Latte Porcine: Expresso and Hogs

Cooking Rank Hog with Instant Coffee? It Works!
© 2012 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™

I had shot that three hundred pounder right through the cheekbone.

We had been hunting hog at a friend's ranch an hour or so from where I lived. We had been carefully stalking this bad boy for the better part of two hours. There were sows and piglets to contend with, mosquitoes, and the occasional pygmy rattle thrown in for fun. Actually, I was pretty sure those damned chiggers were, at that very moment, digging into my tender flesh and making themselves at home.

Skirting palmetto clumps, and patches of scrub oak, we finally got into position with out spooking him. I took off my leather hat, laid it in front of me, and used it as a rest for my hog hunting rifle, a 30/06 Weatherby Eurosport. I wanted an instant kill; I had had enough of chiggers, ticks and skeeters for the day, so I carefully lined up for a spinal shot. I was certain of my shooting ability, and I have complete confidence in my weapon and the ammo I use.

180 grains of copper clad and partitioned lead went right under his left eye, through his sinus cavity, and smashed right into his spinal column where it demolished nine inches of bone and nerves, disrupting much of his motor functions. But it wasn't enough. By the time I had crossed the forty or so yards between us, he had regained some use of his body. His jaws worked to and fro, slashing at the under growth, hooking roots, branches and the occasional shrub. Apparently he could use his back legs, and had some use of his front right one. He stumbled as he tried to charge me.

I had stoked the Weatherby with another Remington Safari Grade Swift A-Frame before I was even up. As I raised the Weatherby for a follow up shot, Matt put his hand on my shoulder. "Wait, don't waste the bullet, let me finish him with my .22." Moments later the big hog was down.

And what a hog! Scarred and cut up from slugging it out with the other males, he was a brute; three inches of whetted tusks stuck out either side. I had him mounted, but unfortunately over the years he has deteriorated to the point that it was, in my mind, disrespectful to his memory to have him displayed in that condition. So he now resides sealed in a large bin with a desiccant package and a pest control devise. Maybe, when times are a little better, I can have him refurbished, and he can take place of pride over my desk again.

I really need to get out hog hunting...

But that's not why I tell the tale. Cooking, that's what I want to talk about.

It all started, innocently enough, when I happened upon Miss Jamie's blog Borderland Adventures: Her Perspective and her post Stinky Little Pigs.

Now I like pigs. I like them as livestock, pets, and wildlife. I like them alive and I like them roasted. Now Miss Jamie is actually writing about the New World equivalent of the pig, that being the peccary also known as the javelina. Miss Jamie does an excellent job of explaining their natural history and taxonomy; and she does it with great humor. In addition you will find great narratives of the border area, posts on cooking both in the home and out in the field, and a product review. Not only that, but she has some great photography too! I heartily recommend visiting her Blog Borderland Adventures: Her Perspective.

Now back to the cooking. As it turns out both peccaries and that big ol' hog I took, have similarities. They both stink real bad. As in rank.

I don't like to waste game. But a rank old hog is unpalatable. Simple as that; just plain inedible. I had Matt carve out the tenderloins, if that's not a misnomer I don't know what is. I also got the two roasts. Matt got the rest to grind up for sausage.

When I got home I threw a box of coarse salt over the meat and ice in the cooler. I figured that would buy me enough time to figure out what I was going to do.

I've got one of those big enameled roasting pan, and I always have a lot of garlic. Work with what you got I always say. As I was trying not to pass out from the testosterone induced odor, I remembered reading somewhere that instant coffee neutralized the odor and helped to tenderize the meat. I couldn't remember how much was recommended, so I dumped a big handful in there. I mean I poured it into my hand and dumped it over the roast. With that done, I took a knife skewered that roast and stuffed garlic into every hole I made. I doused it thoroughly with some white wine, the cheap stuff I keep for those meddlesome neighbors, and put the cover on it.

I set the oven on low (325 F) and came back to it about four hours later.

Holy smokes! It worked! The smell was gone, and in its place a delectable and genuinely delicious aroma of cooked pork with subtle tones of garlic. After due deliberations though it was decided that a couple of more hours wouldn't hurt. I cut up some more garlic, potatoes, carrots, and celery, and poured in some more wine and water.

A couple of hours later we were sitting around the table enjoying a tender and tasty roast.

I've tried it out with other cuts of tough meat both wild and domestic with similar results. Oh and there is no taste of coffee either. What is in the instant coffee that does that is unknown to me. All I know is that it works.

