Butchering questions

A few questions from an inexperienced hogger.

1, I know folk have talked about just taking the back straps off because hawg are so plentiful where they’re hunting. Do hogs have tenderloins worth going after? I’ve never heard mention of them specifically.


2, on male hogs past a certain age they start fighting and build up a ‘shield’ - is that just tough skin or are the forelegs really no good for cooking?

I take the back straps and debone the hindquarters. The rest becomes coyote bait.

Same here. There are very few hogs that I leave behind. I usually take the back straps and leg quarters. The hindquarters get deboned. The shoulders from a large (>140Lbs or so) get deboned. That goes to various things, mostly ground meat. Smaller shoulders go on the smoker. There are tenderloins, but even on a large hog they're pretty small, and I don't bother trying to get them.

Here's a video that shows the approach I take to cleaning hogs in the field.
https://youtu.be/m-BmX-3Qqa4?t=30

I quarter the pigs I keep and smoke the quarters. Tried the backstrap once and it was too tough, and it was off a small pig too. When you butcher it, don't bother gutting it or anything else. Hang it by the legs, skin it, and you can get the quarters off without a saw. If it is a large pig, skinning is by far the hardest part because if the shield/scar tissue it has built up. When we tried to clean them at our place we had it to where we could. Can do a <100lb pig pretty quick.

Same here

I do the same unless it’s a barren sow about 100 #s. In that case I take the back strap, all 4 quarters, ribs and tenderloin. The tenderloin is hardly worth going after but if I am getting ribs I take them anyway.

Less than 90# they get dressed and put on the smoker, bigger ones get backstrapped and recycled

Getting the tenderloins is easy, and worth doing. They are in the area between the ribs and the pelvis. After the back straps are out you can reach around the spine (without gutting) and remove them without a knife, and it only takes seconds to do. On smaller pigs the tenderloins are fairly tender and come out easy, you have to be careful not to tear them.
I think the shoulders are the best tasting meat and they are easy to remove. I keep them and put them in the Crockpot.

Thanks for the advice all!

Man that guy in the video is good!

Great video, thank you for sharing!

So good I actually linked to the same video in another thread here earlier this evening before I saw this thread. And after trying it out on a couple hogs last spring, I’m sold. Did them right on the hood of my Samurai.

Thanks for this. I have gotten a little bit of tenderloin with my backstraps before and in the skillet, the difference in taste, texture, and appearance is remarkable. Best part of the animal IMHO.

I clean hogs just like deer. We eat the front legs flank hind legs straps and tenders. Personally i find that feral hogs are in general better than deer, with that said i dont clean boars. Plenty of good meat on the front legs of a hog, contrary to the name and what many believe boston butts come off the front shoulder.

Gotta ask.. how do you determine a barren sow?

We eat a ton of wild pork. As mentioned above, the tenderloins are pretty small, even on a larger pig. That being said, I still grill them up and they are delicious. I've found that a pregnant sow is the best pork we've harvested.

I clean a pig pretty much the same way I'd clean a deer. I will cook it differently depending on the size and sex of the pig. A boar, especially a larger boar, will be made into sausage, bratwurst, etc.

Pretty much any sow under 200lbs I've found to be pretty good eating, although this varies depending on time of year, diet, etc. I will take the backstraps and tenderloins, marinate them, and grill them. Hams, shoulders, and ribs (depending on size) usually get thrown in the slow cooker, dutch oven, oven, etc...These cuts do very well with slow-cooked, highly seasoned recipes, such as chile verde, chile colorado, pot roast, stew, etc.

I've also had really good smoked hams and shoulders off of a wild pig, although I'm not much of a BBQ guy myself. I've heard brining is the key.

Important to cook any wild pork well-done, but, in my opinion, it's an under-utilized, unlimited source of quality pecan, bug, acorn-fed pork.

Here is a quick way to take the tenderloin

"Gotta ask.. how do you determine a barren sow?" Tight teets is a clue.