I just read an article in Outdoor Life explaining the wild hog explosion problem accross the US.
Several of the problems it detailed, and which I want to give solutions for were: 1. They are taking over and ruining the land for other game. 2. They multiply faster than any other large animal, and have no preditors except man. 3. Hunters pass them up for game animals. or, 4. shoot only large hogs, with boars favored. This last is a serious offense if the landowner wants the hogs thinned as it removes only one hog and doesn't slow the breeding at all, and the boar meat, if the animal isn't castrated immediately after fally, is nasty flavored table fare, and tough to boot. Only one or two boars per square mile will service every hog in that area, gladly. But take the sows and as many little pigs as possible and we can reduce the population till it isn't a plague on the nation.
In my 50 years of hunting I have never had a game animal processed at a butcher shop, but dropped in on the local one that's most popular for hunters. The minimum processing charge is $50, which is certainly legitimate, but impractical for small animals. Which is what I believe is one major reason hunters don't want to shoot small hogs, as most hunters have large game processed in the local butcher shop.. Yet the same hunter thinks nothing of processing his own small game. And this is my solution.
Small hogs to even 100 pounds are very easlily processed at home, and especially 50 pounds and lighter, as skinned weight is about half live weight. Here is what hunters have been missing. -- Before the depression, roast suckling pig was the ultimate holiday feast for many farmers, but became unfordable since, so in my time it has become essentialy a forgotten delicacy.. It has always been a delicacy for roylty. My wife and I have had it several times and found it the most delicious meat we or our guests had ever eaten. Judy stuffed it with dressing, and if we selected a pig small enough for a roaster pan, left the head on and wedged an apple in it's mouth. The traditional holliday method. If too large for a roasting pan, we cut the head off. It is roasted whole, belly down. But there is no wrong way to cook it, except sausage, because it is too tender and has virtually no fat. Up to 100 pound hogs are almost as tender and tasty as sucklings, (still on the sow, or just weaned). Cut them up any way you like and fry, roast or barbeque. To make a large roast ofl smaller pieces, like both shoulder blades, roll or hold them together and tie with cotton string, available in all grocery stores for tying roast and trussing turkeys.
Easiest way to skin hogs of any size is hanging by hind legs. Start at the top skinning as you would any animal, but soon as you can get a large enough piece, use a utility knife with blade extended just enough to cut throught he skin cleanly, and slit full length of the pig about every two inches about a two inch wide strip full lenth. Grab these pieces with vise grips and pull them off like peeling a banna. It won't take you long to be able to dress a hog up to 100 pounds in 15 minutes or so. By the way, don't pass up the sow mother with a litter. If they are still sucking, drop her with a head shot and the little ones will stay long enough that you can clean up the whole family. On your way off the farmers land, stop in and show him your success and he'll invite you back forever! The sow will be excellent eating, even if it's 400 pounds, and isn't hard to process, or may be worth taking to a butcher if you detest the bigger job, and process the little ones at home. Any pig large enough to follow it's mother will be good eating, but you'll like them best if they weigh at least 10 pounds live.
The best way to dress one if you want to roast it whole is to scald it in 160 deg F water and scrape the hair off with a butter knife. Finish the cleaning with a shave using a sharp knife, or singe the occasionsal hair with a torch. The skin is very high quality protein, tasty and tender, helps retain moisture when roasting, and will increase the edible meat weight considerably. Roasting a whole skinned pig will be similar to any pork roast on the outside, of coarse which is just fine. The easiest way to scald is to turn your water heater up to 165 before you go hunting. When you come home with the bacon, just fill a five gallon plastic bucket about half full and dip the pig in and out for a couple minutes, till the hair slips easy. If he won't all go into the bucket, do half dip him half way from each end. Don't scald after field dressing. Only do it if you can get your game within 20 minutes maximum, and preferably 10 minutes.
If you can, hose hogs off with a garden hose before skinning. If not, and if possible, wash them with water to which about half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide has been added, per 5 gallon bucket. This will clean the dirt that would contaminate the meat if you smear it around, and destroys all harmful bacteria. Also. If you intend to butcher hogs, keep a bottle of peroxide on hand at all times for treating any cuts or scratches you recieve. I've only had two nasty infections of wounds in my life, and both were from buthering hogs. One just a tiny wire scratch on my forearm, which lasted for almost two years! I could have prevented both by washing the wounds with peroxide soon as I got them and when finished butchering. Peroxide tastes like burnt rags, but dissipates rapidly, as it is only water with extra oxygen added, the oxygen being the sterilizer. It will not effect the flavor of meat in any way if the carcass is hung for several hours before cooking.
Always cool and air out pork for at least 24 hours before cooking. It can make people sick, with swollen knees and stiff joints all over for several hours if cooked and eaten too soon after killing. l
Take this warning. Once you try suckling pig, your family won't let you lay around the house and watch the ball game when the cook is out of pork! It's easy, affordable and enjoyable. Lets go clean up this hog plague! (We don't have them here yet, but they are only one state away and moving in on us rapidly, according to the Outdoor Life report, and they are a serious problem in 30 states.)