Amazing what you can do with some coffee...

Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Hunt Continues...

Update:
While cruising the Blogsphere this morning, I came upon this "The Bacon Weave." For those of you that don't have enough cholesteral in your diet, this is a sure fire way to get it up there! Brought to you by the fellows at BBQ Addicts!


Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member: Shindand Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Though he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.

Big Cutters, Rank Hogs, and Coffee

© 2009, 2010 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

Hunting Big Hogs in Florida, Chronicles Style!

I had shot that three hundred pounder right through the cheekbone!

We had been hunting hog at a friend's ranch an hour or so from where I lived. We had been carefully stalking this bad boy for the better part of two hours. There were sows and piglets to contend with, mosquitoes, and the occasional pygmy rattle thrown in for fun. Actually, I was pretty sure those damned chiggers were, at that very moment, burrowing into my tender flesh and making themselves at home.

Skirting palmetto clumps, and patches of scrub oak, we finally got into position with out spooking him or the other hogs with him. taking a prone position in an open patch of sandy dirt,  I took off my leather hat, laid it in front of me, and used it as a rest for my light hog hunting rifle, a 30/06 Weatherby Eurosport. I wanted an instant kill; I had had enough of chiggers, ticks and skeeters for the day, so I carefully lined up for a spinal shot. I was certain of my shooting ability, and I have complete confidence in my Weatherby and the Remington Safari Grade ammo I use.

180 grains of copper clad and partitioned lead went right under his left eye, through the hog's sinus cavity, and smashed right into his spinal column where it demolished nine inches of bone and nerves, disrupting much of his motor functions. But it wasn't enough. By the time I had crossed the forty or so yards between us, he had regained some use of his body. His jaws worked to and fro, slashing at the under growth, hooking roots, branches and the occasional shrub. Apparently he could use his back legs, and had some use of his front right one. He stumbled as he tried to charge me.

I had stoked the Weatherby with another Remington Safari Grade Swift A-Frame before I was even up. As I raised the Weatherby for a follow up shot, Matt put his hand on my shoulder. "Wait, don't waste the bullet, let me finish him with my .22." Moments later the big hog was down.

And what a hog! Scarred and cut up from slugging it out with the other males, he was a brute; three inches of whetted tusks stuck out either side. I had him mounted, but unfortunately over the years he has deteriorated to the point that it was, in my mind, disrespectful to his memory to have him displayed in that condition. So he now resides sealed in a large bin with a desiccant package and a pest control devise. Maybe, when times are a little better, I can have him refurbished, and he can take place of pride over my desk again.

I really need to get out hog hunting...

But that's not why I tell the tale. Cooking, that's what I want to talk about.

It all started, innocently enough, when I happened upon Miss Jamie's blog Borderland Adventures: Her Perspective and her post Stinky Little Pigs.

Now I like pigs. I like them as livestock, pets, and wildlife. I like them alive and I like them roasted. Now Miss Jamie is actually writing about the New World equivalent of the pig, that being the peccary also known as the javelina. Miss Jamie does an excellent job of explaining their natural history and taxonomy; and she does it with great humor. In addition you will find great narratives of the border area, posts on cooking both in the home and out in the field, and a product review. Not only that, but she has some great photography too! I heartily recommend visiting her Blog Borderland Adventures: Her Perspective.

Now back to the cooking. As it turns out both peccaries and that big ol' hog I took, have similarities. They both stink real bad. As in rank.

I don't like to waste game. But a rank old hog is unpalatable. Simple as that; just plain inedible. I had Matt carve out the tenderloins, if that's not a misnomer I don't know what is. I also got the two roasts. Matt got the rest to grind up for sausage.

When I got home I threw a box of coarse salt over the meat and ice in the cooler. I figured that would buy me enough time to figure out what I was going to do.

I've got one of those big enameled roasting pan, and I always have a lot of garlic. Work with what you got I always say. As I was trying not to pass out from the testosterone induced odor, I remembered reading somewhere that instant coffee neutralized the odor and helped to tenderize the meat. I couldn't remember how much was recommended, so I dumped a big handful in there. I mean I poured it into my hand and dumped it over the roast. With that done, I took a knife skewered that roast and stuffed garlic into every hole I made. I doused it thoroughly with some white wine, the cheap stuff I keep for those meddlesome neighbors, and put the cover on it.

