Wild hog meat… do you eat it or is it too risky?

Eat them with grad joy.

But maybe therws a difference betwenns the hogs we have. Who are hard tp hunt and roam free and the things ypu have in the us where you can walk up to them and looks like you can get so close you could club em ;)
You aren't getting close to a feral hog here if it knows you're there.

A modest amount of hunting pressure turns them nocturnal, and enough hunting pressure will move them out of the area if there is anywhere else for them to go.
 
I have been guiding hog hunts in Southwest Georgia for 15 years now. Probably killed somewhere in the neighborhood of about 8000+ Pigs. My customers keep everything but the boars and the pigs that are too shot up. In that length of time not one person has ever gotten sick From the meat. It must be cooked to 160°, that kills everything that they can carry. Which include swine brucellosis, pseudorabies, and trichinosis. I require heavy vinyl, rubber gloves to handle the dead pigs and recommend that they wear nitrile gloves When handling the processed meat. Boar Hogs are going to taste like they smell, which is usually very bad. Hope this helps.
 
I freely admit I have not had the pleasure (yet) of eating feral hog. But I love to cook and there's a cooking method that has not been discussed yet: sous vide.

French for 'under vacuum,' sous vide involves vacuum-sealing meat in a plastic bag and immersing it in a water tub. The sous vide unit will circulate water at a precise temperature set by the user. Being from Alaska, I eat a lot of fish and game, although I admit most game is from others because I'm usually fly fishing or getting salmon in my net.

Salmon and halibut are tremendous if they aren't over-cooked but they unfortunately frequently are. Same with moose, caribou, and sheep. Yes, you can grind up game and put them in chili. Or you can put prime cuts in a sous vide.

The temperature for a sous vide is generally lower than roasting or grilling because the energy transfer from liquid to food is much more efficient than air to food. Further, keeping the meat at a precise temperature ensures that the meat does not go above that temperature. Finally, you do not have to get the meat to 165 degrees because food is frequently cooked far longer in a sous vide. Steaks, for example, are cooked at 130 degrees for an hour. The FDA guidelines for cooking aim to eliminate 99+% of bacteria. If a piece of meat gets to 165 degrees for even a couple of seconds, that will eliminate 99+% of the bacteria. It also makes meat dry and inedible. Keeping that same cut of meat at 130 degrees for an hour will achieve the same sanitation goals but will not dry out the meat (pork and chicken are cooked about 140-145 degrees for taste and texture).

Fish is generally kept at a lower temperature (around 123 degrees) because of the effect on cooking but also because the pieces tend to be thinner. This is important for wild caught salmon because of diphyillobothrium latum, a tapeworm found in cold-water fish. Cooking fish at this temperature for about 45 minutes is enough to kill any parasites found in the salmon. Discovering that you have a fish tapeworm from eating salmon that has not been sufficiently cooked is .... disconcerting. At least, that's what I hear. A friend told me.

Old game animals of any type can get tough and stringy. As the animals get older, they get bigger, which is why larger animals are not as favored for eating. This also happens with halibut. If fishing for halibut, the best eating are around 80 pounds. Much over 100 and the halibut fillets get tough. In all cases, using the sous vide with the lower temperatures has made a huge difference. Particularly for halibut, I'll throw in butter in the plastic bag with the other seasonings prior to sealing. Makes a real difference. For older, tougher game, I will add a bit of lard to the bag, maybe 1-2 teaspoons. After about an hour at 132 degrees, that moose or caribou or sheep will still be more firm than milk-fed veal but it is not tough and stringy and dry.

I keep trying to make it down to TX to hunt some hogs, in part because I want a backstrap that I can season and put in the sous vide and see how it compares to pork loin. If anybody has used a sous vide on hog, I'd be interested in their impressions and see how it compares to game I've cooked in mine. I love my sous vide to the point my daughter jokes that if you stand still long enough in my kitchen, I'll have you sealed in a plastic bag and in the water tub.
 
We eat it, anything over 100 pounds is made into sausage except the ribs and saddle. The smaller ones are parted out like I do any other game.
 
