Serious question. Set a trap on my property to thin out the rascals. Was just planning to shoot 'em and feed the buzzards and coyotes. Don't want to skin, quarter, and process a bunch of pigs but might remove the backstraps if it's worthwhile.

Yes.

Easy to peel the back skin off and cut out back straps. Taste like store bought pork chops except tougher. Might try a slow cook recipe so that they are more tender.

Cut one out a few months back - trimmed it up really good, hit it with the tenderizer, and brined for a few hours. Chicken fried it and it was pretty good other than being a little tough.

It's the only part I keep. Did the same as above. Brine then chicken fry. Also smoked one once and it turned out really good

Agreed. I get the backstraps only most of the time.

Yes, so is pig shoulder, hams, loins, ribs

Don't believe the lie that wild hog is trash meat. It depends on the breed and diet. Try it out for yourself.

We have "rooters", which is a European boar type, longer snout and coarser hair. They don't taste as good but still great for pulled pork.

And then we have true feral pigs that used to be domesticated pigs, shorter snout, shorter hair. They taste just as good as store bought.

I soak them in buttermilk over night. Then go from there

Treat the straps just like a pork tenderloin.

Also keep a few quarters. You can make some killer breakfast sausage, chorizo, pork carnitas, or just ground pork meat for chili with hog quarters.

Cook it just like any store-bought loin. Better, smaller, preferred.

I smoked some hind quarters this year and delicious! I have some backstraps and tenderloins to smoke as well. The hind quarters came out so good that I pigs are back on the menu for me after a hiatus. I killed a sow with a bow a few years ago and when I walked up on her she had worms crawling out of the arrow hole. They were crawling all around and after that I left pigs alone.

It's the opposite of deer hunting, the smaller the better.

Trapped 35 piglets between 40 and 50 lbs and two @ 70 lbs in one night.

Got to bed sometime after 4am after cleaning up and all the meat was delicious.

Quite a bit of Texas wild hog meat goes to Europe. They love the stuff. As stated above, I always treat it like pork loin. 50-100lb ones tend to be less tough in my opinion. The hogs in our area have a healthy oat field and corn diet which I've noticed as being a little less toughas well, but that could possibly be just in my head.

Thanks for the tips. If I catch some of these guys I'll pull the backstraps and give it a try.

I also agree the smaller the better. My client a processor, will gut piglets and then pear burner the hair. So skin on whole.

The best tailgate smoked meat I've had on campus

Cure the straps and smoke em. It makes really good Canadian bacon. Cure the hams and smoke em to make ham. Wild hog comes out really good when thoroughly cured and smoked.

Wild pigs are delicious and anyone who says otherwise is lazy or ill informed.

I'd encourage you to take all the meat, especially from a pregnant sow, but if you only want back straps, use the space shuttle technique and you can have them out in less than 5 minutes.

They make excellent Wienerschnitzel.

Ingredients
1 lb wild hog loin, sliced into 2-3" thick pork chops
1 sleeve saltine crackers
3 eggs
1/2c flour

Between two pieces of saran wrap, pound the pork chops with a mallet until it is about 1/4" thick. Try to keep the thickness even from end to end, and try to keep any holes from forming.

Place sleeve of crackers into a food processor and chop up. Alternatively you can go medieval on them in a gallon ziploc bag. Your choice.

Coat each pork chop in flour, then in egg, then in saltine crackers. Remove to a cooling wrack on a cookie sheet and allow to sit for a few minutes.

Fire up a pan with about 1/2"-1" of oil in it and fry each side until golden brown and delicious, about a minute or two per side. Remove to a clean cooling rack and sprinkle with salt.

Serve with lemon wedges and potato salad!

How do y'all dispatch your trapped hogs?

Shoot in the trap? Trailer them somewhere else?

Pistol? Rifle? Shotgun? Spear?

I'm about to construct several corral traps (i.e. figure 6, 9, G, C, etc) at my place. The smaller cage traps just don't seem to be all that effective anymore.

Todd 02 said:

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How do y'all dispatch your trapped hogs?

Shoot in the trap? Trailer them somewhere else?

Pistol? Rifle? Shotgun? Spear?

I'm about to construct several corral traps (i.e. figure 6, 9, G, C, etc) at my place. The smaller cage traps just don't seem to be all that effective anymore.

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We've always shot them in the trap, up close, behind the ear with a pistol. That's in smaller cage traps though where there's not a ton of room for them to move around. Might be better off with a rifle for your larger traps you're constructing.

This was the back strap off a 220lb boar. Korean Bulgogi. It was really good and even the kids liked it. Head shot. No stank

I don't usually mess with rest of it except cut out the top of the ham to make chili or dog food.