Smoking Wild Hog

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eman hit it, I used to do a lot of pig hunting in central florida, actually that is how I got my start in bbq, back in the 70's, we used catch dogs, we hunted ranches and sod farms for the meat, they were glad to have us as wild pigs can do a lot of damage to a sod farm or ranch, a boar, especially a large one, would be cut and corn fed in a pen for a couple of months, as good as any pork you have ever tasted, much leaner but hard to beat IMHO.

Bonz
Agreed.  Hard to beat flavor.
 
 
How do you all go about catching them Moikel?  My bud's down in South Florida use Pit Bull Dogs.  Exciting business. 
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I dont hunt because I live in the big city nowadays. When I did I was focussed on feral animals that cause so much damage here,pigs,foxes,cats,rabbits.

The guys that do hunt pigs here are a mixed bunch.There are guys with guns & dogs & then a bunch of adrenalin freaks with dogs & knives.
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. Young fit men with no fear.( or sense) that run after their dogs.

You need to live somewhere out of the big city to have the dogs.They are bred to be suitable for the country & suitable to the team they are in. 

I see people that have a mixed team, finders & holders.So you might have something leggy like an Irish wolf hound cross with a bull arab to chase then a couple of big pit bull X mastiff x bull arab to do the heavy work when they catch up. There are specialist makers of neck & chest protectors for dogs ,a lot made out of the stuff they make fire hose out of or canvas. Radio collars popular as well.

In open plains country you want dogs that will jump of the back of your truck & chase. In heavy tropical country,sugar cane ,swamps you want bigger heavier dogs that crash through.

When I  am out in the country for work you see utes(pick ups) with big dogs in cages. It can be a bit of an issue between land owners & hunters.
 
 
I dont hunt because I live in the big city nowadays. When I did I was focussed on feral animals that cause so much damage here,pigs,foxes,cats,rabbits.

The guys that do hunt pigs here are a mixed bunch.There are guys with guns & dogs & then a bunch of adrenalin freaks with dogs & knives.
icon_eek.gif
. Young fit men with no fear.( or sense) that run after their dogs.

You need to live somewhere out of the big city to have the dogs.They are bred to be suitable for the country & suitable to the team they are in. 

I see people that have a mixed team, finders & holders.So you might have something leggy like an Irish wolf hound cross with a bull arab to chase then a couple of big pit bull X mastiff x bull arab to do the heavy work when they catch up. There are specialist makers of neck & chest protectors for dogs ,a lot made out of the stuff they make fire hose out of or canvas. Radio collars popular as well.

In open plains country you want dogs that will jump of the back of your truck & chase. In heavy tropical country,sugar cane ,swamps you want bigger heavier dogs that crash through.

When I  am out in the country for work you see utes(pick ups) with big dogs in cages. It can be a bit of an issue between land owners & hunters.
Thanks a bunch for your description, and the link to the facebook page.  (Some great photos on that page).  That all sounds pretty similar to what my friends were doing in South Florida.

I am out of it too, now.  Too old,  (And wise, perhaps), to risk it.  I have some fond memories, though.

I can remember rolling in laughter as a friend described how he came to his senses, in the midst of one hog hunt, to find himself crawling along a hog trail, under a very big and thick Palmetto, flicking his "Bic lighter" to light his way and all of a sudden wondering what he was going to do if he came face to face with the hog he was following.
 
Your welcome. 

If live out in those places pig hunting is what you do for fun. But its a young mans past time.

This is such a big country that the terrain & climate are so wide ranging. I couldn't chase pigs up north its just to humid. That country is inaccessible in the wet season so pig populations are off the scale.Then there are water buffalo & lets not forget crocodiles
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I would worry to much about my dogs getting hurt, although there are some pretty tough looking dogs in those photos.

They have big competition days up in some of those places in the dry season. Team events,raise $ for worthy causes like the flying doctor ,most pigs,biggest pig,ugliest dog ,best pick up.etc.  Lots of rum ,beer, country music.
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The big chiller truck is there to take the pigs on the spot.
 