My mother was a health officer after WW2. I remember her saying that pork had to be well cooked owing to Thrichinosis. When I had to fend for myself in the big bad world I couldn’t believe how big a pork loin was ! She cooked them to death !” Bien cuis “was her expression,well cooked. To death I think now.
It is also a matter of culture.
In mittel Europe, many hunters make sausages from fresh boar meat, and then they dry them without cooking.
So, in order to control the risk of trichinosis, it is mandatory by law to make a check with approved veterinarian office.
If traditionally meat is cooked, then trichinosis is not a risk.
 
You aren't getting close to a feral hog here if it knows you're there.

A modest amount of hunting pressure turns them nocturnal, and enough hunting pressure will move them out of the area if there is anywhere else for them to go.

This is why I intentionally hunt them at night with a thermal…

We’re covered up with them at my deer lease… but never see them during daylight hours.. or even close to dusk or dawn…

Our pigs are unfortunately inconsiderate bastards that require a 10pm - 4am hunt… lol
 
This is why I intentionally hunt them at night with a thermal…

We’re covered up with them at my deer lease… but never see them during daylight hours.. or even close to dusk or dawn…

Our pigs are unfortunately inconsiderate bastards that require a 10pm - 4am hunt… lol
Find your biggest thicket close to water. That’s how I sneak up on them in their beds on our place.

Also electronic callers work well in certain circumstances.
 
I have a hard time enjoying bear and pork meat, primarily due to the parasites that have been mentioned. I used to love eating them but lately I’ve lost my touch.
 
In Spain we eat wild boar, by law they must be checked by a vet to insure they are desease free.

Smaller boar are just delicious, you can cook them any way you prefer. The larger ones have to be hung in a freezer during some time for tenderising, and are better cooked in some type of stew.

When making sausages with boar, we usually mix it with pig.
 
I freely admit I have not had the pleasure (yet) of eating feral hog. But I love to cook and there's a cooking method that has not been discussed yet: sous vide.

French for 'under vacuum,' sous vide involves vacuum-sealing meat in a plastic bag and immersing it in a water tub. The sous vide unit will circulate water at a precise temperature set by the user. Being from Alaska, I eat a lot of fish and game, although I admit most game is from others because I'm usually fly fishing or getting salmon in my net.

Salmon and halibut are tremendous if they aren't over-cooked but they unfortunately frequently are. Same with moose, caribou, and sheep. Yes, you can grind up game and put them in chili. Or you can put prime cuts in a sous vide.

The temperature for a sous vide is generally lower than roasting or grilling because the energy transfer from liquid to food is much more efficient than air to food. Further, keeping the meat at a precise temperature ensures that the meat does not go above that temperature. Finally, you do not have to get the meat to 165 degrees because food is frequently cooked far longer in a sous vide. Steaks, for example, are cooked at 130 degrees for an hour. The FDA guidelines for cooking aim to eliminate 99+% of bacteria. If a piece of meat gets to 165 degrees for even a couple of seconds, that will eliminate 99+% of the bacteria. It also makes meat dry and inedible. Keeping that same cut of meat at 130 degrees for an hour will achieve the same sanitation goals but will not dry out the meat (pork and chicken are cooked about 140-145 degrees for taste and texture).

Fish is generally kept at a lower temperature (around 123 degrees) because of the effect on cooking but also because the pieces tend to be thinner. This is important for wild caught salmon because of diphyillobothrium latum, a tapeworm found in cold-water fish. Cooking fish at this temperature for about 45 minutes is enough to kill any parasites found in the salmon. Discovering that you have a fish tapeworm from eating salmon that has not been sufficiently cooked is .... disconcerting. At least, that's what I hear. A friend told me.

Old game animals of any type can get tough and stringy. As the animals get older, they get bigger, which is why larger animals are not as favored for eating. This also happens with halibut. If fishing for halibut, the best eating are around 80 pounds. Much over 100 and the halibut fillets get tough. In all cases, using the sous vide with the lower temperatures has made a huge difference. Particularly for halibut, I'll throw in butter in the plastic bag with the other seasonings prior to sealing. Makes a real difference. For older, tougher game, I will add a bit of lard to the bag, maybe 1-2 teaspoons. After about an hour at 132 degrees, that moose or caribou or sheep will still be more firm than milk-fed veal but it is not tough and stringy and dry.

