Dec 28, 2019)

If he stunk while cleaning, feed him to the ditch monster...


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## bany (Dec 29, 2019)

Lots of boars stink, how does the meat smell?


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## Jester896 (Dec 29, 2019)

slice a piece of back strap and cook it...then you will know before you do the whole pig


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## antharper (Dec 29, 2019)

My daughter killed one about the same size last week and he smelled a little strong while cleaning him and I done what jester said , cleaned him and got him on ice , the next day I sliced and cubed backstrap and fried it like a pork chop and it was delicious, just didn’t want to process whole thing and it not be any good


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## Rich Kaminski (Dec 29, 2019)

I shot this one and it had *trichinosis. The meat was no good because of this round worm infection.*


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 29, 2019)

All hogs stink bad, boar or sow. Whether or not the meat itself stinks is the thing. You’re probably good.


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 29, 2019)

Rich Kaminski said:


> I shot this one and it had *trichinosis. The meat was no good because of this round worm infection.*


Pretty much every wild hog and bear on earth has trichinosis. And some domestic pork from the grocery store. Cook it to 160* and it’s fine.


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## jbogg (Dec 29, 2019)

I’m going to throw a Backstrap on the smoker in a few hours from a big boar that’s been marinading overnight. Still fresh, never frozen.   Will report back later.


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## frankwright (Dec 29, 2019)

I soak my hog meat in a cooler with ice and the drain open. I often pour in a big jug of apple juice or apple cider. 
After two or three days I smell the meat and it is usually frsh and clean smelling. If it smelled bad I would feed it to my neighbors four 24/7 yapping dogs!


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## sghoghunter (Dec 29, 2019)

NCHillbilly said:


> All hogs stink bad, boar or sow. Whether or not the meat itself stinks is the thing. You’re probably good.




You right they all stink but when you walk up on some they just plain out stank. I've done came to the conclusion that nothing wants to eat them nasty things,yotes nor buzzards.


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## Jester896 (Dec 29, 2019)

gators will


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## jbogg (Dec 29, 2019)

NCHillbilly said:


> All hogs stink bad, boar or sow. Whether or not the meat itself stinks is the thing. You’re probably good.



A while ago someone linked to an article on Boar Taint, but I guess I’ve just been lucky because out of the eight or nine pigs I’ve shot over the past three years none of them have had any bad odor.


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 29, 2019)

I’ve killed a couple boars around 75-100 lbs that were delicious. I’ve never killed one of those big huge boars, but i ate part of a backstrap out of one my buddy killed that weighed nearly 300 and it tasted like pork chops. I know some of the big ones are rank.


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## jbogg (Dec 29, 2019)

Well the Backstrap off of the big boar I shot on Thursday was served up for supper tonight.  Marinated overnight, and then put on the pellet grill smoker set at 275.  When the internal meat temp reached 120 I wrapped it in foil and added a little apple juice.  Once the meat reached 170 internal temp I pulled it off and let it stand, still wrapped in foil for 10 - 15 mins before carving and serving.   It was tough as shoe leather.  Not sure if maybe I cooked it to long, or if some 300 plus pound boars are just tough.  The other ones I have smoked that were a little smaller were decent.  Back to the drawing board.


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## Buck Dropper (Dec 29, 2019)

I cooked a piece of back strap tonight on the stove. Tasted fine, no strange odors. Going to mix the rest with a buck I killed & use for sausage & ground.


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## Milkman (Dec 29, 2019)

Big pig = turtle or buzzard food


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## Jester896 (Dec 29, 2019)

Buck Dropper said:


> I cooked a piece of back strap tonight on the stove. Tasted fine, no strange odors. Going to mix the rest with a buck I killed & use for sausage & ground.



if it didn't smell your probably good

I would mix either of them with pork not one with the other... but that's just me


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## GTHunter (Dec 30, 2019)

NCHillbilly said:


> Pretty much every wild hog and bear on earth has trichinosis. And some domestic pork from the grocery store. Cook it to 160* and it’s fine.



