BBQ Smokers

[Otto Syracuse]

Not sure how many of you already know about Amazingribs.com but I find it very useful. It's not a "secret sauce" type site but rather a very practical and science based review of technique and equipment.

Island Tractor, thanks for the link to Amazingribs.com, I'm going to be spending a lot of time there!

Otto

 

[teejk]

I ate wild pig years ago. As much as our DNR hates them (permission to shoot on sight), I wish I could get some...best meat ever I think. I guess the problem is that they tend to be nocturnal and that proposes problems. Enjoy!

 

[IslandTractor]

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[IslandTractor]

I ate wild pig years ago. As much as our DNR hates them (permission to shoot on sight), I wish I could get some...best meat ever I think. I guess the problem is that they tend to be nocturnal and that proposes problems. Enjoy!

Remember that commercial pork in the U.S. is essentially trichinosis free but wild pig can be infected. Just make extra precautions to monitor internal temperature with a good digital thermometer. The safe minimum temp is about 160 per CDC (California dept of health says 175). Those are both much higher than 145 that is safe for commercial pork.

 

[EarPlug]

Remember that commercial pork in the U.S. is essentially trichinosis free but wild pig can be infected. Just make extra precautions to monitor internal temperature with a good digital thermometer. The safe minimum temp is about 160 per CDC (California dept of health says 175). Those are both much higher than 145 that is safe for commercial pork.

On Trichinosis in Wild Game (quoted from)

As it happens, the trichinae parasite is extremely rare in wild game and it is even more rare for anyone to become sick with trichinosis from eating game. According to a Centers for Disease Control study that surveyed incidence of the disease from 2008 to 2012, there were only 84 cases of trichinosis in all of America. Of those, 43 were eating wild game. That痴 43 people in a five-year period, and 30 of those 43 were in one incident, an unfortunate party I値l describe in detail later. Consider that number when you think of the millions of people who eat wild game every year.

Wild pigs are a bit more of an issue. Depending on what state you live in, the incidence of infection varies. One study showed a 13 percent incidence of trichinae parasites in North Carolina, which is more or less the commonly agreed on rate of infection. Interestingly, other than two freak appearances of the Eurasian Trichinae pseudospiralis, which shouldn稚 actually exist in North America, Texas hogs appear to be largely free of the parasite, according to this research.

And guess what? According to that CDC study I linked to above, only six cases of trichinosis were tied to eating wild pigs. Six. In five years. You have a better chance of getting struck by lighting on a boat, falling over and then being eaten face-first by a shark.

Bear meat, not pork, is the real problem. (As is mountain lion meat, but only a very few people eat that.)

 

[IslandTractor]

On Trichinosis in Wild Game (quoted from) As it happens, the trichinae parasite is extremely rare in wild game and it is even more rare for anyone to become sick with trichinosis from eating game. According to a Centers for Disease Control study that surveyed incidence of the disease from 2008 to 2012, there were only 84 cases of trichinosis in all of America. Of those, 43 were eating wild game. That痴 43 people in a five-year period, and 30 of those 43 were in one incident, an unfortunate party I値l describe in detail later. Consider that number when you think of the millions of people who eat wild game every year. Wild pigs are a bit more of an issue. Depending on what state you live in, the incidence of infection varies. One study showed a 13 percent incidence of trichinae parasites in North Carolina, which is more or less the commonly agreed on rate of infection. Interestingly, other than two freak appearances of the Eurasian Trichinae pseudospiralis, which shouldn稚 actually exist in North America, Texas hogs appear to be largely free of the parasite, according to this research. And guess what? According to that CDC study I linked to above, only six cases of trichinosis were tied to eating wild pigs. Six. In five years. You have a better chance of getting struck by lighting on a boat, falling over and then being eaten face-first by a shark. Bear meat, not pork, is the real problem. (As is mountain lion meat, but only a very few people eat that.)

Understood but remember that until very recently virtually everyone over cooked all pork so wild pig would have routinely been cooked to 175 or so. As folks become used to eating pork cooked to 145 there is a danger that wild pig would be consumed without being adequately cooked to kill trichinae. The CDC figures don't take that into account. I imagine there is regional variation in risk so perhaps Texas is lower risk than the Carolinas. Also, not all cases are diagnosed as the degree of illness depends on the injected dose and many mildly symptomatic patients might not be fully worked up. Point is simply that it makes sense to cook wild pork to the pre 2006 temperature standard to be safe.

As for likelihood of getting trichinosis versus being eaten by shark or hit by lightning, you are forgettable the all important denominator. There are tens of millions of people exposed each year to sharks and lightning. Probably only a few to maybe ten thousand each year eat wild pork.

 

[teejk]

Interesting reading for sure. I actually thought trichinosis was no longer an issue. My mom used to cook pork chops to something akin to shoe leather out of something she heard from the old "slop the hogs" days. I abandoned that practice years before the USDA finally said 145F was ok. Never thought about the wild variety though. Pigs are "rooters" so I guess it stands to reason that their diet isn't controlled like our domestic variety. Perhaps the saving grace is that most wild pig cooking is accompanied by beer and the temperature will always exceed medium rare. Never thought about bear.

 

[IslandTractor]

The problem with wild pigs is that they are omnivores and will eat a carcass of another infected animal. That is how trichinosis is spread naturally. Anything that eats raw meat is theoretically a risk. We don't hunt cougars or other predators much for food so it isn't such an issue. Pigs or wild boar on the other hand are often hunted with the notion of making meals out of them. Sausage from wild boar etc is a well known problem.

 

[NS Gearhead]

How long should I smoke steaks assuming; 225-250deg and that they're about 1" thick, and looking for medium done. 1hr? 145 internal?

Momma likes striploins, but I'd like a filet minion... in that case they'd be 1.5-2" thick... probably wrapped in bacon. Mmmm, drooling already. LOL

 

[IslandTractor]

How long should I smoke steaks assuming; 225-250deg and that they're about 1" thick, and looking for medium done. 1hr? 145 internal? Momma likes striploins, but I'd like a filet minion... in that case they'd be 1.5-2" thick... probably wrapped in bacon. Mmmm, drooling already. LOL

I've never smoked a steak. Usually steaks are pretty tender cuts and are grilled instead. If I did try, I would check frequently with a rapid read digital thermometer and then move from indirect smoke to direct sear at about ten degrees lower than I wanted the finished steak internal temp to be. A couple minutes searing should brown up the outside nicely.