Boys, got a dehydrator for christmas, and been making a bunch of venison jerky[both burger and muscle meat]. Got me to thinking how do you go about doing wild boar jerky? Do you have to cook/boil the meat first? Or can you thin slice it, and marinade in jerky seasonings and go ahead and dehydrate at 160 degrees[highest setting on my Nesco]?

Mad Dog

I could be wrong, but I don't think you want to make jerky out of hog, even wild hog. You want lean muscle. Fat gets rancid. Use something like lean fish, turkey, lean beef, venison, or fruits.

None of my business, but are you using a cure? Hope so.
GWB

I've had hog jerky, and it's surprisingly good. Just use the hams. Cut it like you want it, season it, and put it in the dehydrator.

LWD

Friend was telling me about an acquaintance of his who made some feral hog jerky.

After a couple of months of doing so he started feeling tired all the time, and went to the Dr for some test. Everything showed normal, but had some higher than the Dr liked issues with his bloodwork. Month or so later he collapsed and they hauled him to the ER, where they did a scan for a stroke. Found that he had contracted some parasites from the jerky that were now residing in his brain and were untreatable. They said it wasn't a good way to go, and was long and drawn out ordeal for him and his family.

Nope ain't gonna do the pig jerky,

My dehydrator maxes out at about 155 degrees. That's not sufficient to kill the parasites that often reside in pork. Unless your dehydrator can reach temperatures above 160 degrees, it's not a good idea.

Like Mike, I'll skip the pork jerky and stick with sausage.

I just got a lot less interested in pig jerky.

LWD

My system for jerky making is to use only lean game meat that has been frozen for at least 60 days. I use a nitrite cure and leave it on for at least 48 hours. Has worked for me for 11 or so years.
GWB

I'm not sure which parasite Mike/Tx is referring too (trichinosis, tularemia, etc.) but it sure could happen. I've always teased my clients not to try making feral pork sushi or pork tartare.

In my time hanging around microbiologists, wildlife scientists, and reading all the papers in grad school - I got the impression that freezing didn't necessarily protect you from parasites. Heat is what kills them.

From a culinary standpoint I've heard that pork was too fatty to dry properly on a consistent basis.

In lean wild game I'm more worried about botulism than parasites. My reading indicated that if meat was held below freezing for a minimum of 60 days it lessened the chances for that. Add the cure, and you don't grow the botulism culture.
GWB

even domestic hog meat doesn't have fat marbling like beef. Trim all the fat, just like deer, and it should be ok. Since parisites are a worry on feral hogs, it brings back my original question, how about slicing, then boiling the meat for 5 minutes, the let it cool, and put it in the marinade, then dehydrate it?

Mad Dog

MadDog,
do it and post back in about 5 years. If you're still with us, I might give it a try.
GWB

Mad Dog,

I didn't get the specifics on the method used by the fellow mentioned above, only the end result.

We have always treated the feral pork with a higher degree of precaution simply due to what the could carry. Heck I even try my best to have on at least the surgical type gloves when I clean them just as a precaution. They tote some pretty nasty stuff that I personally don't want to try and fend off.

I would however think if you DID precook the meat as they do with tamales and such, your would probably be in the clear. I like mine on the grill for a while and then in the oven for another while, or out of a hot cast iron skillet. The feral pork is one of the meats I DO like well done.

If I remember my tropical medicine correctly, pork trichina are sensitive to freezing.

An interesting example of adaptation is that polar bear trichina are not sensitive to freezing. That's what killed a number of polar explorers - they ate polar bear that hadn't been cooked enough and even tho it had been frozen the trichina were still infectious.

The major risk factor for contracting trichinosis is eating raw or undercooked pork or wild game such as bear meat, wild boar meat, or other carnivore or omnivore meat. The risk of developing infection is related to the amount of larvae ingested. About 10 larvae per gram of meat (muscle) ingested result in a mild infection, about 50-500 result in a moderate infection while over 1,000 result in a severe infection. Consequently, reducing or eliminating the number of larvae in infected meat reduces both the risk and severity of infection. This is accomplished by cooking meat to a uniform temperature of 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher for at least a few minutes to kill encysted larvae. Freezing of pork meat to a temperature of -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit) for one week reportedly kills the encysted larvae. However, this freezing technique for wild game meat may not be effective, as Trichinella in wild animals is usually not as susceptible to freeze killing. Other cooking methods such as microwaving, smoking, or salting meat often fail to kill the encysted larvae and thus the risk of getting trichinosis from meat treated by these methods is increased

There are WAAAAY too many other meats out there to use any uncooked wild pork products in any form. I'll eat just about anything but I'm passing on wild pork jerky. Why risk it?