This is completely untrue. Georgia has not had a reported case of trichinosis for decades. Yes, cooking to 160 will make the meat fine IF it has trich, but this is not a known issue in Georgia. It never hurts to be safe, but t*here is no need to fearmonger like this online.*

*On average there are only 2-3 cases per year, nationally. So no, not every wild pig and bear has trichinosis. *

*https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/resources/trichinellosis_surveillance_summary_2015.pdf *


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## livinoutdoors (Dec 30, 2019)

GTHunter said:


> This is completely untrue. Georgia has not had a reported case of trichinosis for decades. Yes, cooking to 160 will make the meat fine IF it has trich, but this is not a known issue in Georgia. It never hurts to be safe, but t*here is no need to fearmonger like this online.*
> 
> *On average there are only 2-3 cases per year, nationally. So no, not every wild pig and bear has trichinosis. *
> 
> *https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/resources/trichinellosis_surveillance_summary_2015.pdf *


Your link just provided info on people that were infected. That does not mean that the bear or hog population is free from infestation. I recently read a survey of bears that concluded almost all of the black bears sampled had trichinella in the meat. A good number of feral hogs carry it as well. It has almost been completely erradicated from domestic heards of swine, but still a small risk. Wear gloves, cook properly, and enjoy!


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 30, 2019)

GTHunter said:


> This is completely untrue. Georgia has not had a reported case of trichinosis for decades. Yes, cooking to 160 will make the meat fine IF it has trich, but this is not a known issue in Georgia. It never hurts to be safe, but t*here is no need to fearmonger like this online.*
> 
> *On average there are only 2-3 cases per year, nationally. So no, not every wild pig and bear has trichinosis. *
> 
> *https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/resources/trichinellosis_surveillance_summary_2015.pdf *


Yes, there is trich in wild hogs in GA. Your link is talking about people. No fearmongering at all, cooking it renders it perfectly safe. Most people don’t eat rare pork or bear. Sampling the hogs shows a different story than human infection data. Ask Steve Rinella from Meateater about eating rare bear meat and the results.


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## ekr (Dec 30, 2019)

jbogg said:


> Well the Backstrap off of the big boar I shot on Thursday was served up for supper tonight.  Marinated overnight, and then put on the pellet grill smoker set at 275.  When the internal meat temp reached 120 I wrapped it in foil and added a little apple juice.  Once the meat reached 170 internal temp I pulled it off and let it stand, still wrapped in foil for 10 - 15 mins before carving and serving.   It was tough as shoe leather.  Not sure if maybe I cooked it to long, or if some 300 plus pound boars are just tough.  The other ones I have smoked that were a little smaller were decent.  Back to the drawing board.
> View attachment 997193View attachment 997194


those big ones are almost always tough. Especially those big mtn boars. I just make carnitas out of them.


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## piedmont1971 (Dec 30, 2019)

Brine the meat in 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water with a lot of salt for 24 hours. It'll taste like store bought pork.


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## Sweet talker (Dec 30, 2019)

jbogg said:


> Well the Backstrap off of the big boar I shot on Thursday was served up for supper tonight.  Marinated overnight, and then put on the pellet grill smoker set at 275.  When the internal meat temp reached 120 I wrapped it in foil and added a little apple juice.  Once the meat reached 170 internal temp I pulled it off and let it stand, still wrapped in foil for 10 - 15 mins before carving and serving.   It was tough as shoe leather.  Not sure if maybe I cooked it to long, or if some 300 plus pound boars are just tough.  The other ones I have smoked that were a little smaller were decent.  Back to the drawing board.
> View attachment 997193View attachment 997194


Take your meat on the next one and drop it in a cooler with ice and salt and keep draining it and add to it every day for about 5-6 days. They come out just as tender as the young ones. They are great.


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## Ghost G (Jan 2, 2020)

jbogg said:


> Well the Backstrap off of the big boar I shot on Thursday was served up for supper tonight.  Marinated overnight, and then put on the pellet grill smoker set at 275.  When the internal meat temp reached 120 I wrapped it in foil and added a little apple juice.  Once the meat reached 170 internal temp I pulled it off and let it stand, still wrapped in foil for 10 - 15 mins before carving and serving.   It was tough as shoe leather.  Not sure if maybe I cooked it to long, or if some 300 plus pound boars are just tough.  The other ones I have smoked that were a little smaller were decent.  Back to the drawing board.
> View attachment 997193View attachment 997194


Key for backstrap is to not over cook it.  Kind of tricky with pork but you just have to get it to the internal 145 degrees and then pull it off.


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## jbogg (Jan 2, 2020)

Ghost G said:


> Key for backstrap is to not over cook it.  Kind of tricky with pork but you just have to get it to the internal 145 degrees and then pull it off.



I probably overcooked it a little. I’ve always heard to be safe you should cook wild pork to 165° internal to insure the killing of trichinosis. I’ve also heard that 145° will do the job, but I decided to air on the side of caution.


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## Dbender (Jan 2, 2020)

Yours is just overcooked. Id freeze it first then cook to a lower internal temp. Pork is pork boar or sow and overcooked is dry and tough either way.


