Help me prep a small wild hog loin...

[bassadict69]

I killed a small 30-40 pound wild hog the other day and need to cook the loin tomorrow. How should I prep it? I am hoping this hog was young enough to still be tender.

 

[kit s]

I killed a small 30-40 pound wild hog the other day and need to cook the loin tomorrow. How should I prep it? I am hoping this hog was young enough to still be tender.

Bassadict
Actually any hog up to say 120# is usually choice. i have even had some bigger that were very good. It depends on what they have been eating that generally gives them a taste of good to bad and tender. One that small would have been good done whole. If you have prep any loins in past, and liked the results, prep the same way.
Did you taste any of the meat from the piglet? That would have given a clue on what to expect. I usually fry up a small amount of each hog to see if i save loin chops etc. or sausage the whole lot.
kit

 

[indaswamp]

Oh, it'll be tender alright!

 

[bassadict69]

Was thinking about fileting it out, spreading some jalapeno/apple jelly and cream cheese inside it, roll it back up and wrap in bacon.

I have not tried anything else off the hog yet. I do have more running around this size and even smaller that I plan on shooting and attempting to smoke whole. I have to research how to scald off the hair first...

 

[bassadict69]

As far as what they have been eating...all I know is they have been eating a shit ton of corn at my deer feeders!

 

[bassadict69]

Should I inject?

 

[indaswamp]

I have to research how to scald off the hair first...

propane torch is your friend.....

 

[indaswamp]

Was thinking about fileting it out, spreading some jalapeno/apple jelly and cream cheese inside it, roll it back up and wrap in bacon.

Has the hog meat been frozen @9* for 30 days? Or is it fresh? You need to be aware of trichinosis in feral hog meat. You can cook it fresh but need to cook to at least INT of 145* for 10 minutes to ensure the meat is safe.

I freeze the hog meat we get and most of it goes to making sausage-both smoked and fresh.

 

[indaswamp]

As far as what they have been eating...all I know is they have been eating a shit ton of corn at my deer feeders!

Those little hogs should be good then...

Here's the USDA trichinosis fact sheet:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/trichinae/docs/fact_sheet.htm

 

[tallbm]

indaswamp provides some great info from the USDA recommendations.

I'm assuming these are the backstrap loins or because the internal tenderloins wouldn't be much bigger than chicken nugget size on a small hog like that lol.

Taking either loin much beyond 145F really only impedes how well it can turn out.
If you follow USDA 160F for wild pork you MUST pull it the moment it hits 160F. Wrapping in bacon wouldn't hurt if you go to 160F.

I think you are best suited by brining the loins, seasoning, and smoking from there. Loins are very susceptible to drying out, hence the recommendation to cook to 145F and hold there for at least 10 minutes to pasteurize.
So it all comes down to what IT you feel comfortable with.

 

[bassadict69]

I am not sure to what temp it has been frozen, but it has been frozen solid for at least a month.

I will go to 160 just to be safe and wrap in bacon to hopefully keep it from drying out!

 

[bassadict69]

Oh my God! They turned out awesome!

I fileted it out the best I could since it was so small, maybe 16 inches long at most and not real thick. I flattened it out and spread some apple butter over it followed by some jalapeno cream cheese, seasoned it well with some pork seasoning I like and rolled it back up. I wrapped it in bacon, seasoned the outside and threw in the smoker with a mix of apple and pecan pellets @ 250 and pulled it out at IT of 160. My goodness, it melted in our mouths!

I also threw a couple of the cheapest strip steaks I could find in at the same time and smoked for about an hour and half. When I pulled them and cut into one, they were at about a medium cook. They turned out awesome also!

I am usually hard on myself and find some flaw with everything even though everyone else is raving about how good everything is...today, I could not find any flaws with either cook! Too bad they don't end up like this every time for me!

I had a large bowl of left over deer chili from yesterday I planned to freeze into individual servings today. The AmazN smoker has some smoke left, so that bowl is now in the smoker! Can't be wasting my smoke!

 

[indaswamp]

No pics????:(

 

[bassadict69]

Sorry, I didn't think anything about it until I was typing my followup post!

 

[indaswamp]

We love pics. and Q-vue on SMF.....

 

[hoity toit]

I killed a small 30-40 pound wild hog the other day and need to cook the loin tomorrow. How should I prep it? I am hoping this hog was young enough to still be tender.

Rub some tenderquick on it and let it set in the frig for a few days then rinse, season w onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper, back in the frig overnight then smoke till 158*. Makes great cured tenderloin.

HT

 

[tallbm]

Congrats, I'm glad it came out awesome!
You can be hard on yourself for the pics :P

 

[kit s]

propane torch is your friend.....

yep that would do it too.