I set the oven on low (325 F) and came back to it about four hours later.

Holy smokes! It worked! The smell was gone, and in its place a delectable and genuinely delicious aroma of cooked pork with subtle tones of garlic. After due deliberations though it was decided that a couple of more hours wouldn't hurt. I cut up some more garlic, potatoes, carrots, and celery, and poured in some more wine and water.

A couple of hours later we were sitting around the table enjoying a tender and tasty roast.

I've tried it out with other cuts of tough meat both wild and domestic with similar results. Oh and there is no taste of coffee either. What is in the instant coffee that does that is unknown to me. All I know is that it works.

Amazing what you can do with some coffee...

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member: Shindand Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...


Update:
While cruising the Blogsphere this morning, I came upon this "The Bacon Weave." For those of you that don't have enough cholesteral in your diet, this is a sure fire way to get it up there! Brought to you by the fellows at BBQ Addicts!

AAR





Scott Croner Albert A Rasch Albert “Afghanus” Rasch Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Nebraska Hunting Scott Croner, Merriam's Turkey Hunting Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Albert A Rasch Albert “Afghanus” Rasch Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Nebraska Hunting Scott Croner Merriam's Turkey Hunting Albert A Rasch

Back to Basics: Cooking Outdoors

© 2010 Albert A Rasch™ and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

Back to Basics With the Chronicles:
Camp Cooking

Using a camp stove is a great and very convenient way to prepare a good meal while out in the field. But it can be just as easy and in some ways simpler to use methods and techniques that our pioneer parents used. Whether on a skewer, directly on the coals or a stone, in a pot, or using a Dutch oven, you can prepare just as delicious a meal as if you were at home.

Besides the obvious need for food, condiments, and maybe a small set of pots or pans, you really need to have a good idea of how to build and maintain a good fire with a solid, deep, bed of coals. Use good seasoned hardwoods, and have plenty of it available for the whole of the cooking operation. You certainly do not want to be half way throughyour cooking and find yourself short of firewood.

Another option is to stock up on lump charcoal. Pressed charcoal is a possibility, but... I don't know, it seems a little unnatural to me. Having said that, I've used the large size pressed charcoal to good effect when I couldn't get any lump. Anyway, you can also use hickory, mesquite, or fruitwood chips to add a subtle undertone to your food's taste.

You should know know the basics by now, but for some of our new readers, especially our new friends from the urban areas of our great and wonderful United States, I am going to go over the steps of building a good hardwood fire.

Boy Scouts will tell you, you need tinder, kindling, and fuel. Tinder as defined by Wikipedia is "easily combustible material used to ignite fires by rudimentary methods. A small fire consisting of tinder is then used to ignite kindling." Tinder may consist of paper, wood shavings, pine needles, dry weeds, and pretty much anything else that will catch a spark or flame and light up. After that, it is just a matter of carefully feeding it progressively larger pieces of wood until you have a good bed of coals built up. Start with thin twigs or slivers of wood no larger than a match stick, and as they catch add pencil thick pieces. As they catch and become small coals, continue to add wood in larger sizes and proportions until your wrist sized hunks of wood are lit and turning into coals.

Once you've got a good fire going, your whole family can become cooks in their own right by using a stick! The simplest method, short of just throwing your food in the fire, is cooking on a stick. Quite frankly, it's probably my favorite technique.

Children in particular seem to enjoy it as much if not more than the adults, as they are participants in cooking their own food. Be forewarned, if they are anything like I was when I was young, you will have many items in the fire, flaming brands, and the occasional burnt tongue.

It doesn't hurt to come prepared with some pre-cut branches, or home made skewers. You can even purchase some dowels, drill a hole in the end, and stick a long, heavy wire in the hole to act as a skewer. I have also seen extendable skewers in the BBQ section of the big box stores. Squirrel cookers are an excellent addition to your outdoor cutlery and equipment:. You can get hand forged ones for less than $20.00!

Photo Credit: Shea's Mountain

Hand Forged Squirrel Cooker

(I've had several inquiries about the squirrel cooker. I didn't make this particular one, but if you would like one please go to Shea's Mountain and see their Hand Forged Squirrel Cooker $19.99. Rev, the owner of Shea's Mountain is an accomplished Horner, member of the Honorable Company of Horners, and the Moderator of The Horner's Bench.


