Warthog Meat: Ribs, Kabobs and Steak

I was excited to try some wild game on our trip to Southern Africa and the meat I think I was most excited to try was warthog. Why? Well, wild pig in the U.S. is fantastic and the warthog is just a variation of wild pig. 

A warthog in Hwange NP in Zimbabwe.

I got to try warthog on three different occasions, three ways. 

My first warthog meat was at Mama Africa in Cape Town. I got three skewers of meat cooked with green and red pepper with it. I didn't notice a gamey taste, but did notice a huge difference in the taste and tenderness, depending on how well cooked it was. The less-cooked, the better. It was more tender and more flavorful, a stronger version of pork. The more cooked it was, the chewier it got.  

Warthog kabobs at Mama Africa.

Next I tried smoked warthog ribs at Arnolds in Cape Town. The ribs were large and meaty, but the smoked taste made itself very apparent. I've had a smoked wild boar from Texas and the smoked taste, which is quite strong, permeates it. It also makes it less tender.  The smoked flavor in the warthog was not as strong as the smoked wild boar I had, which made it better, but I would have preferred the ribs without the smoking. I would love to try the ribs un-smoked. 

Smoked warthog ribs at Arnolds.

Finally, at The Boma in Lake Victoria, Zimbabwe, they had marinated warthog steaks waiting to be cooked-to-order. I made sure to ask for it rare. The finished product was wonderfully succulent, tender and flavorful. 

Raw warthog steak at The Boma.

Cooked warthog steak.

Warthogs may be ugly, but they taste great, as any lion will attest.