Smoking Boar Shoulder


 
RichPB (richlife)

RichPB (richlife)

TVWBB Wizard
Son-in-law: "A friend gave me a wild boar shoulder. Can you smoke it for me?"
Me (brashly): "Well sure -- and we can get the family together for pulled boar."

One look at the frozen boar shoulder and I knew this was a different animal. Long, lean and (even through the freezer wrap) sinewy-looking. So now what? I still loosely thought along the lines of Boston Butt, but maybe plan for only 4-6 hours (it's about 7-8 lbs including the bone). But, I thought, what do they say at TVWBB? Well, not much folks.

Frankly most of the helpful info I got was from Kevin Kruger's comments in these two threads (anyone surprised it's Kevin?). In the second, Kevin references the first himself along with providing other helpful tips.

http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/...760006334#3760006334

http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/...251099136#5251099136

Ok, good, but that still opens more questions in my mind. After some general internet searching, I found a few links that I wouldn't trust at all and one that seemed consistent with the TVWBB posts:

http://www.brokenarrowranch.co...pes/Tips-Smoking.htm

I also found some info at SmokingMeatForums.com, though nothing very different except one suggestion to smoke to 150* and finish in a crockpot and a few who said their boar was fine smoked like any other pork shoulder. But I'll let you search there for "boar shoulder" or "wild boar". It's just not a site I frequent.

I've decided to go with the info I found here at TVWBB and I'll pick this thread up again after the 24th when we get the family together and smoke the boar (or rather, try to eat it).

Meanwhile, if anyone has anything to add, I plan to follow Kevin's advice, smoke cold from the fridge to 150, wrap in foil and continue to above 180 and start checking for tenderness. I'm happy to listen to any advice.

Rich
 
You're on the right track, Rich. Foil early for sure, and I'd even consider HH and panning.

I smoked the shoulders from a young sow I shot several years ago and they turned out just fine. I wouldn't know what to do with a mature boar, but smoking shoulders from sexually immature boars or sows as you would any other shoulder works fine, with the exception of taking into account the absence of fat, of course.
 
Hmm... good points on the HH and panning. thanks

I did read a number of posts from people who said a sow isn't that much different than smoking a pig, but the adult boar may be leaner, tougher, and gamier(?). I'll let you know how it goes for me.

Rich
 
There's no "may" about it on mature boars. My cousin has shot more than anyone I know and says they need to be "cut" first thing after recovering. Still, boar meat will run on the strong side and I wouldn't consider cooking one without marinading for quite a while. The smell of the meat probably will be an indication of how strong it will be. Anyway, in my experience sows and shoats are pretty much just like domestic pigs, just a lot leaner.
 
Ok, it's closer to the day now. Accepting fully what Dave Russell and Kevin Kruger said, I've decided to go with a buttermilk brine for the boar. I'll modify this one a little and set it up later today to have the boar ready for the smoker on Sunday. The thaw is almost complete now.

** Buttermilk Brine By Dan Gill
(from The Magic of Buttermilk,
http://www.pine3.info/Buttermilk.htm )

Basic, all purpose Brine

Per gallon of liquid (water, buttermilk or a combination) stir to dissolve:

1 cup of salt (preferably non-iodized dairy, kosher, or pickling)
½ cup of sugar (I like molasses)
2 tablespoons of ground pepper (I use freshly ground)
1 tablespoon each of granulated garlic and granulated onion

Just about any other seasonings or herbs can be added for flavor – I always include a little allspice as homage to the origins of barbecue. Ginger, rosemary and red pepper are popular additions. Use a non-reactive container such as plastic, glass or stainless steel (resealable plastic bags work great for small cuts). Cover completely with brine and refrigerate for about 12 hours. I don’t bother with rinsing or soaking in fresh water before cooking. **

My boar shoulder is actually 4.5 lbs. Based on Dave and Kevin, I'll smoke at 200-225* with water in the pan starting cold from the fridge until 150-160* internal, then foil, raise the heat and heat an hour or more longer depending on "feel". Then a good rest in a cooler until dinner pulling time. I'm allowing about 8 hours for all this. (My backup plan is the Boston Butt I smoked last week.
icon_wink.gif
)

The boar shoulder does have visible fat on most of the surface. It was sprinkled with some sort of paprika/pepper/garlic rub before freezing which will go into the brine. I plan to add my standard Cajun rub before smoking.

I'm still open to comments or suggestions and I'll come back with the results after Sunday.

Rich
 
Rich,

I did a buttermilk & herb brine on some boar ribs. I used herbs de provence in the brine (Yes, a Kevin K suggestion). Came out good, but needed to be in the brine a lot longer.