If you prepare your meat and vegetables ahead of time, you can skewer up shish-kebobs very quickly. I would suggest that you cook the meat seperately from the vegetable, that way you can have hot crisp vegetables and meat done to your liking. Otherwise the veggies will be overcooked while you wait for the meat to be done.

Of course, there is always the classic hotdog. Nothing beats a well cooked hotdog on a skewer. But don't stop there; try cooking Brats, Italian and Polish sausages, or Kielbasa on a stick! You will be amazed at the wonderful aromas as the grease drips into the fire, and the wonderful smokiness of the flame broiled delights.

You can make fresh bread by taking dough and spiraling it down the skewer and back up again. place it over the fire, and turn it frequently.

You can also cook in the fire too. Double wrap husked corn with a pat of butter in aluminum foil, or poke holes in a big baking potato with a fork, and wrap it too. Even fruit, apples and pears in particular, can be cooked in the same fashion; all it takes is about fifteen to twenty minutes and they're done. If you can imagine it, you can probably cook it in the coals!

One of the methods that I like to use, especially with bigger cuts of meat, is to wrap the meat in foil, then a thick layer of wet newspaper. Let em explain more fully.

Let's say you've taken down a large hog, and you would like to cook a whole leg roast for a party. Yu can use this with chicken, turkey, ham, or wild game by the way.  Prepare the cut in any fashion that pleases you. I prefer to stab it and stuff it with garlic. Now salt it well with coarse salt. Here are a couple of preparation options. Lay out several sheets of aluminum foil that are long enough to comfortably wrap around the roast, and fold and crimp with ease. Slice oranges and lemons, and place a layer of them on top the foil. Place your roast on the slices and continue to cover the roast with moe of the citrus slices. Carefully wrap the roast in the aluminum foil, leaving an opening on top. Use either white wine, or beer, and pour all 12 ounces onto the roast. Finish sealing the foil package.

It is very important to have set aside a good quantity of wood for this project. Dig a pit 12 inches wider than ou roast; set the dirt to one side on a tarp.  Start you fire in the pit, and pile on the wood. While you wait for it to burn down into coals, take your roast and wrap it in about a half an inch of newspaper. If you wet the newspaper, it makes it much easier, and helps to slow down the carbonization of the paper.

When there is a good bed of coals at least a three to four inches deep, carefully scrape out a depression in the coals, and place the roast on the coals. At the very top of the roast scrape at the wet paper until you get to the foil. Take a thumb thick piece of wood, sharpen it into a stake, and poke it through the exposed foil. Leave it standing there while you carefully and quickly, add fist sized chunks of wood to the fire untill your roast is well covered with dry, seasoned wood.

Layer several pieces of foil over the whole affair; two or three in one direction, and a couple of more ninety degrees to the first. Your wooden stake should be sticking straight up. Carefully cover your soon to be deliciously cooked roast with the soil you removed, starting on the edges, and working your way towards the center. Leave the top couple of inches uncovered, the stake standing proud.

Let it cook for about six hours, checking every couple of hours just to be sure nothing has gone awry. A big meat thermometer is pretty handy to make sure everything is cooked properly.

When it is time to uncover your masterpiece, carefully brush away the dirt, and just as carefully lift out the foil wrapped delight. Big thick gloves would be appropriate about now. Don't forget to dispose of the foil, and replace all the dirt. Leave everything as you found it!

Something that I am still learning to use is a Dutch oven.

Dutch oven cooking is a classic skill that is now becomeing more wide spread. A century ago, the majority of people knew how to use one and cook any number of dishes with it. With a Dutch oven and some new cooking skills, you can create delicious dishes: soups and stews come to mind, but you can bake bread, and desserts can also be made in these covered cook pot.

Dutch ovens have a flat bottom and three legs that hold the oven above the coals. The flanged lid is wide and flat, and is designed to hold coals. It also has a bail, makeing it easy to hang from a tripod over a fire.

You can avoid problems while cooking by keeping a eye on your oven, and by folowing a couple of easy rules of thumb. If you have a stream of steam escaping your Dutch oven, then you are probably just a little too hot. Adjust the temperature by removing some coals out from under the oven. Another great hint or technique, is to turn the oven ninety degrees every ten to fifteen minutes. Lift the lid slightly, and turn the oven; this way you avoid any hotspots that may scorch or burn your meal.

There are many assets on the internet that cover Dutch oven cooking. I have perused many of them, and find their advice indispensible. If I have a single complaint about Dutch Ovens, it is that they are too darn heavy to back pack in, unless you are with a large enough party that can divide the load. Otherwise you just can't warrant the use of one no matter how good it is!

