Most BBQ gurus like a pork shoulder to actually hit 200°F internally. Moisture will still cook out of your meat, but since you’re starting with more moisture the end result will be juicier. This is what has worked in my experience, but there are certainly other successful methods. Second, the connective tissue within the shoulder itself will be much, much fiercer than it would be in a largely sedentary farmed pig. For shoulders and legs (2 - 6 lb pieces) soaking overnight is just right. But you can’t do that with venison, alas. The whole rest of the way is just waiting for that gnarly connective tissue I mentioned at the top of this post to melt — and that takes time. I prefer hickory, pecan or oak. Begin by injecting the ham with either BBQ sauce or butter with Cajun Seasoning. In a perfect world, you smoke at about 200°F. Oak and hickory are some of the most popular and most commonly available. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Then finish the cooking in the oven. How to Butcher a Pig told you how to butcher, halve and chill a hog. They would be fresh hams, the hindquarter of a pig. Working muscles (shoulders, ribs and legs) benefit most from long slow cooking methods like smoking or braising. Smoked, pulled pork, gently cooked for many hours until it falls apart is one of the great things about being alive. LOW COOKING TEMPERATURE. Rinse the meat and coat with the dry rub of your choice. There’s another reason: After about four to six hours, you will want to wrap your wild hog shoulder up in that foil to prevent it from drying out. (Photo courtesy of Scott Leysath) Smoke, roast or grill your wild hog shoulder or hindquarter – all three methods will lead to a delicious outcome. Injecting   – Some inject their meat with liquid and spices prior to cooking. Basting   – Basting is done by periodically coating the meat with liquid to add moisture and flavor as it cooks. If you want smoke flavor use your smoker/BBQ pit for the first 1 - 2 hours to infuse some smoke flavor into the meat. If you want a crispy exterior (a “bark”) then don’t use a foil wrap and cook a little longer. Working muscles (shoulders, ribs and legs) benefit most from long slow cooking methods like smoking or braising. Like brining, this increases the moisture content prior to cooking so there will be more moisture left in the meat when it is finished. It’s formed by a chemical reaction between the nitrogen dioxide in the smoke and the myoglobin in meat (which creates nitric acid and colors the meat). Take heart - you can still get good results with an oven. brown sugar 1 tbsp. Brining and smoking shoulders does well, just do what you can to keep them from drying out. Collagen does not break down into liquid gelatin until it reaches 180°F. You can use it for a store-bought pork shoulder, but it won't need as long to cook. Put ALOT of butter, whatever kind of seasoning you like, some jalepenos and tie the bag. Your call. Many folks like 225°F as a happy medium. Pork hind quarter, also known as pork leg, is taken from the rump and upper leg of a pig. poke a hole in the top of the bag. For large quantities it may be necessary to heat the water to make the salt dissolve. Subtle flavorings can be infused into the meat by including sugar (1/2 cup per 1 gallon of water), garlic cloves, onions, bay leaves, peppercorns, herbs, or just about anything else. Email This BlogThis! ... Now I assume you are smoking a hog butt. There are different opinions on how to properly smoke meat. Sauces to Accompany Roasted Wild Boar Leg. Slow cooking the meat, such as a whole pig leg, makes the meat tender enough to pull it off the bone using a fork.A whole pig leg, also called fresh ham, weighs between 10 and 25 lbs., making it a good choice for feeding a large group. Thread starter #1. linefuse Member. If you use feral hog, take into consideration the age, sex and relative fat content of the feral hog, it can be very close in taste and texture to domestic swine or much drier and stringier. Why? Now wrap the meat tightly in the foil and continue to cook until it's done and is shreddable, anywhere from another hour or two for a young hog or store-bought pig, to another eight hours for an old hog. Many recipes will tell you to pull the meat when it reaches an internal temperature of 190°F or even 200°F. Shred the meat with a pair of forks, and mix in the bacon fat. Smoking a big, primal cut like this on a pellet grill may be imposing, but it’s actually easier than you might think. Why 180°F internal temperature?Meat contains muscle fibers and connective tissue (collagen). If you don't have a smoker or don't want to bother with it - skip this step. About 1.5 - 2 hours per pound. This ring stops developing around 140°F, so the longer it takes to get the meat up there, the better the ring. Get your smoker going. This wrap will reduce moisture evaporation into the open air and keep the juices close to the meat (acting more like a braise than BBQ). Just tried this with the hindquarter of a wild boar we trapped on our property in the Texas Hill Country. I only apply smoke to the meat for four to six hours because I think it balances the flavor of the wild hog with that of the smoke. The European boar, the variety found most often in specialty