The feral hog is one of the worlds most prolific species found all over the world except Antarctica. They are a great species of game to hunt and can often bring relief to those suffering withdrawal between hunting season.
My first introduction to hog hunting was in my home state of California. California has a healthy supply of feral hogs and, thus, has very lenient bag limits. There is no season and all a hunter needs is a valid license and a wild boar tag. For those fortunate enough to have access to land where multiple hogs can be taken, booklets of tags can be bought. The only real limit to how many hogs you can shoot is the amount of tags you have in your pocket (and how many hogs you can find). I don't have any access to private land, so I use a guide to hunt hogs. The fee is usually inexpensive compared to most guided hunting trips and you are able to gain access to private property you otherwise would only be able to drool at. In other states the rules may differ, so it is important to read the regulations beforehand.
What I wanted to talk about though was one of my favorite recipes for hogs. Everyone has their own favorite way to prepare game meat. This is the way I learned to cook hogs while on a scimitar horned oryx hunt in Texas and it is by far my favorite recipe, but first, a little background.
After successfully taking a very old scimitar oryx, the ranch owner offered me a "BBQ hog" which I, of course, accepted. A BBQ hog, by his defenition, was a small hog under 50 pounds or so. They're young hogs and don't have any value for trophy hunters as their tusks are small and not protruding. Since Texas has truck-loads of hogs, it isn't any harm to let a few be culled before reaching maturity. That evening we located a group of hogs under some brush escaping the Texas heat. I setup for a shot, and waited for the group of about 10 pigs to get antsy and stand up. One of the hogs caught our scent and decided it was time to leave and I was given specific instructions by my guide, Robbie, to shoot any of the little hogs I wanted before they followed and ran off. I popped a little boar (pictured above) right before he trotted off with the rest of the group. I was shooting my 30-06 with 180 grain bullets (since I was there for Oryx) and was amazed to see that, despite taking a hit directly to the shoulder, the little 40 pound hog was still alive. The oryx I had shot earlier, which weighed over 400 pounds, was dead within 5 seconds of being hit! I quickly reloaded and put a shot behind the ear. Robbie, who is built like a giant, picked the little hog up and carried it right out. We dressed him, skinned him, quartered him, then hung him up to cool on the meat locker. Robbie then told me the Ranch's favorite recipe to cooking hogs which I will now bestow to you.
You can use whatever cut of meat you would like. On a little hog, you can cook a whole leg like it were a giant drumstick. Several hours before you intend to cook the meat, soak it in a bowl of apple juice - the more concentrated the better. This will help add a little flavor and break down some of the gamey-ness. After soaking in apple juice for a few hours, prep the BBQ. While the BBQ is getting hot, make up a batch of honey and cayenne pepper (about 1/2 cup honey and a spoonful of pepper). This recipe is not an exact science so you can swap the cayenne pepper with other spices if you're not too big on spicy food. Now that the BBQ is nice and hot, throw the meat on it and let the outsides brown. The idea is too keep the BBQ really hot at first to create a quick crispy outer layer that will seal in the juices. Make sure to do this to both sides of the meat, the idea is not to burn the meat, just turn the color from pink to light brown. Depending on the size of the cut of meat this shouldn't take more than a couple minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and begin painting on the honey and seasoning mixture. Every time you flip the meat, paint another layer of honey on it. Let the meat cook so there is no more pink spots inside and you're ready to eat.
Since game meat is very lean, cooking at a lower temperature has worked best for me. The low fat content means the meat is likely to dry out if cooked too high or over cooked. Also, younger animals, like this BBQ hog, have less of the gamey flavor than adult animals. Female animals also are also noted for being easier to eat as they are not full of testosterone. Proper field care of the animal and storage, however, can go a long way to making even the biggest old bucks taste great.
Everyone has their own favorite recipe on how to prepare game. If you have a recipe you would like to share, please feel free to post it in the comments!
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