I keep trying to make it down to TX to hunt some hogs, in part because I want a backstrap that I can season and put in the sous vide and see how it compares to pork loin. If anybody has used a sous vide on hog, I'd be interested in their impressions and see how it compares to game I've cooked in mine. I love my sous vide to the point my daughter jokes that if you stand still long enough in my kitchen, I'll have you sealed in a plastic bag and in the water tub.
I tried this with the right hog its ok did not help the stringiness of the piece i cooked but I can see where it would work i broke my circulator stick but i need to get a new one and try again. does a fantastic job on rabbit legs.
 
Live in DFW area in TX. Absolutely love eating hogs and to this day, one of the best meals I've ever made has been from taking the backstraps from two hogs shot about an hour away at a friends farm and making a cajun cream sauce with some freshly made pasta. There's a chef down in Austin named Jesse Griffiths who's published a book all about hunting and cooking wild hogs (appropriately titled The Hog Book) which has some amazing recipes.
 
It is also a matter of culture.
In mittel Europe, many hunters make sausages from fresh boar meat, and then they dry them without cooking.
So, in order to control the risk of trichinosis, it is mandatory by law to make a check with approved veterinarian office.
If traditionally meat is cooked, then trichinosis is not a risk.
Your correct about the cultural aspect. Every year at the end of my H2A workers contract I have them down to the house and we have a cookout, the first year I went out and spent a ton of money on the finest ribeye I could find. They were perfect for a sear and a little cooking on the grill and be perfect for most. They would have nothing with that and I had to cook them to hockey puck status. Almost made me weep! Now I just get the cheapest cuts I can find and they are extremely happy as long as they are WELL done.
I guess them coming from Mexico with poor to non existent refrigeration they cook everything until no parasite could survive.
 
I had Russian wild boar in Argentina after I shot mine last year and it was very good.

Curious, what do the outfitters in Africa do with warthog and bush pig meat? I haven’t shot either yet and don’t know that I’ve ever had it served.
 
I had Russian wild boar in Argentina after I shot mine last year and it was very good.

Curious, what do the outfitters in Africa do with warthog and bush pig meat? I haven’t shot either yet and don’t know that I’ve ever had it served.
Many turn it into sausage but if anyone ever offers you boiled bushpig stomach politely decline it is the most vial thing I have ever tried to eat.!
 
I freely admit I have not had the pleasure (yet) of eating feral hog. But I love to cook and there's a cooking method that has not been discussed yet: sous vide.

French for 'under vacuum,' sous vide involves vacuum-sealing meat in a plastic bag and immersing it in a water tub. The sous vide unit will circulate water at a precise temperature set by the user. Being from Alaska, I eat a lot of fish and game, although I admit most game is from others because I'm usually fly fishing or getting salmon in my net.

Salmon and halibut are tremendous if they aren't over-cooked but they unfortunately frequently are. Same with moose, caribou, and sheep. Yes, you can grind up game and put them in chili. Or you can put prime cuts in a sous vide.

The temperature for a sous vide is generally lower than roasting or grilling because the energy transfer from liquid to food is much more efficient than air to food. Further, keeping the meat at a precise temperature ensures that the meat does not go above that temperature. Finally, you do not have to get the meat to 165 degrees because food is frequently cooked far longer in a sous vide. Steaks, for example, are cooked at 130 degrees for an hour. The FDA guidelines for cooking aim to eliminate 99+% of bacteria. If a piece of meat gets to 165 degrees for even a couple of seconds, that will eliminate 99+% of the bacteria. It also makes meat dry and inedible. Keeping that same cut of meat at 130 degrees for an hour will achieve the same sanitation goals but will not dry out the meat (pork and chicken are cooked about 140-145 degrees for taste and texture).

