Pig for sausage?

What size is best & gender?

Young females, less than 50 pounds, are my choice. But I have lots of choices (60-70 hogs each year) so I can be very particular what I use.

Since I usually take mine to a processor to be made into breakfast sausage I usually find the biggest Sow I can get and take her. They usually charge a flat fee instead of by the pound for breakfast sausage so it only makes sense to kill the biggest one I can find. Never seen any difference in taste between a young Sow or a old Sow when done into breakfast sausage. Even with a Boar I don't see much difference in taste, but the smell when cooking it is quite different.

If I shoot a 100 pound pig I keep the loin (backstrap) in the bone by cutting the ribs away and BBQ it, the rest you can ground up however. Believe me you won’t be disappointed the flavor is in the bone, a guy in South Tx showed me this many years ago. Works on pigs of all sizes but if you can smell them when you walk up I let em lay.

Any size sow is good. I’ve done a 242lb sow last year and sausage was great!

↑ this.....bone in chops are the best...and yes, boar or sow, if you can smell them you don't want to eat them

Sausage spices cover up all the taste anyway. We shoot any pig. This boar made lots of sausage and it tasted store bought. My kids called it Whataburger patties.

Excellent advice. Since sausage is all I want, If ya gotta dress out a hog one big sow is better than several little ones.