Anyone cure wild hog meat?

Predator257Roy

Predator257Roy

New member
So, now that my supply of hog meat is as much as I can kill on the lease I got in Georgia I'm wondering how to store and keep it. Specifically, curing. Anyone do it with wild hog meat? Sugar cured, salt cured, smoked? Ham, bacon, prosciutto? Salami, pepperoni, or other cured sausages? Anyone hungry yet?! I'm curious on finding out how to make this stuff with wild hog. End products that preferably don't need to be frozen or refrigerated. Good old fashioned, old world style, homemade, out in the country kind of meat curing. Seems like hams have the skin on and typically wild hogs get skinned. Can you make a ham with skin off of the ham or does it need to stay on and get scalded or something to get the hair off. Anyone make any of this stuff, and how?
 
I have not done any. I make a lot of pan sausage. Sometimes I have to add fat to it just have better tasting sausage.

Feral hogs tend to be very lean, and if you make smoked sausage with straight feral hog it can be down right dry and crumbly.

I do not know how well it would cure. I killed a large cut hog (bar) this year that had more than enough fat, and I think would have had enough to make bacon. It is rare to have a wild hog with enough meat/fat to make bacon.

This recipe makes not mention of being able to keep it unrefrigerated.

http://thetexasgourmet.com/cook-book/sugar-cured-feral-hog


I remember watching my grandpa scrape a hog just like shown here:




More detailed info.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homestead...1#axzz3MAjzFdod
 
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When I was as kid we raised and butchered our own hogs. We called them range raised. The lot we kept them in was probably 40 acres. We skinned them then cut the hams off and hauled them to the local locker for curing, so even if you skinned them you should be able to make hams. The hams were kinda dry and stringy though, but that's how I like my ham.
 
thanks Yellowhammer, got somewhere to start now. Of course I'll make sausage, was just looking for other things also, and not having to be refrigerated is just a plus if things were to hit the fan or something. What got me thinking was watching Bizzar Foods and Andrew was in Spain. He went to what was the "ham museum" of a store. The ham from the black hogs that ate acorns and leaves and forest stuff was three times the price of the ordinary hams because they were so good and highly sought after. That made me think of of the wild hogs here, they eat the same, soooo, should be good hams? It's something I'd like to try.
 
In the video, the old timer talks about cutting a 7 year old ham and it being nice red and delicious. I wish the video went into more detail on how they do it. I guess the sugar cure and the cold smoking.
 
We used to make hams that way when I was a pup, but that was a long time ago and I don't remember how well enough to tell you. There must be some place you can find to give you a recipe. They made all the goodies that you want back when hogs ran in big lots so it ought to be the same for wild ones.
 


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