Fish is generally kept at a lower temperature (around 123 degrees) because of the effect on cooking but also because the pieces tend to be thinner. This is important for wild caught salmon because of diphyillobothrium latum, a tapeworm found in cold-water fish. Cooking fish at this temperature for about 45 minutes is enough to kill any parasites found in the salmon. Discovering that you have a fish tapeworm from eating salmon that has not been sufficiently cooked is .... disconcerting. At least, that's what I hear. A friend told me.

Old game animals of any type can get tough and stringy. As the animals get older, they get bigger, which is why larger animals are not as favored for eating. This also happens with halibut. If fishing for halibut, the best eating are around 80 pounds. Much over 100 and the halibut fillets get tough. In all cases, using the sous vide with the lower temperatures has made a huge difference. Particularly for halibut, I'll throw in butter in the plastic bag with the other seasonings prior to sealing. Makes a real difference. For older, tougher game, I will add a bit of lard to the bag, maybe 1-2 teaspoons. After about an hour at 132 degrees, that moose or caribou or sheep will still be more firm than milk-fed veal but it is not tough and stringy and dry.

I keep trying to make it down to TX to hunt some hogs, in part because I want a backstrap that I can season and put in the sous vide and see how it compares to pork loin. If anybody has used a sous vide on hog, I'd be interested in their impressions and see how it compares to game I've cooked in mine. I love my sous vide to the point my daughter jokes that if you stand still long enough in my kitchen, I'll have you sealed in a plastic bag and in the water tub.
Sous vide it in cajun spice rub or pork magic then sear it on a fire or in a iron skillet to finish it
backstrap or a shoulder, smaller ham
or
parboiled In the trinity ( onion, celery , peppers) then finish on the pit
 
The best warthog I ever had was link breakfast sausage at Game 4 Africa! I think they made it at their butchery in Grahamstown.
 
This is why I intentionally hunt them at night with a thermal…

We’re covered up with them at my deer lease… but never see them during daylight hours.. or even close to dusk or dawn…

Our pigs are unfortunately inconsiderate bastards that require a 10pm - 4am hunt… lol
Our night hunt was during a new moon and totally pitch black. We observed all kinds of game on our night hunt: deer, possums, raccoons rabbits, foxes and of course hogs. At night all the game ignored us even if we talked or made noise walking. The animals acted like we didn't exist if they couldn't see us.
 
I have some actual expertise here---I grew up in the Everglades in FL and we ate them all the time . Still shoot a few every year for Christmass dinner in Florida and they taste great..Like any game they have to be processed in the field correctly and cooked with somewhat different techniques---I process my own and have never seen any apparent bad meat from "parasites"---like all pork it needs to be cooked throughly and not eaten raw---there is even a whole 500 page book "The Hog Book" by Jesse Griffiths and Jody Horton that discusses every possible detail of hunting and cooking hogs. Just make sure you use a big enough b ullet to puit them down quickly
 

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Grz63 wrote on Doug Hamilton's profile.
Hello Doug,
I am Philippe from France and plan to go hunting Caprivi in 2026, Oct.
I have read on AH you had some time in Vic Falls after hunting. May I ask you with whom you have planned / organized the Chobe NP tour and the different visits. (with my GF we will have 4 days and 3 nights there)
Thank in advance, I will appreciate your response.
Merci
Philippe
Grz63 wrote on Moe324's profile.
Hello Moe324
I am Philippe from France and plan to go hunting Caprivi in 2026, Oct.
I have read on AH you had some time in Vic Falls after hunting. May I ask you with whom you have planned / organized the Chobe NP tour and the different visits. (with my GF we will have 4 days and 3 nights there)
Thank in advance, I will appreciate your response.
Merci
Philippe
rafter3 wrote on Manny R's profile.
Hey there could I have that jewelers email you mentioned in the thread?
VIGILAIRE wrote on wesheltonj's profile.
Hi Walden. Good morning from England, Chris here (The Englishman!) from Croatia. Firstly it was a pleasure to meet you and Michelle - a fellow Sanderson! I have finally joined AH as I enjoy it very much. Glad you enjoyed the hunt and your write up which I read on AR was very good indeed. I am sending on WhatsApp pics from Bojan of some of the animals hunted recently. Take care and best regards. CS.
 
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