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Message
Advice needed to improve wild pig recipe
Posted on 6/7/20 at 8:19 pm
Posted on 6/7/20 at 8:19 pm
We have a shite load of pigs at the camp and I’ve been killing them. I’m of the opinion that you eat what you shoot so I don’t want to waste anything. I’m fine on pulled pork and the like but I’m trying a recipe that In my head should be killer but it just isnt working out the way I want it too.
I open up the wild pig backstrap and pound it out as flat as I can without putting holes in it. I season it with cavendars.
I then cook down half An onion with some garlic and olive oil. I add chopped mushrooms and cook it down some more. I deglaze with red wine and let that all thicken up. Then i let some baby spinach wilt in the mixture.
I then spread goat cheese over the meat and then the mushroom mixture. Wrap it up and let it sit for 24 hours before it goes on the egg at 350 til it hits a temp of 150 degrees.
This is what it looks like. It’s pretty tasty. But even with the bacon and cheese and everything the wild pig still turns out a little dry.
I feel like I’m close to something great. Any pointers on how to get there? Am I overcooking it?

I open up the wild pig backstrap and pound it out as flat as I can without putting holes in it. I season it with cavendars.
I then cook down half An onion with some garlic and olive oil. I add chopped mushrooms and cook it down some more. I deglaze with red wine and let that all thicken up. Then i let some baby spinach wilt in the mixture.
I then spread goat cheese over the meat and then the mushroom mixture. Wrap it up and let it sit for 24 hours before it goes on the egg at 350 til it hits a temp of 150 degrees.
This is what it looks like. It’s pretty tasty. But even with the bacon and cheese and everything the wild pig still turns out a little dry.
I feel like I’m close to something great. Any pointers on how to get there? Am I overcooking it?

This post was edited on 6/7/20 at 8:20 pm
Posted on 6/7/20 at 8:28 pm to tilco
It definitely looks great! Might be a little dry, but I bet the taste is there. We receive a lot of wild hog meat, but my only experience has been having it ground and using it in sausages and meatloaf. These days, if I’m cooking a loin, I try not to let it go past 145 degrees. That usually keeps it pretty moist even for extremely lean meat. However, I don’t know how the temp applies to wild game.
Posted on 6/7/20 at 8:35 pm to MissLouTigah
quote:
These days, if I’m cooking a loin, I try not to let it go past 145 degrees.
I think I need to pull it earlier then. Like you said I think all the flavors are there. I’ll try 140 next time since it’s leaner than regular pork.
This post was edited on 6/7/20 at 8:37 pm
Posted on 6/7/20 at 8:47 pm to tilco
What if you braised it in a thin gravy ?
Posted on 6/7/20 at 8:47 pm to tilco
quote:brine the pork for 24 hours in mix of salt, sugar, and herbs
the wild pig still turns out a little dry.
Posted on 6/7/20 at 8:52 pm to tilco
Be wary of internal temps on wild pork. Trichinosis is still prevalent in feral hogs as opposed to domesticated swine.
For domestic, I regularly pull and serve at lower temps. For wild, 160 is the recommended internal temp. I occasionally go under for loin meat, but I don't eat it that often and am aware of the potential health risks.
CDC-Trichinosis
For domestic, I regularly pull and serve at lower temps. For wild, 160 is the recommended internal temp. I occasionally go under for loin meat, but I don't eat it that often and am aware of the potential health risks.
CDC-Trichinosis
Posted on 6/7/20 at 9:12 pm to tilco
Have you considered making a different dish with the same ingredients?
Something like, chopping the bacon and cooking it in CI. Making schnitzel out of loin cutlets and then cooking it in the bacon grease. Deglazing with RWV and then wilting the onion and garlic. Adding in stock plus acids(RWV, ACV, or dijon mustard) and cooking down. Emulsifying with butter, goat cheese, and or heavy cream while wilting your spinach.
Serving over spaetzle or mashed potatoes. The sauce would definitely help with any dryness issues.
Something like, chopping the bacon and cooking it in CI. Making schnitzel out of loin cutlets and then cooking it in the bacon grease. Deglazing with RWV and then wilting the onion and garlic. Adding in stock plus acids(RWV, ACV, or dijon mustard) and cooking down. Emulsifying with butter, goat cheese, and or heavy cream while wilting your spinach.
Serving over spaetzle or mashed potatoes. The sauce would definitely help with any dryness issues.
Posted on 6/7/20 at 9:46 pm to consumptive_use
I damn sure wouldn't eat it under 160. Soak it in something too. Make a shite load of sausage, cut it with something else.
Posted on 6/7/20 at 10:26 pm to tilco
The trichinosis reply is indeed a concern and a great post.
Unfortunately, wild pigs are what they are. Livestock are bred and raised to give the best desired traits, wild pics are not. To get the meat juicer, there are 3 options: (1) add fat, which isn’t an option for this - (2) add water to the meat by marinating in a brine or marinade - (3) cook it so it doesn’t loose moisture or cook it in a way that it gains moisture, such as steaming.
To sum it up, you have wild pig, it’s not going to get much juicer.
Unfortunately, wild pigs are what they are. Livestock are bred and raised to give the best desired traits, wild pics are not. To get the meat juicer, there are 3 options: (1) add fat, which isn’t an option for this - (2) add water to the meat by marinating in a brine or marinade - (3) cook it so it doesn’t loose moisture or cook it in a way that it gains moisture, such as steaming.