With a little imagination and a good fire, there is no limits to the different and delicious ways you can prepare food out in the field.


Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member:Shindand Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...


Though he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.

Cracker Cooking: Alligator Tenderloins

© 2009 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
.

Cracker Cooking: Alligator Tenderloins

Just waiting to be basted!

After the last few days of drama, I thought a light hearted post was in order.
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This is a local recipe that I have heard about for years. There are about as many ways to do it, as there are gators in the swamps. My guess is that the best tasting gators come from clear streams or strongly brackish water near the coast. You can also get some in the supermarket cold aisle by the poultry section. It’s cleverly marked as chicken breast.

B-B-Q Alligator Tenderloins

1 lbs of alligator meat, preferably the tenderloin, and cubed like chicken nuggets.
1 ½ cups of bourbon. (Stick to the inexpensive stuff for marinades and drink the good stuff)
1 tsp. of cayenne pepper (More if you like that flavor.)
1-3 clove of garlic
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp of salt
1/2 cup olive oil

In a mortar, mash 1 to 3 cloves of garlic with a tablespoon of olive oil and the teaspoon of salt. Mash it until you have a homogeneous mixture.

Taking a sip or two of the bourbon and make sure it’s ok. Now combine all the ingredients. You can use a food processor or blender if you want, but I think it just makes more to clean. I just use a plastic bowl and a whisk.

Take a wide flat container, pour your marinade in it, and add the gator or chicken pieces. Make sure they all get coated.

Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours, occasionally turning the pieces so they get well marinaded.

You have a couple of options at this point. You can either barbeque them or stir-fry. I’ve done it both ways and they’re both good!

Barbeque:

Get the grill ready with a good layer of coals.

When the grill is ready, place the meat on grill over the hot coals for 5 minutes or so. Occasionally brush on some marinade. When the edges of the gator or chicken start to turn white, brush on some more marinade and flip the meat over. Hit it with more marinade and cook it for another 5 or 6 minutes.

Serve it with corn, vegetables, or potatoes.

On the skillet:

Get the skillet hot. Pour a little oil in the skillet and when it is shimmering add a few pieces of gator. Don’t put too much in at a time!

As the meat cooks, move it around on the hot skillet so it browns nicely and doesn’t burn. Don’t cook it all the way through yet.

Put the first batch on a warm plate, and continue to cook the rest batch by batch until you have them all almost cooked.

When the last batch is done, make sure everything else is ready. All your side dishes should be done. Now, as the first plates are being prepared, put all the meat in the hot skillet and finish cooking them. It shouldn’t take more than a minute. Push the meat to the edges, and add some marinade to the center of the skillet and let it simmer and boil while you serve the meat piping hot on a bed of rice, noodles, or vegetables. Then pour some (just a little) of the marinade over all of it.

Yes, I did take a bite of it!

It takes longer to describe than it does to cook.

For all you folks watching your weight, this is a real healthful dish. Pile on the vegetables, get all your vitamins, and fiber too! We don't want our Vegan friends to think we aren't conscientious about our health. If you also take into consideration the exercise you get from wrestling that gator to the table, shoot you can't lose!

Enjoy!

Cowboy Cookies at Lakewood Ranch

© 2009 Albert A Rasch

First batch out of the oven!

Not too shabby for my first try at making cookies!

After reading Miss Jamie's post Cowboy Cookies, I got a hankering to make me some of those cookies. I asked the Bear to go fetch me a box of rolled oats and baking powder at the supermarket. We had everything else in the pantry.

First batch, they are really gooey at this stage.

I followed Miss Jamie's directions and ended up with a batch of beautiful cookies. One thing, make the dough balls a little smaller than a ping-pong ball, or a little bigger than a red eared slider's egg, the cookies are more reasonably sized.

By the time I took this picture I had eaten two of them. Sorry.

Raisin oatmeal on left, and chocolate chip, raisin, oatmeal on right.

Easy enough to do, keep an eye on the time, and you are good to go!

Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Hunt Continues...

I'll Have My Coffee Now If You Please.

© 2009, 2010 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.


I had shot that three hundred pounder right through the cheekbone.

We had been hunting hog at a friend's ranch an hour or so from where I lived. We had been carefully stalking this bad boy for the better part of two hours. There were sows and piglets to contend with, mosquitoes, and the occasional pygmy rattle thrown in for fun. Actually, I was pretty sure those damned chiggers were, at that very moment, digging into my tender flesh and making themselves at home.