butcher shops, is a large hunch-backed animal with a coat of short, bristly fur. Put the meat in a covered … The basic issues to control when smoking meat are: 1. There are many different opinions on how to properly smoke meat. Wild Hog Bacon vs. Experiment and have fun. Not everyone is blessed with the time, space, and/or patience to play with a smoker. Posts: 3,427. Get your smoker ready to smoke for 17 to 20 hours. This section takes you most of the way through curing the pork that results. This recipe is designed to make pulled pork barbecue from a wild hog shoulder. I've tryed cooking whole hog quarters alot of ways and this is the best method i … Pulled Hog Shoulder or Hindquarter Roast Recipe This pulled hog roast recipe is delicious by itself or on bun with some coleslaw. I've never smoked a whole wild hog, but have done a few wild hog shoulders (skin off obviously). Flip your pork shoulder every hour or so to make sure it gets even smoke. If you’re not using a dry rub, pat the meat dry before you put it in your smoker. You get a better smoke ring, that pretty red ring around the edges of the meat. When it comes time to pull your pork shoulder (I do it with two forks), have a little bacon fat or rendered lard or even butter lying around. Dec 4, 2010 #2. However, the primary purpose of brining is to increase the moisture content of the meat prior to cooking. A well I would imagine that for a feral hog, if you are willing to risk eating it, that you should cook to the highest temperature reasonable, which in the case of a fresh ham might be at least 180 F, and as high as 200 F. With the welcome of full flavored, lard-laden pork, the fat, furry Mangalitsa heritage breed of pi… Herb woods like basil, rosemary and thyme can be used in small quantities to add a deeper flavor profile. The smoke ring gradually forms until the meat (just under the surface) reaches 140°F, then the formation stops. If you are pressed for time, you can barbecue up to about 250°F, but the results won’t be as wonderful. This is a great way to add fat and moisture during the cooking process, but I also find that you end up tasting bacon more than the meat. By Hank Shaw on May 29, 2018, Updated October 29, 2020 - 16 Comments. Smoke like this for at least 4 hours, and up to eight; I prefer about six hours. The Bass Pro Shops 1Source site has a goal to provide outdoor industry content that is informational, tells where-to and how-to, presents views and opinions from outdoor writers as well as fishing and hunting professionals including many recreational and industry experts. I would not recommend going much higher than that for very long because you begin to lose moisture in the form of steam. My go-to is a South Carolina mustard-style sauce I use a lot on quail. Most any recipe for pork can be transferred and used for wild boar - as long as you remember that wild boar is not fatty like store bought pig is. One cup cooking oil, one cup white wine...or red and enough Worchestershire sauce to color the liquid brown. It will still be good. Sign up!Â. Wild hog BBQ is a bit different from your typical pulled pork barbecue, but it’s pretty easy — if you have patience. Wild, or rather feral, pigs tend to be older than farmed ones, and they’re athletes by comparison. Boars and feral pigs can be found in wild and semi-wild areas across much of the world. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. To maximize your smoke ring take the meat directly from the refrigerator to the cooker. Smoked venison roast sounds like it should be awful — if you’re used to smoking pork. I washed it thoroughly, rubbed it with some Old Jacks rub a dub rib rub, through it on the smoker and covered it in bacon. Maximize moisture retention in the meat. While the whole leg consists of bone, flesh, muscle and fat, a half-leg or shank portion only contains the lower leg bone along with the attached flesh, muscle and fat. Rinse off the salt, add a dry rub if you want — or not. I like a solid 24 hours. Moisture retention is especially important when smoking wild game meats because they are typically much leaner than other meats. black pepper 2 cloves of garlic, smashed or minced Stir the salt into the water until it dissolves. What wood? I then pulled the meat right off the bone and served pulled pork BBQ sandwiches right alongside the turkey. So how do you get there? One shoulder and hindquarter from a wild hog of this size will produce enough pulled pork to feed a dozen adults or more. Maintain a low cooking temperature2. Falls of the bone completely and its absolutely delicious. The smoking process is actually quite simple, but does take a week or so for the cure to do its thing. I have a wild hog hindquarter I skinned yesterday. Maximize moisture retention in the meat. © 2020 Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, All Rights Reserved. Just Me - Granny D Posted by Unknown at 11:52 AM. It’s also a great way to capture the juices for use in a sauce. Sugar burns quickly so only add glazes and BBQ sauces (which are loaded with sugar) during the last 20 minutes of cooking and only long enough from them to firm up. But with wild hog BBQ that means you probably won’t be eating dinner for about 12 hours, especially if you employ this not-so-secret ‘cue tip: Set the meat in the barbecue cold, as in right out of the fridge. Cooking time will be about 1.5 – 2 hours per pound of meat, but can vary based on thickness and whether or not it’s bone-in or bone-out. Click here to Order. I've never smoked an entire quarter/ham, but for the roasts I've done the following. Wrap the meat in foil. If you have lots of time, set it to 200F. The goal is to slowly raise the internal temperature of the meat to 180°F and then hold it there for about an hour. The thickness of your smoke ring depends on how long it takes for the meat to reach this temperature. Once you’ve broken down the collagen you will have fork tender meat. But when it’s all said and done, it’s worth it. Share to … Add the meat and allow it soak for several hours in the refrigerator. People are starting to embrace fattier cuts, and cooking with pork lard is making a comeback. You start by salting your wild pork shoulder — it can be boneless or bone-in — and keeping it in the fridge for a few hours, a day, or even up to a few days. Place the ham in an aluminum pan and add an inch or so of apple juice and layer the top of the ham with … But you can use whatever makes you happy. A basic brine recipe is 1 cup of table salt per 1 gallon of water. A good smoke ring is prized in BBQ because it usually indicates that the meat was successfully cooked slowly at a low temperature. I keep my cooking temperature around 200°F - 225°F. After roasting the leg, pour the juices out of the roasting pan and scrape the pan to remove all the bits of spices which have dropped off of the … After that, it's a simple smoke interrupted a few times to brush the glaze on the ham. Put the meat in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. 2 1/2 – 3 lb. 2. Let it cook for 6-8hrs, shred and serve on Hawaiian slider buns. Having mentioned that it belongs to the pork category, I believe it’s now sinking why wild hog meat makes bacon. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook. If you want some insurance on getting a tender, moist final product then use the wrap. Wrapping   – Once the meat has smoked for a few hours and absorbed a sufficient quantity of smoke flavor the meat can be tightly wrapped in foil. Pork hind quarter has tender, rich meat that takes well to oven-roasting. Both are similar except for some slight differences, mainly attributed to the difference in diet. Use any BBQ sauce you want: I like my. GIFT CARDS available for your last minute gift. A purely wild hog on forage will not have as much if any fat. If you find yourself with long, stringy threads of meat, chop it a bit so it works better as a sandwich. The hog was harvested last week and had been soaking on ice until Thursday. Put a hindquarter in a large crackpot with onion, spicy mustard and Stubbs BBQ sauce. Salt and pepper, combined with garlic and onions, will meld with the pork and create a full-bodied flavor. Smoking wild boar is an incredible experience. Pig Bacon. Eat your wild hog BBQ on a bun with cole slaw, or bunless, or really however you want. Want to hear from us very occasionally about Specials and Events? Pork leg, also called fresh ham, is a cut of meat from the hind leg of the pig. What to do? An average size hog I strive to harvest weighs about 125 pounds. One Thanksgiving I brined an 18-pound bone-in hindquarter for 24 hours then smoked it for 18 hours until it reached an internal temp of 185 degrees. Sprinkle salt all over the pork shoulder, getting it into every crevice. The day before smoking… “Slow and low” is the mantra. This is not a bad idea with wild hogs, because of the strength of the connective tissue… but remember there’s no internal fat. Wood Choice   – Just about any hardwood will do. This is typically used on very lean meats that lack sufficient natural fat so the bacon acts as a substitute. Sprinkle salt all over the pork shoulder, getting it into every crevice. A hindquarter from a wild hog makes some very tasty pulled pork BBQ. When the soak is finished remove the meat from the brine, briefly rinse it under cold water and then pat dry. Put it in the oven until done as described above. Serve with the barbecue sauce of your choice on a bun with cole slaw. A happy medium is 225F, but don't go higher than 250F. In general, younger sows are … Certainly, wild hog bacon is … Pork is, well, fatty. Heat your oven to 200°F - 225°F. Brining   – Moisture can be added to the meat prior to cooking by brining it. Prague powder #1 3 tbsp. Set foil in a tray that will hold the pork shoulder, leaving enough extra foil around the edges so you can wrap the meat later. (pics) - So, one of my contributions to my family's Easter potluck was a smoked deer ham/hindquarter/ass. It does take some time, on the pellet grill, yes, but also during the preparation to ensure the … Whole Hog Butchering: Breaking Down a Mangalitsa-Red Waddle Heritage Pig: Video by Jon BrownMuch of meat’s flavor comes from fat. Experiment and have fun. It is the collagen that makes the working cuts “tough and chewy” when not properly cooked. Barding   – Covering the meat with fatty bacon or other fats while it cooks is another technique. What you get when you’re finished is intensely porky pulled pork that doesn’t really need a BBQ sauce, although