My place it really starting to develop a hog problem. I just read parts of the CDC warning post.
I'm looking for the opinions of you fine folk...

Eating Feral HOgs single choice
	Yes, no worries
	Yes, but only if certain that it was cleaned and prepared / cooked absolutely properly
	Yes, but only if cleaned/preped/cooked properly - and killed during a certain time of year (If you choose this please explain)
	Nope.
Votes accepted starting: 09/06/20 09:13 PM You must vote before you can view the results of this poll.

Also, I don't eat the ones that weigh over about 50 pounds or so. I have the luxury of being very selective because my freezers are full; other folks will certainly take on the bigger hogs and as near as I can tell, if the hogs were cleaned and prepped properly, there have been no problems with eating the larger ones.

I've eaten 250# boars, after they went through the meat grinder.
I'm not fanatical about getting them processed super fast, but I don't waste a lot of time getting them on ice, either.
My recollection is that trichinosis is killed at 138°F, so 140°F is the rock-bottom minimum temp. Generally everything I've read says go to at least 150°F to be safe, and 160°F is better. I cook to 160°F as a rule.
The ground meat is good for just about anything that normally uses ground beef except for hamburgers. It's usually too lean for that.

Don't let whether you're going to eat them or not delay you from starting to shoot. Start killing now and don't stop. If you see one you like the size of, and it's convenient for you, just cut the backstraps out right after you shoot it and get 'em on ice. No shame in leaving them lay. 'Totally different set of ethics when killing pigs as opposed to deer, etc. Buzzards clean up the ones I let lay within 24 hours; it's amazing how quick they're on them, and, other hogs probably have something to do with it too.

A close, departed friend was over all pork for HEB corporate for several years. He taught me regarding all meat that you have a whole lot more time with game when the temperature is under 60°.

I’ll eat small ones in the dead of winter if they’re not covered in bugs. I HATE FLEAS AND TICKS! I’ve killed so many, they’ve lost their luster to me.

Anymore I only cook them whole in their skin....I prefer wild pigs over WT by a huge margin....

Had to use a tractor to load this big boy In the pit....Over 30 hours at 225......




This is a smaller pig at the house...22 hours at 225....

Looks great

Pigs are easy to come by for us, they are everywhere. I have had years that we killed 100+.
I have gotten picky and just eat little ones <50 pounds, and only a few a year. We have killed a few bigger ones that looked like they just escape a farm, we kept the entire pig.
But usually it is like CR said, backstraps, and then the scavengers get the rest. "Buzzards gotta eat same as worms"

We use to eat them all the time now I just gut shoot them like a coyote so they run off and die.

Well, Snake Wrangler, you are the guy who maybe has the answers. I am a big believer in cooking an animal in its skin (except venison, rabbit, squirrel, etc, of course). I bought a propane torch just like your specifically to take the hair off pigs and cook them whole in my pit smoker. But the black skin turned me off. You have inspired me to try it again. It looks like you cook in the skin for moisture/flavor but then get rid of the skin before serving, right? does any of the charred flavor come through?
By the way, the celebrity New Orleans chef John Besh has a book which shows pictures of -- I think -- Germany, where a guy killed a wild boar and the singed the skin with a torch just like yours. In Germany, I guess they cook the head whole and eat the brain.

Just last night the wife fixed BBQ sandwiches and tater salad. The BBQ was shredded feral pig.

Back 20 years or so, when pigs finally made their way to NE Louisiana, Dad decided he loved wild pig meat, and much preferred it to venison. He told me once “Son, that pig meat is so good that if deer didn’t have antlers they’d have to put a bounty on them before I’d shoot any more of em”.

Sooo, do we eat feral pigs. Yup!

Everyone I know prefers pig to deer if they have tried both. I know I do.

Not cool, dude.

I know they may be a nuisance and cause a lot of problems but still... not cool.

They're no different than rats in this aspect. If you were killing 100's a year, you'd feel different.

Feral swine has always been and always will be a staple in my house. So yes.

I cut the hams and backstraps off of one last year. I'll not waste my time doing hams out of another one....now, the backstraps are legit loins that are awesome but they are quite a bit smaller than you get in the store. We typically will skillet fry it with caramelized onions and garlic and some seasoning (my wife likes teriyaki the best) then eat it over or with rice.

We definitely eat them. I like to brine them and smoke low and slow for pulled pork, the ribs if off a decent hog can come out good. We put them in sausage/burger. I dont serve any of it medium/rare etc. it is all cooked well. For the most part all boars go to the gut pile and sows to the table.

One more vote, we eat them all the time in a variety of ways, depending on the size. And I don't have any qualms eating the big ones, shot multiple 200+ lbs hogs and eaten them just fine.

I’m not saying they don’t need hunted. I’m saying wounding on purpose to let them wander off and die later is both wrong and lazy.

Even rats get a clean kill.

Unless it's a big old boar. Shot one two years ago and it smelled so bad i just dragged it off for the coyotes. But sows and smaller boars, no problem.

Ate a many of em until several years ago....at ranch had big cow die in summertime. We were driving by it and buzzards went flying off. A sow and 5 piglets ran out of the cavity covered in guts, maggots and buzzard puke. I always knew pigs would eat anything but having that visual was a wake up I reckon.
I’ve never eaten wild pig again.

Big boars - no. Pregnant or nursing sows - no. Everything else... yes. But, I mostly let them lay. I'd never be able to eat them all.

I chose a certain time of year, but not for safety concerns, mainly for fat content and thereforetaste. IMO, late fall and winter pigs tend to have more fat, which equates to a better tasting and juicier piece of meat. Before I was overrun with pigs, I'd only kill a few pigs a year, and ate them all regardless of time of year. Now that we are overrun, I can and do kill pigs every time I go. I can't remember going to the Ranch and nobody killing a pig in over 2 years. I get to be picky now.

Kill them year round and buzzards got to eat same as worms.