Skirting palmetto clumps, and patches of scrub oak, we finally got into position with out spooking him. I took off my leather hat, laid it in front of me, and used it as a rest for my hog hunting rifle, a 30/06 Weatherby Eurosport. I wanted an instant kill; I had had enough of chiggers, ticks and skeeters for the day, so I carefully lined up for a spinal shot. I was certain of my shooting ability, and I have complete confidence in my weapon and the ammo I use.

180 grains of copper clad and partitioned lead went right under his left eye, through his sinus cavity, and smashed right into his spinal column where it demolished nine inches of bone and nerves, disrupting much of his motor functions. But it wasn't enough. By the time I had crossed the forty or so yards between us, he had regained some use of his body. His jaws worked to and fro, slashing at the under growth, hooking roots, branches and the occasional shrub. Apparently he could use his back legs, and had some use of his front right one. He stumbled as he tried to charge me.

I had stoked the Weatherby with another Remington Safari Grade Swift A-Frame before I was even up. As I raised the Weatherby for a follow up shot, Matt put his hand on my shoulder. "Wait, don't waste the bullet, let me finish him with my .22." Moments later the big hog was down.

And what a hog! Scarred and cut up from slugging it out with the other males, he was a brute; three inches of whetted tusks stuck out either side. I had him mounted, but unfortunately over the years he has deteriorated to the point that it was, in my mind, disrespectful to his memory to have him displayed in that condition. So he now resides sealed in a large bin with a desiccant package and a pest control devise. Maybe, when times are a little better, I can have him refurbished, and he can take place of pride over my desk again.

I really need to get out hog hunting...

But that's not why I tell the tale. Cooking, that's what I want to talk about.

It all started, innocently enough, when I happened upon Miss Jamie's blog Borderland Adventures: Her Perspective and her post Stinky Little Pigs.

Now I like pigs. I like them as livestock, pets, and wildlife. I like them alive and I like them roasted. Now Miss Jamie is actually writing about the New World equivalent of the pig, that being the peccary also known as the javelina. Miss Jamie does an excellent job of explaining their natural history and taxonomy; and she does it with great humor. In addition you will find great narratives of the border area, posts on cooking both in the home and out in the field, and a product review. Not only that, but she has some great photography too! I heartily recommend visiting her Blog Borderland Adventures: Her Perspective.

Now back to the cooking. As it turns out both peccaries and that big ol' hog I took, have similarities. They both stink real bad. As in rank.

I don't like to waste game. But a rank old hog is unpalatable. Simple as that; just plain inedible. I had Matt carve out the tenderloins, if that's not a misnomer I don't know what is. I also got the two roasts. Matt got the rest to grind up for sausage.

When I got home I threw a box of coarse salt over the meat and ice in the cooler. I figured that would buy me enough time to figure out what I was going to do.

I've got one of those big enameled roasting pan, and I always have a lot of garlic. Work with what you got I always say. As I was trying not to pass out from the testosterone induced odor, I remembered reading somewhere that instant coffee neutralized the odor and helped to tenderize the meat. I couldn't remember how much was recommended, so I dumped a big handful in there. I mean I poured it into my hand and dumped it over the roast. With that done, I took a knife skewered that roast and stuffed garlic into every hole I made. I doused it thoroughly with some white wine, the cheap stuff I keep for those meddlesome neighbors, and put the cover on it.

I set the oven on low (325 F) and came back to it about four hours later.

Holy smokes! It worked! The smell was gone, and in its place a delectable and genuinely delicious aroma of cooked pork with subtle tones of garlic. After due deliberations though it was decided that a couple of more hours wouldn't hurt. I cut up some more garlic, potatoes, carrots, and celery, and poured in some more wine and water.

A couple of hours later we were sitting around the table enjoying a tender and tasty roast.

I've tried it out with other cuts of tough meat both wild and domestic with similar results. Oh and there is no taste of coffee either. What is in the instant coffee that does that is unknown to me. All I know is that it works.

Amazing what you can do with some coffee...

Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Hunt Continues...

Update:
While cruising the Blogsphere this morning, I came upon this "The Bacon Weave." For those of you that don't have enough cholesteral in your diet, this is a sure fire way to get it up there! Brought to you by the fellows at BBQ Addicts!

AAR