Hickory Smoked Suckling Wild Boar

For Mother's Day I ordered a 12 pound hickory smoked suckling wild boar that came from the hill country outside of San Antonio, Texas (ordered through exoticmeatsmarket.com). It arrived on a Tuesday and was too big to fit into our freezer or refrigerator, so I kept it in its shipping container covered with bags of ice until Sunday. Aside from keeping it cold until I needed it, it was very easy to deal with. 

12 pound wild boar

I fired up the outside gas grill on a setting between medium and warm and put the pig on it for about 30 minutes, until it was nice and hot and the juices were running. 

Judy found a large platter that was big enough to hold it. Then it was a matter of slicing off the meat. It was extremely lean. The ribs virtually had no meat, other than a thin film I was able to scrape off on the outside. The most meat was on the rear flank and legs and front legs. 

Nate carves up the wild boar

 

There was nothing gamy or off tasting about it. It tasted very much like smoked ham and reminded me of the hickory smoked goose we had for Thanksgiving several years ago. We had Rachael and Nate, the girls, and my friend, Jerry, who has shared with us wild boar meat from pigs he has shot the last couple of years (sausage, loin, and ribs - which came from a 200+ pound boar). I am not a major fan of hickory smoked meat, I like a little bit of it, but a little goes a long way for me. However, everyone really enjoyed it and took home leftovers. It reminded me a bit of the barbecued whole pig we did for the Father's and Son's Outing a number of years ago, but without all of the work. For a small family gathering, it was ideal.