Recipe Of The Month

Colorful Spring in the Piney Woods

the weeds look vibrant this time of year.

The wild hogs, or rooters as I refer to them, are fattened up from the winter acorns. This is my favorite time of year to fill the freezer with fresh butchered wild pork. The sounders are large right now with tons of piglets up to 200 plus pound sows and boars, all feeding together. When I slip in and find a sounder, I follow them through the woods.

From there, I can pick out my target for the day that’s usually in the 80-125 lb. range to make bone-in chops, whole roasts, and tenders. The 50-75 lb. weight range is great to split down the middle and smoke in halves for pulled meat or street tacos finished on a bed of mixed peppers and onions.

Spring is my favorite time of year to get out and enjoy the beautiful East Texas Piney Woods along the Neches River, where we escape to hunt and relax. Overnight and mornings are usually cool for my hunts, followed by warm afternoons to finish chores or cook outside. The ample rain allows the berries and wildflowers to grow which adds so much vibrant color to the elevated acreage.

Down at the river bottom, trees are filling out making visibility to spot animals to get a clear shot a bit more challenging than when the trees were bareback in the winter.

Last week, we were able to harvest wild dewberries along the sandy logging roads and in patches near our campsite. We also hiked around locating what will be a bumper crop of wild blackberries. Vines with thousands of flowers and small green berries are plentiful this time of year and should ripen early in May. I’m hopeful for a mid-month ripening, around my birthday, so we can spend a couple of days there to harvest and freeze buckets of berries for jams, cobblers, or chutney and grill up a wild birthday dinner. Wildflowers are abundant as well, present in various shapes, sizes, and colors. Even some of

I will be sharing many of my wild hog recipes as we love to eat both wild hog meat and venison. When I get the chance to take someone out for their first hunt, then prepare a meal for them within 24 hours of what was harvested, it’s a special moment and bond that lasts forever. I encourage and challenge anyone that does not practice field to table to find a hunting relative or friend that can take you on your first hunt. It will be a life-changing experience for all involved.

Eat wild, live free!

Tomahawk pan fried wild pork chops & citrus waffles w/ fresh dewberry syrup

Ingredients

Dewberry Syrup

Fresh dewberries - 3 cups

Natural cane sugar - 1 1/4 cups

Water - 1/2 cup

Apple juice - 1/2 cup

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Lemon zest 1/2 tsp

Orange zest - 1 tsp

Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp

Mint - 3-4 fresh leaves

Citrus Waffles

All-purpose flour - 1 3/4 cups sifted

Baking powder - 3 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Egg whites - 2 stiffly beaten with peaks

Egg yolks - 2 beaten smooth

Milk - 1 3/4 cups

Oil - 1/2 cup

Directions - Dewberry Syrup

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it reaches a soft boil. Hold for 2 minutes then reduce to the lowest setting for an additional 5 minutes. Set aside to cool then either use with whole berries or soft blend until smooth and pour into glass jars to refrigerate until use. NOTE: This recipe makes 24 oz of finished syrup.

Directions - Citrus Waffles

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine yolks, milk, oil, zest, and extract then stir into dry ingredients.

Fold

Directions - Tomahawk Wild Hog Chops

Cut individual bone-in chops and gently tenderize both sides with a meat mallet being careful not to separate meat from the bone. Dredge in seasoned flour, egg wash, back in flour then pan fry until golden brown. Serve with buttered citrus waffles, dewberry syrup, and extra syrup on the side to dip pork chops in.

Orange zest - 1 tsp

Lime zest - 1/2 tsp

Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

Tomahawk Wild Hog Chops

Bone in chops - 8-10 individual chops

TSS Texas Season Allseason both sides

Egg wash - 1 egg and 1 cup milk

Seasoned flour - 2 cups flour, course sea salt, black pepper

Vegetable oil for frying