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Old July 29, 2012, 01:45 PM   #1
dahermit
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Wild hog field dressing/skinning?

Here in lower Michigan, there are increasing reports of Ferrel/wild hogs that have escaped game farms and established breeding colonies. Although I have given up hunting (but not given up shooting), I will make an exception for any hog that I happen to see. Given that, I would like to know what the process is for removing the hair. I know that in the case of a domestic hog, they are scalded and bell scrapers are used to remove the hair from the hide before they are gutted. I do not think that a wild hog is dipped into boiling water to be scolded with the cavity open to the hot water...leaving only skinning as a option; which has to be a chore and does not leave a protective shield for processing hams or bacon in a smoke house.
So hog hunters, what is the process for wild hogs? Are they really skinned and does skinning effect the quality of the meat?
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Old July 29, 2012, 01:59 PM   #2
hoghunting
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In all the years I've hunted hogs, I have never scraped the hair, just skinned. I don't even field dress them anymore, just hang them by the back legs, cut the hide down the spine, take the backstrap then skin and remove the hind quarters. Too many hogs on the property to worry about processing other parts. Never had any problems with cooking or eating them either.
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Old July 29, 2012, 02:19 PM   #3
hogdogs
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It is called "scalding"... Google "hog scalding"... Heck... youtube has vids of it...

Must have body intact. My new zealander hog doggin' buddy must gut his in the field to lighten the load as the terrain requires he pack them out on his back...

So he uses a roofers torch to singe the hair off and scrape and repeat until smooth.

Brent
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Old July 29, 2012, 02:28 PM   #4
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""roofers torch to singe the hair off and scrape and repeat until smooth.""

HD: You got a video of this process. We messed around with a standard propane bottle like we all have in our garages......but that was obviously not going to work......or maybe it was and we did not stick to it long enough??
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Old July 29, 2012, 03:10 PM   #5
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I have never heard of keeping the skin of a wild hog. Gut them, skin them and hang them in the cooler. Never heard of Chicharrones made from Wild hog skin....
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Old July 29, 2012, 03:42 PM   #6
hogdogs
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Here is the basics... Shanedog, my buddy, lets his son show how complex the procedure is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeZWT7--WtU

Brent
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Old July 29, 2012, 04:32 PM   #7
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Skint alot of wild hogs, Never scalded a wild one
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Old July 29, 2012, 07:16 PM   #8
Mayor Al
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Scald a domestic Hog, if you are going to do a "Whole-Hog BBQ" or Pig Roast, otherwise Skin it and butcher in the same manner as wild hogs. What you use or toss out is up to your individual tastes. We try to use as much as we can of the 'Good Cuts' them grind the rest for sausage.
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Old July 29, 2012, 07:26 PM   #9
hogdogs
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My buddy shane swears by leaving the skin on feral hog for the same reasons as domestic. No reason not to. He insists that the american tradition of skinning feral hog is touched in the head. He knows meats from all types of domestic livestock well but prefers the wild pigs over all others.

I say... "Don't knock it 'til you try it..."

Brent
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Old July 29, 2012, 10:15 PM   #10
dahermit
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Quote:
My buddy shane swears by leaving the skin on feral hog for the same reasons as domestic. No reason not to. He insists that the american tradition of skinning feral hog is touched in the head. He knows meats from all types of domestic livestock well but prefers the wild pigs over all others.
What I am concerned about is dipping a field dressed hog in scalding water and flooding the inside with boiling water, causing damage/contamination or spoilage. A domestic hog is scalded without gutting first; the water has no way into the cavity.
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Old July 30, 2012, 06:43 AM   #11
mete
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In the old days we hunted with a 55 gal drum of boiling water strapped on our backs. But I guess you youngsers are not nearly as strong today !
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Old July 30, 2012, 07:06 AM   #12
chuckee
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Scraping to much work use a weed burner singe the hairs and shave with a sharp knife alot easeir this way.
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Old July 30, 2012, 07:15 AM   #13
Mayor Al
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I was told, but have not seen evidence that confirms this... They skin the wild hogs to get rid of the skin parasites and bugs that might contaminate the meat, especially those killed "in the field during hot weather". The scalding technique I have read of usually happens close to a home or barn during domestic Hog Killing season (Cooler Fall/winter weather).
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Old July 30, 2012, 08:48 AM   #14
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Find a processor or a ditch, whichever is closest. Usually the ditch wins out unless its under 150lbs, then we consider the processor.
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Old July 30, 2012, 10:40 AM   #15
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The way I do it is to, carry a good pair of thick latex gloves like the kind your wife might use for washing dishes, with you. This eliminates having to worry about any problems with parasites or anything else getting on you from the hog. I skin the hog and gut it ASAP, and put the meat in a cloth carcass bag for transport. When I get home I hang it outside and wash it real good with a garden hose and high pressure. I then pour a bottle of vinegar on it to kill any bacteria that may be left on the meat, and re-wash it again after about 5 minutes or so. It is now ready for basting with your favorite basting ingredients
and into the smoker it goes.

Since they are such a readily obtained animal in these parts, my formula is:

under 50 lbs= directly to the smoker (whole)
50 to 150 lbs= Quartered and into the freezer
over 150 lbs= Drag to nearest opening, and let the yotes and buzzards get a meal.