I do not think the above brine will have much affect on the shoulder in only 12 hours.

Here is a buttermilk brine I have been using on chicken lately. I wanted to impart the flavors of a rub into the brine, as I dislike rub sitting on top of chicken skin. You may not want to use the same spices, but you will definetly need more than 1 TBL of gralic & onion in a gallon of buttermilk to have any sort of affect. Maybe not as much as me, since I am going for a rubbed flavor chicken.

http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/...052/m/1581059136/p/2

1 gallon buttermilk

12 Tbl kosher, morton
9 Tbl Turbo
9 Tbl Gran garlic
9 Tbl Gran onion
9 Tbl Ancho
9 Tbl B pepper (whole or cracked)
4 tsp W pepper

I take a 1/2 gallon of buttermilk in a large bowl and take the immersion blender to the milk and spices. This mixes the rub with the cold milk well and breaks up the whold peppercorns.

I then add the other 1/2 gallon, blend a little bit to mix and pour of the chicken. This covers about 15# of leg quarters to give you an idea of how much meat.

I brine the chicken for 1.5 days, then air dry for 1/2 day, which would not be needed on a shoulder of course.

I know chicken and boar are different, but hopefully this gives you a little insight on the brine.
 
Thanks for the heads up on the time, Josh. Actually, I hadn't even noticed the 12 hours in that recipe. I plan to do mine for at least 60 hours -- this evening to Sunday.

A whole lot of this is guess work -- as you say, chicken isn't boar, but the brining principles are good. This afternoon it occurred to me that I might incorporate Kevin's "fruity" idea. It may seem strange, but since it's buttermilk anyway, I'm going to add some black cherry yogurt to the mix.

Fast and loose, shoot from the hip. We'll see.

Rich
 
Well, I want to thank those who provided advice and especially Kevin and Dave. Yesterday's boar smoke was very successful. I can't say I have any preference for boar over Boston Butt
icon_rolleyes.gif
, but I certainly wouldn't avoid it. The meat wasn't what you would call tough -- it cut easily and was "biteable". A touch chewy, but not at all like tough steak. Actually, I think some would prefer their meat that way -- sort of like "bite off the bone" ribs as opposed to "fall off the bone" ribs (alright, a little more "bite"). The hardest part was trying to shred it ala BB. We ended up chopping it up and got some very plateable meat.

The flavor was good and I couldn't say it was gamey. Sort of a cross between pork and beef. That may well have been the result of using buttermilk. The boar was well received, everyone, including the kids, ate some and all wanted more. My son-in-law (world's strongest man competitor) really packed it to that special cavity he has that no one truly understands. My 88-year-old mother wanted to take some to friends, but there was nothing left.

I liked mine best with the fantastic "The Shizzle Sauce" Jamaican jerk sauce I found the day before at the Peak City Pig Fest in Apex (BIG thumbs up for THAT party!). www.theshizzlesauce.com

BTW, the 4.5 lb. leg produced about 3 lb. of meat (guess). That's one big set of bones in there!

I'll wrap this up with the methods I used to prepare the boar leg (not just shoulder). My son-in-law provided it from a friend who participated in a boar hunt in nearby Johnston County, NC. He swears it had no spices, but I swear I saw spices when I washed it. <shrug>

Brine:
1/2 gallon buttermilk (depends on size)
1/4 cup Kosher salt
1/4 cut maple syrup
6 oz. container black cherry yogurt
Sufficient water to barely immerse the boar
Brined for 2 1/2 days turning once each day.
(The size and shape of a full 18" leg are problematic. I used refrigerator drawer about 4" deep and help raise the buttermilk depth with mason jars of water for fill before adding water. Ideally, use undiluted buttermilk.)

Smoke:
Sprinkled well with my own cajun spice mix
@225* until internal 155*
Red oak chunks -- 6 small
Stubbs briquettes
At 155* covered completely with foil and added 3 oz. apple juice
Increased temp to 175 (at this point I didn't want to rush it)
Probe tested at 180* (seemed quite resistant)
Removed at 190* (despite resistance)
The time from 160 to 190* was FAST (maybe 1 hour)
Wrapped in towels in a cooler for 2 hours until ready to pull and eat. Chopped to 1/2".
The meat clung tight to the bones, there was lots of near intact connective tissue to remove while pulling.
The meat did not even begin to form a bark -- remember, foiled at 155.


Served:
Options of no sauce, The Shizzle Voodoo Hot Sauce(!), Knota Yankee NC-like BBQ sauce(!), Bulls Eye Original BBQ sauce and a tomatillo/lime salsa were provided.
(!) are Recommended(!)

Rich
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top