Sorry if its been posted but I didn't fine it and bare with me on this lengthy post with a pretty simple question. My pork harvest is about to start and I have some question. I've tried to keep the questions in the first paragraph and the back story is below that if you feel the need to understand my reasons on hunting. My questions are in bold if you want to gloss over this novella.
I have volunteered to help thin out a huge hog problem at a relatives ranch, ours dont have this problem due to proper fencing and management. These hogs will be trapped, penned and fed out for a few weeks before processing. The boars will be castrated fed out for several reasons. The wise hogs that avoid traps will be harvested by suppressed rifle hunts, not utilizing dogs and done via ground blinds. Keep in mind I ground hunt, not in a luxury blind with heaters. Its the way I was taught an the way I will always do it regardless of the animal.
My plan is to make several large batches of sausage since this type of hogs meat is generally more suited for link and pan types of sausage. I want to use peppers in the link and I'm sure I wont find many fresh peppers in the next month? Can I freeze what I have and will it process correctly when run through a sausage grinder? I can put them in during the casing stuff if need be. I have dried pounds of various peppers, flake, powder and whole pods which I can obviously use. My past experience is dried spices work much better on pan sausage. Will re-hydrated be a better options than frozen link? This will be a combination of wet and smoked links. NONE of this will be sold, its personal use only. I have SEVERAL freezers waiting to be filled and the smoker is stocked with wood.
Thanks for the info, if you care to understand more about this I've added it below, good crapper read
I dont feel the need to justify my reasons for hunting, just hope to help those who dont hunt understand why I'm doing this.
I want to preface this because I know there are members that probably dont hunt nor do they understand the wild hog issues states like Texas and others are facing. To reiterate, none of these hogs are going to waste. I started hunting at the age of 6 with my grandfather and great grandfather, he was born in 1900 and was in his 80s then and was still one of the best shots I knew. I started solo hunting at 8 with my great grandfathers iron sight Winchester 1894 octagon barrel 30-30 saddle rifle and that lovely POINTED metal butt plate. This rifle that had been his fathers and had so many rounds through it that the shell flapper plate was worn to a crescent moon shape. I grew up with my grandparents, my grandfather grew up on a Texas ranch in the 30s and grandmother a maple farm in Vermont. They taught me the importance of utilizing what you have vs. throw it out and buy another.
I was taught, by my great grandfather to use every part of an animal. He was a ranch foreman of a very large ranch which he started working at the age of 16. My gg grandfather was injured from a horse fall and couldn't provide for the family and my great grandfather was the oldest son so that role became his responsibility. My great grandfather was a cowboy/ranch hand on this ranch which covered almost an entire Texas county.
This is the man who taught and forced us to utilize every part of an animal if we shot it. I was taught to use whitetail deer necks for roasts for sandwich meat and save ribs racks. Those who know white tail understand how the oddity of this because whitetail deer rib racks have so little meat on them. He also tanned the hides for buckskins using the brains and normally scraped them with flint tools that he had hand knapped, some using antler and buck skin that he made.
I stopped hunting at 26 because it was no longer enjoyable to me and I found myself not using animals as I had been taught. I knew that I had harvested hundreds of animals and started to appreciate seeing them alive more than the "thrill" of the hunt. Now that I have children who want to hunt I feel that its my DUTY to teach them to be responsible hunters and understand what the land can provide along with how to properly use it. Sorry for the long winded story but even though I haven't hunted in years I always feel the need to help those who dont understand why I do it.
I have volunteered to help thin out a huge hog problem at a relatives ranch, ours dont have this problem due to proper fencing and management. These hogs will be trapped, penned and fed out for a few weeks before processing. The boars will be castrated fed out for several reasons. The wise hogs that avoid traps will be harvested by suppressed rifle hunts, not utilizing dogs and done via ground blinds. Keep in mind I ground hunt, not in a luxury blind with heaters. Its the way I was taught an the way I will always do it regardless of the animal.
My plan is to make several large batches of sausage since this type of hogs meat is generally more suited for link and pan types of sausage. I want to use peppers in the link and I'm sure I wont find many fresh peppers in the next month? Can I freeze what I have and will it process correctly when run through a sausage grinder? I can put them in during the casing stuff if need be. I have dried pounds of various peppers, flake, powder and whole pods which I can obviously use. My past experience is dried spices work much better on pan sausage. Will re-hydrated be a better options than frozen link? This will be a combination of wet and smoked links. NONE of this will be sold, its personal use only. I have SEVERAL freezers waiting to be filled and the smoker is stocked with wood.
Thanks for the info, if you care to understand more about this I've added it below, good crapper read
I dont feel the need to justify my reasons for hunting, just hope to help those who dont hunt understand why I'm doing this.I want to preface this because I know there are members that probably dont hunt nor do they understand the wild hog issues states like Texas and others are facing. To reiterate, none of these hogs are going to waste. I started hunting at the age of 6 with my grandfather and great grandfather, he was born in 1900 and was in his 80s then and was still one of the best shots I knew. I started solo hunting at 8 with my great grandfathers iron sight Winchester 1894 octagon barrel 30-30 saddle rifle and that lovely POINTED metal butt plate. This rifle that had been his fathers and had so many rounds through it that the shell flapper plate was worn to a crescent moon shape. I grew up with my grandparents, my grandfather grew up on a Texas ranch in the 30s and grandmother a maple farm in Vermont. They taught me the importance of utilizing what you have vs. throw it out and buy another.
I was taught, by my great grandfather to use every part of an animal. He was a ranch foreman of a very large ranch which he started working at the age of 16. My gg grandfather was injured from a horse fall and couldn't provide for the family and my great grandfather was the oldest son so that role became his responsibility. My great grandfather was a cowboy/ranch hand on this ranch which covered almost an entire Texas county.
This is the man who taught and forced us to utilize every part of an animal if we shot it. I was taught to use whitetail deer necks for roasts for sandwich meat and save ribs racks. Those who know white tail understand how the oddity of this because whitetail deer rib racks have so little meat on them. He also tanned the hides for buckskins using the brains and normally scraped them with flint tools that he had hand knapped, some using antler and buck skin that he made.
I stopped hunting at 26 because it was no longer enjoyable to me and I found myself not using animals as I had been taught. I knew that I had harvested hundreds of animals and started to appreciate seeing them alive more than the "thrill" of the hunt. Now that I have children who want to hunt I feel that its my DUTY to teach them to be responsible hunters and understand what the land can provide along with how to properly use it. Sorry for the long winded story but even though I haven't hunted in years I always feel the need to help those who dont understand why I do it.
Not to insult but some people just dont have the attention span to read anything that isn't shorter than a 2 page children's picture book. I'm betting these are the same people that wouldn't know what buck skin is much less how its made. I can sit down with an old medicine bottle and knapp out a perfect arrowhead, its been awhile since I've done it but I bet I didn't forget. Ive known how to do this since I was a kid and its not like Im an old man at 38. I originally blocked it out for the RIF members but it looks like my format changed a little when I posted it.