Agreed.  Hard to beat flavor.
When you get that formula right the pork is brilliant . Best cooked without the skin IMO. Meat is darker fuller flavour. If you can catch them young out of grain country you have a head start. Of course you need to have a pen etc.
Funny thing is in Italy they are mad for wild pig products,salami,prosciutto sausage German tourists buy up big as well. Pigs eat acorns, chestnuts, grapes , I took a few Aussie pig hunting magazines with me to Norcia a famous pork town made a lot of friends in the butcher shop!
 
When you get that formula right the pork is brilliant . Best cooked without the skin IMO. Meat is darker fuller flavour. If you can catch them young out of grain country you have a head start. Of course you need to have a pen etc.
Funny thing is in Italy they are mad for wild pig products,salami,prosciutto sausage German tourists buy up big as well. Pigs eat acorns, chestnuts, grapes , I took a few Aussie pig hunting magazines with me to Norcia a famous pork town made a lot of friends in the butcher shop!

At my last job we made wild boar ham and bacon. We had just set up a curing refrigerator and had some wild boar prosciutto and panchetta curing when the Japan tsunami put an end to that resort...
 
 
Your welcome. 

If live out in those places pig hunting is what you do for fun. But its a young mans past time.

This is such a big country that the terrain & climate are so wide ranging. I couldn't chase pigs up north its just to humid. That country is inaccessible in the wet season so pig populations are off the scale.Then there are water buffalo & lets not forget crocodiles
icon_eek.gif


I would worry to much about my dogs getting hurt, although there are some pretty tough looking dogs in those photos.

They have big competition days up in some of those places in the dry season. Team events,raise $ for worthy causes like the flying doctor ,most pigs,biggest pig,ugliest dog ,best pick up.etc.  Lots of rum ,beer, country music.
yahoo.gif
The big chiller truck is there to take the pigs on the spot.
Thanks again for further details.  I think that i would be too concerned for my dogs too.  (Never had a "working dog".  I get too attached to them).

I can imagine how rowdy, and fun, those catching event's must be.
 
When you get that formula right the pork is brilliant . Best cooked without the skin IMO. Meat is darker fuller flavour. If you can catch them young out of grain country you have a head start. Of course you need to have a pen etc.
Funny thing is in Italy they are mad for wild pig products,salami,prosciutto sausage German tourists buy up big as well. Pigs eat acorns, chestnuts, grapes , I took a few Aussie pig hunting magazines with me to Norcia a famous pork town made a lot of friends in the butcher shop!
Although it's been quite a while, I do remember that dark rich color of the meat,  (And the flavor, of coarse).  In the cooks that I was involved with we did skin the meat and wrap the pieces in foil then bury them in burned down wood coals.  I didn't put two and two together all those years ago but good hardwood for smoking is fairly rare in that area of South Florida and that may have had a lot to do with the cooking method.
 
At my last job we made wild boar ham and bacon. We had just set up a curing refrigerator and had some wild boar prosciutto and panchetta curing when the Japan tsunami put an end to that resort...
That had to be an exciting life episode.  Glad you made it through the tsunami.
 
Here in East Texas we are over-run with wild hogs. Some of the guys that trap them make a pretty good living. 

Gary
 
 
Here in East Texas we are over-run with wild hogs. Some of the guys that trap them make a pretty good living. 

Gary
Hey Gary.  I've got "Peep's" in West Texas and the Hill Country and I know for sure that you folks are over run with the buggers. I've seen a lot of videos of the helicopter hunting trips for them.   Do you folks in your area have smoking tips for the hogs?

They are a very big problem in many states and spreading every year.
 
 
Hey Gary.  I've got "Peep's" in West Texas and the Hill Country and I know for sure that you folks are over run with the buggers. I've seen a lot of videos of the helicopter hunting trips for them.   Do you folks in your area have smoking tips for the hogs?

They are a very big problem in many states and spreading every year.
The young ones are pretty good about any way you want to fix em. Older ones most people grind into sausage

Gary
 
So individuals letem' loose? Wild  would not be cut. What the hell?

Guys here if they trap or catch an uncut boar will cut it and let it go for the next guy. They also cut the female a certain way which has the same effect and let them go to get fattened as well...
 
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