DIY: Grind My Own Wild Boar Breakfast Sausage

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Processing Wild Hog: DIY Mild Breakfast Sausage

Wild hogs are a great resource for filling the freezer, and turning a harvest into breakfast sausage is one of the best ways to enjoy the meat all year long. This process transforms lean cuts like hams, shoulders, and backstraps into a mild breakfast staple that the whole family will love.

Materials & Ingredients

Meat: Trimmed wild hog meat and supplemental pork fat.
The Gear: High-quality meat grinder (1.5 HP recommended), meat lug, and a poly tape tool for bagging.
Seasoning Mix: Salt, black pepper, brown sugar, dried sage, rosemary, thyme, and red pepper flakes.

Step 1: Prep and Trim

Trim silver skin, hair, and connective tissue from your hams, shoulders, and backstraps. Slice the meat into manageable one-inch cubes. Because wild hogs are so active, consider all harvest meat to be "extra lean." [00:00:19]

Step 2: The 80/20 Ratio

Wild hog is incredibly lean, so adding fat is essential. Use supplemental pork fat from a local butcher for a neutral flavor profile. Aim for a ratio of 80% lean hog meat to 20% pork fat. [00:01:02]

Step 3: Mix the Seasoning

Combine salt, pepper (half as much as salt), brown sugar, sage, rosemary, thyme, and red pepper flakes in a mason jar. Shake well to ensure an even mix. [00:01:31]

Step 4: Keep it Cold and Season

Grinding works best when the meat is nearly frozen. Combine your chilled meat and fat in a meat lug, sprinkle the seasoning over the top, and mix by hand. [00:02:12] Pro Tip: Put your metal grinder parts (auger, throat, plates) in the freezer as well to prevent fat from smearing. [00:02:32]

Step 5: The Double Grind

For the best texture, perform two passes:

Coarse Grind: Run the seasoned mixture through a coarse plate. This goes quickly and distributes the fat. [00:03:06]
Fine Grind: Return the meat to the freezer for a few minutes, then switch to a fine grinding plate and run it through a second time. [00:03:26]

Step 6: Bagging and Storage

Switch to a stuffer plate to fill meat bags. One-pound increments are ideal for breakfast patties. Use a poly tape tool to seal the bags airtight for the freezer. [00:03:40]

Step 7: The Taste Test

Fry up a few small patties immediately to check your fat-to-lean ratio and ensure the seasoning is dialed in before freezing the rest. [00:03:56]

Wrapping Up

This mild breakfast sausage is an excellent way to utilize every bit of a wild hog harvest. It provides a consistent, high-quality protein source that avoids the "gamey" reputation sometimes associated with wild pork. Hope this helps y'all fill the freezer!