Wild boar hind quarter "cut" hog

[SamuelG]

I need some suggestions.

I just received this as a gift.  I had given my wife's coworker some of my cured smoked meats to try and he gave me this in return.  What a treat.  It weighed in at 13lbs and is frozen rock solid.  He has a special game freezer.

He explained that the  boar had no "cojones" when it was shot by him because they were removed to make it a better "cut"  hog.  I'm new to this so pardon my ignorance.

My initial plan is to dry cure, smoke and hang it to dry.  In "charcuterie" there is a recipe for BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES COUNTRY HAM, which seems a good start.   

I would like to get some input and ideas from everyone here, as I would like for it to turn out as good as possible and give some back to the guy.






Thanks. 
SamuelG

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[classicrockgriller]

We trap and "Cut" our hogs (Boars).

It keeps them from developing a thick shield which will

make a Boar ......... not good Eats.

I have a hind quarter about that same size that I was thinking of brining (Cure)

and just smokin' it like some of the Hamzilla's that got smoked this year. Now I

think I will wait and see what developes with this Thread.

[Habanero Smoker]

I've taken a look at the recipe you want to use. Though it can be done that way, you should get more experience under your belt before attempting to dry cure a large piece of bone-in meat in that manner. It has been my experience and that of a couple of my friends, that when you attempt to dry cure bone-in meat over a long period of time, the way it is done in that particular recipe, the meat is likely to develop bone sour. Bone sour is caused by certain bacteria deep in the meat (generally in and around the bone), that can begin to grow before the cure has had time to reach that area. Generally there are no signs of bone sour until you cut into the meat, and you see areas that are greenish in color.

The recipe looks good, but I would use a combine method that would use the dry cure method with spray pumping (injecting). The Wedlinydomowe Site has good information on Combination Curing. There is useful information in that whole article. The information that explains Combination Curing is towards the end, and read the area on "Combining the dry cure method with spray pumping". Also the area on "How and Where to Spray Pump" that is above it.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

I have not done a dry cured ham, but I think HabS counsel is good advice.  The best candidates for dry curing are whole legs that have the trotter (foot) intact.  The saw cut to remove the trotter creates a problem area for the entry of spoilage bacteria that leads to bone sour.  Paul Bertolli recommends dry curing and aging for hams only on legs that still have the trotter intact, with the others getting a brine cure.

One thing that would concern me is the fact that it is from a wild animal.  That brings up two concerns.  The first is parasites.  Wild game is much more prone to parasite infection than farm raised and USDA inspected animals.  That can be overcome with adequate freezing, time being dependent upon freezing temperature.  The second is contamination during processing.  Unless the animal was butchered in a sanitized and  well controlled environment, the probability of contamination by pathogenic organisms is appreciably increased relative to that of an inspected facility.

For those reasons, if it were me I would use an equilibrium brine cure, smoke and fully cook.

If you have your heart set on dry curing and dry aging, then I would consider it only on single, whole muscle pieces broken away from the bone to produce what some refer to as "little hams".

[SamuelG]

Thanks Habs and BLSH for your advice. I decided against my initial plan because of the risks involved.  It would not make sense to make a product that is not safe and well prepared.  I spoke with the guy that gave it to me and explained that it had be frozen at -20F for two months.  That was the last of the legs as the rest had been eaten already.  Thanks again.

I was going to divide the leg and make several different hams but it was obvious that my skills as a butcher are not what they should be for such a project!





I decided to grind all the meat, add some fat and make some SAUCISSON SEC from Charcuterie after driving 3 hours to find the LEM hog casings.




9 lbs of the wild hog with 20% fat added
3.00 oz of Kosher salt
2 TBS of partially ground black pepper
3 TBS of sugar
2 TPS of Cure #2
2 TBS of minced garlic

Cubed all the meat into smaller pieces and added the fat.

Measured all necessary ingredients.

Mixed in and chilled to prep grinder.  All grinder pieces were disinfected and place in the freezer for 2 hours. 

The meat was kept  very cold at all times, at less than 36F.

First time making sausages so you can imagine the mess I made.



All in all I think it came out fine.

I would like to cold smoke half  of these, any suggestions?  How long do I need to wait before I smoke them?  Book says to hang @ 60F with RH of 70% so I’ll put them in my drying chamber until they are firm or 30% loss.


Thanks. 
SamuelG

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[SamuelG]

Sorry if this is not posted in the correct place, but I had started here and since it is a cure...Let me know if It needs to be moved or started under sausages.   ???

[BuyLowSellHigh]

Looking good to me.

I'll bet those will be killer!

[Habanero Smoker]

I would say this is still the correct section. You are definitely dry curing; not preparing a sausage that will be cooked.

When there in no fermentation period, I will apply the smoke prior to moving the sausage into the cabinet. If there is a fermentation step, then I apply the smoke after the fermentation is completed.

[SamuelG]

Well, I guess it was about time I ruined some good meat!  To make matters worse, it was given to me.  I was super OCD with making sure everything was clean and than sterilized... I guess it happens!

Pics:







What I  learned:

1.  Should have hung the sausage to dry separately, not in bunches.  Probably the biggest mistake.

2.  Mix the meat better. 

3.  Rubbed them down in vinegar/water solution like I do with the dry meats.

4.  I need a bigger drying chamber with air flow on timers.  This one is in the planning stage, buy it might get me kicked out of the house.  :-). I already have two wine fridge, a freezer and a refrigerator in the garage.   

Please give me your input as I need to repeat it with better results.


Thanks. 
SamuelG

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[Habanero Smoker]

You can have the most sanitized equipment, but unless you live in a sterile environment there is all sorts of bacteria in the air. I'm not sure what you mean about mixing the meat better. 

Not much input to give. It appears you have caught all your mistakes. One thing to mention it looks like you didn't monitor them as often as you should have. When you put that much sausage in a small chamber - even a full size refrigerator like chamber, the humidity will definitely be high and they should be checked daily or at least every other day.

One thing I do with the sausage is that I prick the casings all over. Though it doesn't help prevent mold, that does help speed up the drying. If you have to wash the sausage daily or every other day, and you don't like the tang of vinegar you can use a solution of salt water - 1/4 cup of salt per quart of water. The salt can build up on the outside but can be easily washed off at the last stage of drying.

My air exchange is opening the door and fanning with cardboard.  :) I have a small dehumidifier that I will be using for the first time when I start dry curing again. I was hoping to has started a batch by now.