A PRICKLY SUBJECT

Javelina Make Great Table Fare

It was late January in Maverick County when I stepped out of the deer blind after a cool morning sit with ranch manager and good friend, Scott Krueger. The collared peccary (javelina) we had been watching most of the morning was seemingly unbothered by our presence. This gave me the confidence to try my hand at spot and stalking with my camera.

Tripod in hand, I snuck a few yards closer, took a shot…a few yards closer, took a shot…and so on. Then it happened; the bachelor javelina caught a whiff of my presence and instantly inflated. In the blink of an eye the 40-pound peccary turned into an 80-pound behemoth.

Crouched in the field, I found myself eye to snout with my favorite Texas native species. I wondered if this was it—my Steve Irwin moment. I’ve spent many years advocating on behalf of this unique animal; however, I had never found myself in this predicament.

Unsure what my next move should be, I kept taking photos as the curious javelina circled me, trying to figure out if I was a threat. Seconds turned into minutes, and when he finally slipped away into the brush, I returned to a chuckling Scott with both a sigh of relief and a big grin on my face.

I DIDN’T CHOOSE THE JAVELINA, THE JAVELINA CHOSE ME

I saw my first javelina from a ground blind in Live Oak County in 2015. At the time, I was a relatively new adult-onset hunter with no preconceived understanding that javelina had earned a reputation among most Texans as aggressive, smelly, inedible, nuisance animals.

That javelina was my first big game animal harvest and statewide it ranked second place in the Texas Big Game Awards (TBGA), the official hunting recognition program of Texas. Thanks to the generosity of private landowners, I have been hunting javelina and helping others top my first javelina’s TBGA score ever since.

My mission to bring light to this native game species doesn’t end with hunting. Regardless of your feelings toward javelina, they do, in fact, make great table fare.

Naturally, I have heard every excuse not to eat javelina. Most of these justifications come from grown men who pride themselves on their machismo, yet have a hard time tackling a relatively small, somewhat smelly critter. With prickly pear, other succulents, and forbs making up most of their diet, they are one of the leanest proteins produced on our great Texas landscape.

When field dressing javelina as with all game animals, process and cool the animal quickly. Because of its low fat content, javelina is easy to overcook and under season, which leads to a dry, dull, and tough eating experience.

Javelina is not well-suited for throwing on the smoker and walking away for several hours. While it can be prepared in multiple ways, in my opinion, javelina are best cooked low and slow in a slow-cooker or Dutch oven with added liquids or fats to help break down and add moisture to the meat.

Over the years, armed with a slogan to “Eat More Javelina,” other aficionados have joined me at my pro-peccary table, and I have witnessed a softening in the way javelina are viewed by some. Even so, the javelina still has a long way to go before it ends up on the dinner plate of most hunters in Texas.

Let’s change that with a few recipes:

Javelina Adobo Tostadas

Ingredients

• 1 javelina ham or shoulder (bone-in)

• 3 Roma tomatoes

• 1 white onion, roughly chopped

• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled

• 10 dried guajillo chilies

• 1 dried ancho chili

• 5 dried chilies de arbol

• 3 cups stock (chicken, vegetable or wild game)

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon oregano

• ½ teaspoon ground cloves

• 2 dried bay leaves

• Sea salt, to taste

• Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, and onion to the pan and cook until the tomatoes and onions start to char.

2. Add the dried chilies and garlic. Sautee for a few minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic. Add 2 cups of your stock of choice and reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Remove ingredients from the pan to a blender. Add the remaining cup of stock, vinegar, pinch of salt, and spices. Blend until smooth. No electricity at camp? This chili sauce can be made ahead of time and frozen before your next trip.

4. Heat a large cast iron Dutch oven on high or over a live fire. Add olive oil and javelina, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, turning to prevent burning.

5. Once browned on all sides, add the chili sauce into the pot (reserving a few cups) with the javelina. Add bay leaves. Stir to combine and let it come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium or medium-low, cover and simmer until the meat is fork tender. A slow cooker works here, too—cook on low for 8 hours.

6. Once finished, the javelina meat will fall off the bone and can easily be shredded. Add the reserved chili sauce back to the meat or set aside as a condiment. Remove the bay leaves and serve on freshly grilled or fried tostada with your favorite accoutrements. I prefer cotija cheese, shredded purple cabbage, pico salsa, crema, and homemade chili pequin hot sauce.

FIERY PALOMA

An ode to the landowners who allow me to chase these peculiar peccaries

Ingredients

• Chili pequin salt

• Chamoy

• 1 ½ oz Marfa Spirits grapefruit liqueur

• ¼ cup lime juice

• Ruby red grapefruit Italian soda

• Fresh grapefruit, sliced

Preparation

1. Pour chamoy and chili pequin salt (made by grinding dried chili pequins and coarse sea salt together) on a small plate. Dip the rim of the glass into the chamoy first then the chili pequin salt, all the way around.

2. Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add lime juice and liqueur. Securely fasten the lid and shake well.

3. Pour the mixture into your prepared glass with ice. Top with Italian soda.

4. Garnish with fresh grapefruit slice and enjoy.

FARM & RANCH SALES