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 2, 2020)

Ghost G said:


> Key for backstrap is to not over cook it.  Kind of tricky with pork but you just have to get it to the internal 145 degrees and then pull it off.


I agree totally with domestic pork. Wild pork, oh, Lord no. 160 is the minimum temp to get rid of the crap that most of them are carrying.


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## Doug B. (Jan 2, 2020)

Rich Kaminski said:


> I shot this one and it had *trichinosis. The meat was no good because of this round worm infection.*





ekr said:


> those big ones are almost always tough. Especially those big mtn boars. I just make carnitas out of them.



Nope!  Trichinosis will get you if it is not cooked to 165° 
Some of the best pork I have ever eaten was over 200 to 300 lbs. and over.


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## Jester896 (Jan 2, 2020)

Ghost G said:


> Key for backstrap is to not over cook it.



nNegative Ghost Rider!  Not with wild pork!


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## Timberman (Jan 2, 2020)

I won’t eat big rank hogs. Like somebody else said nothing else will either. I tossed a big one years ago. Nothing touched him he turned into a leather bag of liquid.


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## Dbender (Jan 2, 2020)

Actually if you research it 137°  will kill trichinosis or at least render it safe to eat. I've eaten 700+ pound old boars that were delicious. I'm sure anyone who eats any amount of cheap sausage has eaten at least some too.


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## Jester896 (Jan 2, 2020)

trichinosis isn't the only disease they carry...do you think the others are killed at 137?...or about pasteurization temps


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## Jester896 (Jan 2, 2020)

I followed your suggestion and looked at it more.  I was able to find that you could do it at lower temps...120...but you need to do it steadilly for 21 hours.  You can do it with the lowest temp anywhere in the meat being 137...then let it sit for 3 minutes before cutting into it... and it still may not kill it in bear meat.  Seems that 145 kills most everything..then let it sit for 3 minutes before cutting into it... yet the recommended temp is still160.

Mayo Clinic should be a reliable source for information.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/trichinosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20378583

seems like cooking it to 160 would be easier than dealing with the symptoms.


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## Dbender (Jan 3, 2020)

I agree, however if you cook a loin to to 160 without wrapping in bacon or something it's going to turn into a meat cracker.


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## Jester896 (Jan 3, 2020)

sawdust no doubt


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## chrislibby88 (Jan 3, 2020)

jbogg said:


> Well the Backstrap off of the big boar I shot on Thursday was served up for supper tonight.  Marinated overnight, and then put on the pellet grill smoker set at 275.  When the internal meat temp reached 120 I wrapped it in foil and added a little apple juice.  Once the meat reached 170 internal temp I pulled it off and let it stand, still wrapped in foil for 10 - 15 mins before carving and serving.   It was tough as shoe leather.  Not sure if maybe I cooked it to long, or if some 300 plus pound boars are just tough.  The other ones I have smoked that were a little smaller were decent.  Back to the drawing board.
> View attachment 997193View attachment 997194


I crock pot most of mine. Never had a toughness issue. I would think 275 would be low and slow enough, but dry heat is different than wet heat. How long did it cook for? Might try 200 for 4-6 hours? Or braise it in a cast iron pot on the smoker. I’ve been wanting to do that, might give it a go when I get around to pulling some pork out of the freezer.


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## chrislibby88 (Jan 3, 2020)

Timberman said:


> I won’t eat big rank hogs. Like somebody else said nothing else will either. I tossed a big one years ago. Nothing touched him he turned into a leather bag of liquid.


Probably because you didn’t open the carcass up. The skin in them is very tough, vultures and other scavengers have a hard time getting through it until it rots enough, or bursts open. Next time you ditch one zip it down the back or open the belly up and I guarantee most if not all of it will be gone in a few weeks. I quarter them out where they fall and usually hunt the same areas within a few weeks, and only once have I found a carcass still rotting where I left it, I think this was a week later.


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## sghoghunter (Jan 3, 2020)

chrislibby88 said:


> Probably because you didn’t open the carcass up. The skin in them is very tough, vultures and other scavengers have a hard time getting through it until it rots enough, or bursts open. Next time you ditch one zip it down the back or open the belly up and I guarantee most if not all of it will be gone in a few weeks. I quarter them out where they fall and usually hunt the same areas within a few weeks, and only once have I found a carcass still rotting where I left it, I think this was a week later.




