Thread: What to do about bone taint

Chuck it.
Pork is considerably less safe than red meat with any gut spillage or interruptions to rapid chilling. it can harbour campylobacter, listeria and yersinia all of which are very nasty.

Originally Posted by MightyBoosh

I'd be interested to hear what experienced hunters have to say about dunking meat in a creek. I'm careful to avoid anything I shoot or catch coming in to contact with water unless it is going straight in to the freezer. I never wash snapper fillets for example. Bacteria love water!

I wasn't there otherwise I'd have insisted that we don't do that.

Originally Posted by ethos

Chuck it.
Pork is considerably less safe than red meat with any gut spillage or interruptions to rapid chilling. it can harbour campylobacter, listeria and yersinia all of which are very nasty.

Yup. Chucking the one with bone taint. The other stuff may be ok. We will see.

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It won't be a danger to anyone in the freezer - won't contaminate anything else.

Check on wikipedia- the botulism toxin is destroyed by heat. If it's well cooked (and pork always should be) then it will NOT be dangerous to eat. Just possibly inedible due to taste . That's what curry is for. (Joke) Also dont give doubtful tasting meat to non hunters girlfriends, rellys, land owners etc or you will lose support for trips away.

I agree, dont like to wash meat in water. Spreads germs into every nook and cranny. Just wipe off as best you can with grass and leaves . Then use a knife liberally to cut away ANY meat with visible gut contents.

I have a theory that after a non fatal gut shot, gut contents gets into he circulation and can be pumped all round the body by circulation if the animal takes more than a minute or two to die. Meat can still be ok to eat but needs to be frozen down early. No hanging gut shot meat I reckon. Also no mincingit up because that mixes bacteria up in a huge surface area of stuff it can grow in. It's always best to freeze any mince as soon as you mince it.

I've had the same with wild pork going off. Not your fault. Very sad but learn and better outcome next time. There are more pigs in the hills.

Originally Posted by Bagheera

I have a theory that after a non fatal gut shot, gut contents gets into he circulation and can be pumped all round the body by circulation if the animal takes more than a minute

I've personally kinda felt the same. Even maybe a Liver shot. Circulation is fucked but not entirely shut down and there is a bunch of shit floating around the Liver.

Not so bad when cooking and killing pathogens while eating liver. But med/rare Venison back steak from the only animal I have eaten that I know was liver shot and hung in chiller (slipped as firing, not by myself) had a funky quality I haven't seen since.

Was that the cause? Can't say, but have wondered about any kind of contamination from the "waste management organs" ever since.

Don't shoot many Poaka myself but definitely pop joints and cool asap. And never EVER cool meat in water. Hanging in trees in shade by running water=good, even cooled and in bags in water.....no thanks.

But that's just my thoughts/opinions.

Originally Posted by Preacher

I've personally kinda felt the same. Even maybe a Liver shot. Circulation is fucked but not entirely shut down and there is a bunch of shit floating around the Liver.

Not so bad when cooking and killing pathogens while eating liver. But med/rare Venison back steak from the only animal I have eaten that I know was liver shot and hung in chiller (slipped as firing, not by myself) had a funky quality I haven't seen since.

Was that the cause? Can't say, but have wondered about any kind of contamination from the "waste management organs" ever since.

Don't shoot many Poaka myself but definitely pop joints and cool asap. And never EVER cool meat in water. Hanging in trees in shade by running water=good, even cooled and in bags in water.....no thanks.

But that's just my thoughts/opinions.

That "Funky Quality " ....

Yes, even a good lung shot often also goes through the liver. Imagine all the gall bladder contents being hydraulicked into a major blood vessel nearby. Sterile but "interesting".

Originally Posted by Russian 22.

I wasn't there otherwise I'd have insisted that we don't do that.



Yup. Chucking the one with bone taint. The other stuff may be ok. We will see.

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Ok so lets stop calling this problem 'Bone Taint' it's 'gut shot' meat. When this happens, don't gut the pig. Instead cut the two front legs off leaving the skin on - just pull the leg away from the body and start the cut under the leg ( lower armpit) Take the backsteaks like you would a deer - these are the eye of your chops normally. then take off the backwheels cutting around between the pelvis and back leg and popping the hip socket. Stay well away from the Arsehole that's where 'shit happens'. This leaves the carcase un-gutted and the meat clean. Skin the legs at home. If you run the knife under the skin and cut outwards when removing the legs and later when skinning there wont be any short cut-in-half pieces of hair on the meat.