Hog Backstrap Question

[HogKillaDNR]

If hogs were shot this morning and placed in a freezer without being gutted. Are the backstraps safe to cut out or will the meat be bad?

 

[dusty200001]

Sure the back strap is not near organs and it was cooled. However why wouldint it be gutted?

 

[eavega]

If you put the hog in a freezer right away, you'll be fine. The reason you gut an animal (assuming it's not gut shot) is to lower the temperature of the animal to retard bacterial growth. If the whole animal went into a freezer, mission accomplished.

 

[HogKillaDNR]

Good Deal, yes they went from the trap to the freezer. I thought it would be better for it to cool down before I cut the strap out with this warm weather. Do I need to soak the backstrap before freezing or cooking it?

 

[chrislibby88]

Good Deal, yes they went from the trap to the freezer. I thought it would be better for it to cool down before I cut the strap out with this warm weather. Do I need to soak the backstrap before freezing or cooking it?

No. Do you soak a steak in water before you cook it? Does your butcher soak meat before they package it? I hope not. Some folks do, I like to dry age mine when possible. Bacteria thrives in water, you’re basically making a myoglobin (the red watery juice that runs out of meat is not blood) soup for bacteria to grow in when you soak it water, plus it leaches all the minerals and flavorful compounds out via osmosis leaving the meat that aweful light gray color. Let it work through rigor hanging dry (which is has already done overnight) butcher and package.

 

[antharper]

Good Deal, yes they went from the trap to the freezer. I thought it would be better for it to cool down before I cut the strap out with this warm weather. Do I need to soak the backstrap before freezing or cooking it?

I think it should be fine . Are you just saving the backstraps ? The reason I ask is because the front shoulder is the best eating on a wild hog to me .

 

[HogKillaDNR]

Oh really, I might just need to skin it out completely.

 

[chrislibby88]

I think it should be fine . Are you just saving the backstraps ? The reason I ask is because the front shoulder is the best eating on a wild hog to me .

I like to keep them whole and smoke them. My god that’s some good pulled pork. You can get some great roasts off the hams too. Wild pork lends itself to slow cooking for long periods of time because of the temp requirement of 160 to kill brucellosis and trichinosis. The back straps can get kinda tough and dry if you grill them to 160. I will often use tha back straps as roasts too.

 

[Nicodemus]

If you put that ungutted hog in a freezer and there`s any size to the hog and-or if it has a layer of fat, the heat that is still inside the body will likely cause the meat to sour.

 

[HogKillaDNR]

This is some really good information. Please keep it coming.

 

[HogKillaDNR]

If you put that ungutted hog in a freezer and there`s any size to the hog and-or if it has a layer of fat, the heat that is still inside the body will likely cause the meat to sour.

These were all juvenile hogs. Hopefully I'll get some more before they close the trapping program for this year.

 

[NCHillbilly]

These were all juvenile hogs. Hopefully I'll get some more before they close the trapping program for this year.

If they're young hogs, I'd save the whole thing. Good eating.

 

[mguthrie]

These were all juvenile hogs. Hopefully I'll get some more before they close the trapping program for this year.

When you say juvenile are you talking 10 lb pigs or 50 lbs. a 50 lb wild pig isn’t going to have much for back straps anyhow. A 50 lb deer has more meat than a 50 lb pig. Those 50 lbrs are best quartered and smoked or grind for sausage.

 

[HogKillaDNR]

50lb and less.

 

[Pig Predator]

I'd just toss it and get another. It wouldn't take long to hose it off, skin and gut it for the freezer or right to the smoker for that size.

 

[Pig Predator]

I dont soak meat in water when its quartered but will keep water running in the cooler to cool the meat as I'm quartering. Once the meat is cooled it goes on ice/freezer or a fridge for dry age.

 

[bany]

Maybe they are fine being that small but, I urge you to atleast field dress them first. They are way to easy to skin and clean in a hurry. Maybe I should sell a video ??.
Those little hams (hind quarters) are outstanding cooked whole. Even the whole pig roasted. Just the back straps would be kinda like two foot long hotdogs.

 

[eavega]

I always keep an eye out for small hogs for an excuse to use the Cuban "Caja China" pig roaster. Here is one traded a fellow hunter on Ossabaw Island earlier this year..

 

[HogKillaDNR]

Wow, we shot several that size this past weekend. How long will a hog last frozen if it wasn't gutted?

 

[ryanh487]

I still don't understand why these animals aren't being gutted immediately... that's field care for game meat 101. separate the animal from it's guts as fast as possible after the kill and definitely before it goes in the cooler or freezer.