Dis-gruntled.......

[robtattoo]

Okay, so I've shot my hog (dis-GRUNTled, see what I did there?) & got her all jointed up; Backstraps, hams, tenderloins, forequarters & ribs.
I know what to do with pretty much all of the meat (mmmmm smoked hams!) but I always, always stumble on the forequarters. There's not a huge amountof meat on a wild hog's shoulder & front leg, but what there is is good & I don't want to grind it, if I can find something better to do with it.

I've roasted them whole, before, & it's good, but a complete pain inna bum to carve.

How does it fare for pulled pork?

[Dave Bulla]

Isn't the front shoulder the normal cut for pulled pork anyway?  I thought the "boston butt" and "picnic" were both from that.

Or are you asking about wild hog specifically compared to domestic?  I'd think it should cook up just fine in a smoker and if it's smaller, it should do it in less time.

[robtattoo]

I'm not really sure what the front shoulders & legs are used for Dave. I've never done pulled pork before & the stuff I've had from BBQ joints round here could be cat for all I know!

I'm more interested in opinions specifically on wild hog

[Huntschool]

Dave has it right...  On a commercial hog the shoulders are the "pulled Pork" thats how they get it off..  Its hard to carve... The same applies to wild.  

Here is how I do it..Cook it in a pit style cooker for a good bit (I use a pit or a webber), slow and sorta cool with lots of smoke.  I don't have the internal temp info at hand but ya should be able to find it...  Its good...

[JamesJamison]

Smoke and salt cured shoulders are as good as hams in my opinion, at least on domestic pork.

[crazyhorse86]

here's the pulled pork recipe I posted on another thread, you should try it, takes time but it's good enough to cater with:

Here's my favorite pulled pork I just discovered, but it takes two days, if using a size like a boston butt (soccer ball size or so, if you don't have a hog you can buy two of them at Sam's for 25 bucks), first rub it down all over (I like Famous Dave's rib rub, easy and available), then very coarse peppercorns on the top side, let meat sit out of fridge for 30 or 40 minutes to get rid of chill. Cook with a large pan of water directly underneath the meat and add one can of beer to the water, preheat until water starts to steam. Try to regulate heat around 275 or 300 and when water starts getting low, add more, if a gallon about every hour and a half or so, you can add another beer along the way if you like. Cook like this all day until middle meat temperature gets over 185. You can speed it up a little by letting water evaporate towards the end which will also get you a good crust on the outer layer and burn out alot of the fat. At my altitude it takes about 7 hours, but it varies every time so just keep an eye on temperature from 180 to 190. At this point you can take it off and chop it into some awesome barbecue, but if you want to take it to the next level do the following step. Let the meat cool a bit while wrapped in freezer paper and foil. Then stick it in the fridge overnight and let it sit. The next day pull the sections apart and get rid of all the fat and bones. Put the pieces of meat into a crockpot, sprinkle with your rub again and some more cracked peppercorns along with a half a can of beer and cook on low setting for about 5 hours. Oh my, with or without your favorite sauce and hamburger buns or rolls, pull the pieces apart with two forks and you have restaurant quality pulled pork. If you cook more than one at a time, just vacuum seal and freeze the others after removing fat so all you have to do is throw one in the crock pot when ready for another. I have altered this a little from original recipe and I change it up a little every time for experimenting and you can as well, but this one is a homerun, thanks and enjoy!

[Al Dente]

Brine the shoulders overnight in the fridge, rinse off and pat dry.  Rub with your favorite rub over night in the fridge.  Take them out and light your smoker.  Insert a probe thermometer in a shoulder.  Add your wood chunks and your meat.  Spray/mop with half apple cider half cider vinegar every 45 minutes.  Stop wood after 3 hours, the meat won't take anymore flavor so why waste it.  When temp hits 165 double wrap in foil and put it back on.  When temp hits 195, pull them off.  Double wrap in foil again, place in a dry cooler.  Let them sit for an hour or two before pulling.  you want your smoker temp to be 250-275.

[robtattoo]

Tim & Al, thanks guys!

I'm going to get cracking on these over the weekend. It'd be nice to take a loaddown to Texas for the Sweat hunt!

[Al Dente]

Enjoy them, you should have some fine meat there.

[KumaSan]

Al, you got the cooking and temperatures right. The meat needs to go to the second level at 195 to 200 for about 15 minutes. At these temps the collagen and fat melt out of the shoulders. The wrapping of the shoulders is recommended. The placement in the cooler works wonders, and three hours later you will need gloves to handle the meat. As a prep, I trim the fat and flaps from the outside to allow more contact between the meat and the rub. My favorite rub is Southern Succor from the Jamisons smoke book.

I need to get a wild hog to smoke!