We got a deep gully on our club that we dump hogs and deer guts in and one particular weekend we dumped 5 hogs and one guts and hide off a doe and the doe was gone in a few days and the hogs are still there four weeks later,or what the maggots hasn't got


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## chrislibby88 (Jan 3, 2020)

sghoghunter said:


> We got a deep gully on our club that we dump hogs and deer guts in and one particular weekend we dumped 5 hogs and one guts and hide off a doe and the doe was gone in a few days and the hogs are still there four weeks later,or what the maggots hasn't got


Hmmm. Interesting. They never last in my neck of the woods.


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## Mexican Squealer (Jan 3, 2020)

I drug a rank boar I killed a few weeks ago ( to where the Eagles would easily find it) and still can’t get the stench out of my truck.  The Eagles nor the buzzards have touched that nasty bastage. The rankest I’ve ever come across...and unfortunately I’ve come across a bunch.


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## sghoghunter (Jan 3, 2020)

chrislibby88 said:


> Hmmm. Interesting. They never last in my neck of the woods.



They may be tired of them cause we been dumping a good bit this yr


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## chrislibby88 (Jan 3, 2020)

Mexican Squealer said:


> I drug a rank boar I killed a few weeks ago ( to where the Eagles would easily find it) and still can’t get the stench out of my truck.  The Eagles nor the buzzards have touched that nasty bastage. The rankest I’ve ever come across...and unfortunately I’ve come across a bunch.


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## Jim Boyd (Jan 3, 2020)

Reading this I am reminded again that I am overly thankful that my leased 844 acres in SC (some of it along the Salkehatchie) does not have hogs.


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## chrislibby88 (Jan 3, 2020)

sghoghunter said:


> They may be tired of them cause we been dumping a good bit this yr


Guess you can start getting picky when you have an all you can eat buffet. Funny how the deer hide got slurped up instantly, proof that venison is the best stuff ever.


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## mlandrum (Jan 3, 2020)

What I,ve found out about hogs is if they are running or ***** (trying to breed) the meat is untameable. I try to shoot mine in the head so there's no rush in their system at all. This year so far I've shot a 100 pounder , 300 pounder and a 400 pounder and doing the best I can in the field- Deballing, gutting, and other little things the meat is wonderful!! I keep surgical gloves in my back pack and in my truck and NEVER clean or gut one without them on. Pack them in ice  for 3 days and cut up myself.  I make my own sausage and delicate cuts and have NEVER had any issue using this method---


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## Swamprat (Jan 4, 2020)

Getcha one from Central Florida that has been eating acorns and palmetto berries for 3-4 weeks.....you are not soaking that stank out. Kill it a few months before or after palmetto berry season and it is great meat.


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## Back40hunter (Jan 5, 2020)

I’ve killed two BIG boar hogs, one 300+ and one about 250. I had most all of them meat ground into sausage. The first couple of packs that I fried stunk up the entire house. My wife banned me from the kitchen with it so I started frying it on my grill burner. After this stuff was in the freezer for three or four months that boar hog odor went away. We ate them both in their entirety and enjoy it all.


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## tree cutter 08 (Jan 13, 2020)

Wild hogs are hit or miss so I usually don't mess with them. Have had some that was great and a bunch that was terrible. Heck we had a store bought pork loin other day that wasn't much count. Had a pretty good wang to it but that's unusual. All the hogs I have shot and left get eat by the bears and yotes within a few days. Bears get most of them. Last boar I shot I went back to check on it a week later and a big bear I had on camera had camped out on it. Even chewed the skull up into little peices.


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## deers2ward (Jan 13, 2020)

Mexican Squealer said:


> I drug a rank boar I killed a few weeks ago ( to where the Eagles would easily find it) and still can’t get the stench out of my truck.  The Eagles nor the buzzards have touched that nasty bastage. The rankest I’ve ever come across...and unfortunately I’ve come across a bunch.



When I kill one on my property, when I walk up to them, they smell like someone dumped a 5 gallon bucket of hot urine on them.


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## Rich Kaminski (Jan 14, 2020)

When the processor opened up this hog - it was loaded with cysts.


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## Kaisrus6 (Jan 14, 2020)

I'm certainly no expert as I've only killed 20-25 hogs, but I've found that if they stink so bad when you first walk up on them, then walk away. If its just a wild stink, no big deal but if they're rank you won't get that smell out.

I quarter them out put them in a cooler and pour a cup of apple cider vinegar and two cups of lemon juice over the meat, pack in ice then fill the cooler with water so all the meat is submerged and let it sit for a day. rinse and repeat for three days then two more days of just ice water. When I cut up the meat it has a citrus smell to it and taste as good as any pork I've eaten.


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