To sum it up, you have wild pig, it’s not going to get much juicer.
Posted on 6/7/20 at 10:38 pm to consumptive_use
quote:
Something like, chopping the bacon and cooking it in CI. Making schnitzel out of loin cutlets and then cooking it in the bacon grease. Deglazing with RWV and then wilting the onion and garlic. Adding in stock plus acids(RWV, ACV, or dijon mustard) and cooking down. Emulsifying with butter, goat cheese, and or heavy cream while wilting your spinach.
Serving over spaetzle or mashed potatoes. The sauce would definitely help with any dryness issues.
There it is. Thank you. I’ve fried venison backstrap in the past but have quit in favor of reverse sear (my wife actually mentioned she wants fried backstrap tonight)
But frying cutlets of the pig and re working the recipe is exactly what I think is needed here. Plus I don’t have to worry about the undercooking issue others have raised.
Thank you everyone. This recipe has done well with store bought tenderloin but I don’t think it will work for wild game.
Posted on 6/7/20 at 11:26 pm to tilco
It's game. Always going to be tougher. Muscles are used more.
Low and slow.
Low and slow.
Much condiments.
Low and slow.
Low and slow.
Much condiments.
Posted on 6/8/20 at 6:31 am to tilco
I would sous vide that then broil/sear. Around half of the meat I eat is wild pig and yeah, it's super easy to dry the loins out. I normally brown it down with onions and apples then braise.
Posted on 6/8/20 at 3:02 pm to Loup
I don't think there's any reason to soak wild pig, or any meat for that matter. You want to taste the meat the way nature intended. I've killed and eaten them ranging from 35 lb. to 200+ lbs. The smaller are certainly more tender but I've never had one come out tough or dry. Normally I grill them with just minimum seasoning. Sometimes I will wrap in bacon but it's not the norm.
I agree with cooking wild pig to 160 degrees but you can pull the meat at 155 and it will climb to 160 if you let it rest.
I agree with cooking wild pig to 160 degrees but you can pull the meat at 155 and it will climb to 160 if you let it rest.
This post was edited on 6/8/20 at 4:08 pm
Posted on 6/9/20 at 7:39 am to tilco
Your first issue imo is using backstrap for this. Backstrap is low in fat content so easier to dry out, I also don’t see a reason to use it here when all you really need is a piece of pounded out meat. A lot of people use sausage for this recipe also, that would work better as the fat content would be higher so harder to dry out.
But these bacon wrapped dishes are hard to get right because getting the bacon properly cooked and the meat is not easy.
As said I think you could make a sauce or side of sorts with the bacon and other stuffings and then cook the loin, and eat together. And you’d have a better chance of it turning out moist.
If you are getting gamey flavor, I’d look at your processing. Are you leaving them sit in the field for too long? Improper butchering is the #1 cause of gamey wild pig in my experience. By that I mean guys shoot them in the morning, throw them in the truck, and just deal with the meat when they can. If you treat it like a butcher would it’s usually pretty good meat.
But these bacon wrapped dishes are hard to get right because getting the bacon properly cooked and the meat is not easy.
As said I think you could make a sauce or side of sorts with the bacon and other stuffings and then cook the loin, and eat together. And you’d have a better chance of it turning out moist.
If you are getting gamey flavor, I’d look at your processing. Are you leaving them sit in the field for too long? Improper butchering is the #1 cause of gamey wild pig in my experience. By that I mean guys shoot them in the morning, throw them in the truck, and just deal with the meat when they can. If you treat it like a butcher would it’s usually pretty good meat.
Posted on 6/9/20 at 11:29 am to Loup
quote:
I would sous vide that then broil/sear
This is what I was thinking in order to kill off the trichinosis and not have to cook it to as high of a temp.
This post was edited on 6/9/20 at 11:30 am
Posted on 6/9/20 at 7:59 pm to baldona
Thanks for the reply. I had one of those hand tenderizers with the knives and I think I need another one for this. Or like you said grind it and make sausage. I’ve made this with store bought pork and it is really good.
As far as the temp goes I had the thermometer in the middle and the meat was on the edges so I’d be shocked if it wasn’t at 160. I pulled at 152 I think.
And I don’t really get a gamey taste. I shoot, clean, and ice down all in the same evening/morning. I just need to accept that wild pork isn’t that good and adapt. Tenderized cutlets and grinding it could be the answer. Thanks everyone.
As far as the temp goes I had the thermometer in the middle and the meat was on the edges so I’d be shocked if it wasn’t at 160. I pulled at 152 I think.
And I don’t really get a gamey taste. I shoot, clean, and ice down all in the same evening/morning. I just need to accept that wild pork isn’t that good and adapt. Tenderized cutlets and grinding it could be the answer. Thanks everyone.
Posted on 6/10/20 at 1:46 pm to tilco
quote:
just need to accept that wild pork isn’t that good and adapt
Damn, I know we all have different taste but I'll take wild pig over domestic nine times out of ten.
Posted on 6/10/20 at 3:27 pm to tilco
Smoke for a couple of hours, then wrap in tin foil for a while. Then unwrap, bring the temp up to crisp the bacon and 160 degree internal! It will be glorious!
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