I was thinking of how fortunate those memebers that have huntable pork in their areas are tonight, as I was putting a half dozen chops in the charcoal water smoker. No special preperaton of the meat aside from rubbing with a little olive oil and rib rub, little over an hour in the smoker with some soaked hickory chips every 15 minutes got the 3/4-1" thick chops done to perfection. I don't think there a much finer meal to he had than some smoked po cho, unless it's baby back ribs prepared the same way.

The wild stuff is great smoked too, although you (usually) have to take the precaution of making sure it doesn't dry out. Other than a few really fat sows I shot, most of the wild pigs are pretty lean. Even if they have a layer of fat below the skin, there isn't much marbled in the muscle tissue.

So, I generally put it out on the smoker for half an hour or perhaps 45 minutes, then wrap it up in foil for the rest of the cooking. You get some good smoke flavor but it doesn't dry out.

Sausage isn't as much of a problem, since the casings help hold the juice in.

Yes we seem to have an inexhaustable supply of them....

The water smoker does a pretty good job of keeping the meat moist and tender. I smoke a bit of fish in it and it doesn't dry out unless you want it to. I'm thinking about taking a trip to go kill a porker in the early spring (Jan-Feb). Seems a crime to have to pay to do it, but that's the situation up here.

I'm thinking about taking a trip to go kill a porker in the early spring (Jan-Feb). Seems a crime to have to pay to do it, but that's the situation up here.

Well come and do it here, won't cost much more than going down to Texas. Then you can show me what to do with a pig after I've shot it. My wife will be much more sympathetic about what she sees as an expensive pastime if we fill the freezer as a by-product.

Richard,
as much as I'd love to make it back to Oz..I think the air freight to get the pork back home would be prohibitive!:) I did smoke a four racks of ribs in the smoker tonight, my wife said "Buying that smoker WAS a good idea" I guess it's a good thing, after two years, that I finally figured out how to use it to good effect this year.

I don't have any experience butchering hogs, but I'd imagine it's not all that different than anything else. As far as what to do with a pig after you've shot it, that's easy, cut it up and eat it! I reccomend cooking it in a smoker.:)

Cut them up, and throw away the parts you don't want to eat :)

No it's really not all that different from any deer as far as butchering them.