Shake things up with some swine dining using these recipes that are a bit out of the ordinary.
Are you hungry? Been hog hunting recently? Then you've probably got the makings of a heck of a meal, if you prepare it right, that is.
We've supplied our readers with plenty of great recipes over the years, but what we haven't done is focus on the oddball, out-of-left-field preparation techniques that don't show up on the first page of an online search.
That's what this list is for. Hopefully this will help introduce you to the pleasures of cooking wild hog, and let you step outside your comfort zone just a bit when it comes to preparing a meal.
1. Spit Roasted Wild Hog
These young men make quick work of their hunted wild hog by starting a fire, whipping up a makeshift spit, and spinning the pig over the flames, hair and skin still intact.
Cooking a pig over open flame like this may not be abnormal, but it's not too common with feral hogs. Would you give it a try?
2. Feral Hog Liver Creme Caramel
Seriously?!
Leave it to the great Hank Shaw (from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook) to come up with a way to turn wild game liver into something anyone, and we mean anyone, can enjoy. Even if the texture of liver is a big turnoff, you're going to become fond of this if you follow Shaw's directions.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons plus a third scant tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (use good stuff!)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup whole or 2% milk
- 2/3 cup cream
- 40 grams, or 1 1/3 ounces of wild game liver
- 3-4 pieces of dried porcini or morel mushroom, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon quatre epices
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
3. Wild Hog Cooked in the Field
Steven Rinella, from the MeatEater crew, knows a thing or two about whipping up a meal of wild game. And he's particularly known for executing some rather interesting things while still out in the field, immediately after harvesting a game animal. It doesn't get much more fresh than that!
Sure there's some foil and other luxuries that you might not routinely bring into the hunting woods with you, but maybe this video will change your mind about that...
4. BBQ Wild Boar Ribs
Again, pork ribs certainly aren't anything new or revolutionary (just ask Chili's and that annoying baby back ribs song), but they're a cut that's almost never butchered from a wild hog. There just doesn't seem to be enough meat for your troubles, but if you put together this 4th of July BBQ-style recipe brought to us from Cabela's, you may never leave them on the carcass again.
5. Wild Boar, Apple, and Cheddar Hand Pies
A British favorite (or is it favourite?), mini pies with meat and other goodies baked inside make for a portable, intriguing, and extra delicious way of preparing wild game. Add some wild hog and you'll be pleasantly surprised. This recipe comes from D'Artagnan, a purveyor that focuses on free-range, natural production and unique preparation of the kinds of meat that translate directly to hunters and the hunting lifestyle.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 lb Wild Boar Sausage
- 1 cup peeled and diced Granny Smith Apple
- ½ cup diced shallot
- Salt & freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup (about 4 oz) grated cheddar cheese
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- All-purpose flour
Now that you've been inspired, what will you make with the next wild hog you harvest?
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