I'm probably a little more anal about preparation than some, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. When I hunt I'm really hunting for one to eat, so I tend to take the smaller ones if I can, but will shoot the bigger ones just to get rid of them.
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Old July 30, 2012, 11:38 AM   #16
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Quote:
In the old days we hunted with a 55 gal drum of boiling water strapped on our backs.
Heh! Yeah, but it would slosh when I was going uphill. Both ways.

You guys are lucky if you can eat wild hog. On my shooting grounds there are so many pine trees that the meat tastes like turpentine. Really, we call them "piney woods rooters" and the only way to make them palatable is to live-catch them in a trap, feed them corn for 30 days, then kill and process like a domestic pig. Shoot 'em dead, drag them off.
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Old July 30, 2012, 12:01 PM   #17
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I've posted this before but it just might offer a quick and easy solution for those of you that've never heard of the method.

Hunt club I once belonged to would often catch wild hogs & castrate the males for later taking......makes what's inedible usable. When they'd either catch alive or shoot a hog it was brought to the camp site whole and ungutted. If alive, it was dispatched via a .22 to the head. The animal was then hoisted by using a welding clamp on it's snout (makes the job a LOT cleaner in the end) and scrubbed down with a rough brush and hosed thoroughly.........removes all the sand and crap that'll dull your blade........the animal was strip skinned using a razor knife with the first cut being thru the skin just in back of the ears and completely encircling the head. The skin was then cut thru with that carpet knife to the animals extremities at about two to three inch intervals. Take care to NOT cut into the body cavity at this point or you'll have a mess. Each strip was pulled down until it just about came free and when all sections were stripped clear the hide was cut free and dropped into a waiting bucket.
The body cavity was then opened and the intestines/heart/lungs were also dropped down into that bucket. Carcass was then washed with that hose and quartered. Finish up by dropping the head into your bucket and you are done.

That method is absolutely the quickest and neatest way I have ever seen for hog cleaning. It enables one to avoid nearly all the pitfalls of field dressing, from cut intestines or bladders to dirt on the meat.

I neglected to state that the strip method also enables you to leave most if not all the fat on the carcass.......sure makes a difference when you fire up the smoker or BBQ.
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Old July 30, 2012, 12:32 PM   #18
thallub
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Scalding and scraping a wild hog is not difficult. My hunting buds and i sometimes scrape hogs for pig in the ground cookouts, proms, etc. We scrape a few hogs every winter for a couple who cure the meat in a walk in cooler.

Its best to scald a hog in cold weather. Its also best done with a hog having long hair: The long hair can be pulled out after scalding, saving scraping time. Do not gut the hog prior to scalding.

You will need:
3 or 4 bodies, firewood, an open and clean 55 gallon drum, feedsacks, scraping knives, a gambrel, a small chain or rope, a tractor with end loader or other machine for dunking the hog, and a platform for scraping the hog.

1. Bring a 55 gallon drum of water to a boil and keep it boiling.
2. Dunk the hog in the water for about 90 seconds.
3. Remove the hog from the water and scrape while one person pulls off as much hair as possible. When the hair no longer scrapes easily repeat step 2 or put feedsacks wet with boiling water on the hide to be scraped. Leave the sacks in place for a couple minutes and resume scraping
4. Hardest part to scrape clean is the head.
5. After the hair is scraped off the skin underneath will be dirty; clean it up.
6. Gut the hog.

Total elapsed time from first dunking for an experienced crew is about 45 minutes. i always have a nice wild hog or two in a pen for special events.
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Old July 30, 2012, 01:10 PM   #19
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All I can add, in this weather.... Do it quickly.....
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Old July 31, 2012, 04:15 AM   #20
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Quote:
You guys are lucky if you can eat wild hog. On my shooting grounds there are so many pine trees that the meat tastes like turpentine. Really, we call them "piney woods rooters" and the only way to make them palatable is to live-catch them in a trap, feed them corn for 30 days, then kill and process like a domestic pig. Shoot 'em dead, drag them off.
Paw Paw..I have never heard this before....What makes the meat taste that way? We have a mixture of pines and oaks here between East and Central TX....

Also..I can understand boiling and scraping a domestic pig..but not feral....I guess someone could if they really wanted to tho.....
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Old July 31, 2012, 07:17 AM   #21
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Keg, what PawPaw is describing happens here in FL/GA too with squirrels. The pine forests in the deep south are mostly long leaf, slash, and loblolly pines. All three of those species of pine are what is used for commercial turpentine production. Animals feeding on their pine cones take on a bad flavor.
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Old August 3, 2012, 08:33 AM   #22
Keg
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Yeah..I have heard of this with squirrels.....
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Old August 15, 2012, 02:18 PM   #23
1tfl
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I just skin them all, remove the head and gut it.
If it small enough I toss it whole into a ice chest full of ice and cover the hog with water. I add 2 or 3 hand full of salt to the mix along with 2 or 3 cups of vinegar. I let this sit for 24 hours and then drain the ice chest and do it again with ice, salt and vinegar for another 24 hours. After 2nd time it's ready to cook or freeze.
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Old August 16, 2012, 08:17 AM   #24
Jack O'Conner
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I field dress and skin them same as deer. In my opinion, scalding the animal is an unecessary step.

Jack

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