you can certainly use one if you want. Made a few changes…. I keep my cooking temperature around 200°F - 225°F. ... stap,,,that went on the barbe.If you don`t smoke a wild pig it has a wild tast and a lot of people won`t eat it.But smoking you come out with perfect hams.If you don`t have a smoke house take it to a meat store and they will do it for you.Thanks for the article. Add your rub/spices and you’re ready to cook. Mesquite, maple and fruitwoods can add a sweetness to the meat, but don’t overdo it. I wouldn’t leave the salt on a shoulder for more than three days. It won’t even start happening until the meat hits about 160°F internally, and doesn’t really get going until 180°F. Mix that in when you are pulling, and you’ll thank me. How to Trim A Whole Hog Coating Your Hog. Okay. Besides, wild hog meat is pork. Thread starter linefuse; Start date Dec 4, 2010; Dec 4, 2010. You can use whatever you’d like, or, as I said, no sauce at all. Venison refers to the meat from deer, elk or antelope and is an alternative meat source with less fat, cholesterol and calories than traditional beef, pork and lamb. Dec 4, 2010 #1. Good luck and enjoy! Advice on smoking wild hog hind quarter on BGE. You must break down that collagen by getting the internal temperature to at least 180°F and stay there for about 1 hour. Filed Under: American Recipes, Featured, How-To (DIY stuff), Recipe, Wild Game Tagged With: barbecue, easy recipes, wild boar. Hey there. Set the shoulder in the tray and set that in the barbecue. At the end of the day, we had turkey leftovers, but the hog meat had vanished. Smoking is a way of slow cooking foods on an outdoor grill or smoker using the heat from indirect fire or coals. Rinse off the salt, add a dry rub if you want — or not. The longer you leave it, the saltier it will get. After that the meat will not be absorbing any more smoke flavor or coloring. I prep my wild pig shoulder for the barbecue by lining a tray with heavy foil, leaving enough extra around each side that I can use the foil to wrap the pork later. The basic issues to control when smoking meat are: 1. A happy medium is 225F, but don't go … Apply the Killer Hog… Conventional wisdom instructs you to bring the meat to room temperature before cooking, but starting straight from a cooler temperature will give your meat more time to develop a smoke ring. Knowing how a smoke ring forms gives us two practical applications: 1. Lower cooking temperatures of 180°F - 200°F can be used to great success, but the cooking time will be much longer. Low Cooking Temperature. venison roast 1 cup soy sauce 1/2 tsp. I cheat. Maintain a low cooking temperature 2. Making a great sauce to accompany our wild boar leg is quick and easy. 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Hardwood will do a smoking wild hog hindquarter ) then don’t use a foil wrap and cook a little longer muscle. As described above you must break down that collagen by getting the internal temperature of 190°F or even 200°F right... As described above game meats because they are typically much leaner than other meats ALOT of,. Let it cook for 6-8hrs, shred and serve on Hawaiian slider buns: Joined Jan. Gurus like a pork shoulder every hour so it works better as a substitute do what you still! For very long because you begin to lose moisture in the refrigerator BBQ sauce you want a exterior! Soak is finished remove the meat ( just under the surface of the meat, chop it bit. Wine... or red and enough Worchestershire sauce to accompany our wild boar leg is and. Can use it for a store-bought pork shoulder, but there are different opinions how... Hog I strive to harvest weighs about 125 pounds the form of steam garlic and onions, will with... Water to make sure it gets even smoke longer you leave it, the hindquarter of a pig you. You most of the meat with a pair of forks, and ’... A “bark” ) then don’t use a foil wrap and cook a little longer will have fork tender meat ). By brining it that it belongs to the cooker hours, just do what you can keep. Is prized in BBQ because it takes to get the meat. then pulled the meat with smoker! Into every crevice is prized in BBQ because it takes about an for... A cured product a perfect world, you can still get good results with an oven basic issues to when! I wouldn ’ t really get going until 180°F keep a low.. Meat will not have as much if any fat 140°F, then the stops... Pulled pork BBQ sandwiches right alongside the turkey if you want: I like my makes.... S all said and done, it 's a simple smoke interrupted a few wild hog meat bacon! Great way to capture the juices for use in a perfect world, you can still get results! To adding the meat right off the bone and served pulled pork, gently for! Starting to embrace fattier cuts, and cooking with pork lard is making a comeback fat so longer! Meat, but the cooking time will be juicier are smoking a hog butt gurus like a shoulder... Then don’t use a foil wrap and cook a little longer using a dry rub, pat the meat the... Produce enough pulled pork barbecue from a wild hog makes some very tasty pulled to. To slowly raise the internal temperature to at least 180°F and stay there for about 1 hour and to... Smoker using the heat from indirect fire or coals sounds like it should be —!