There's just so much to explore in cooking feral hog ribs.

Perhaps owing to the inherent uniqueness of each hog, rib cookery can get complicated. A fattier female hog in a certain weight range and age might offer sets of ribs that are easier to cook and objectively better. By “easier to cook”, I mean these can be more akin to domestic pork ribs, possessing the consistencies and culinary training wheels that their fat and lazy domestic cousins behind the fences bring to the table.

Differentiating rib qualities and limitations comes with experience, as outlined in The Hog Book. There are some quick categorizations and assessments that can be made to determine the course of action. Basically, the leaner the rack of ribs, the more “cheating” they’ll require in getting tender. This can mean wrapped in parchment or foil and smoked, wrapped and baked, poached in heavily seasoned water or slowly cooked in fat (confit). Generally, the ribs would be given a high heat finish at the end to sear, caramelize and/or glaze them, which can be over a hot grill, in the hottest part of a smoker or in a hot oven.

In The Hog Book, we discuss sous vide (vacuum sealing and precisely cooking at a consistent heat in a water bath), “cheating” by poaching in seasoned water and then being either grilled or fried (Hog Wings, page 254). These are tried and true methods and work well. 

With a very high-quality hog, like the pecan-fattened sow I killed one October, I am trying something new: Hot and Fast. A marinade of vinegar, honey, salt, garlic and peppers is first applied, and allowed to do some tenderizing work for at least a day, maybe 36 hours. The ribs are then grilled directly over a medium fire so each edge is burnished, the fat is cooked and the ribs are tender. By tender, I mean a chewiness that is pleasant, and possible, but not falling apart like a fatty rack of slow-smoked ribs.

The marinade here is a combination that I really enjoy: fennel or anise seed, garlic, sherry vinegar, hot pepper and honey. Maybe some rosemary. All of these mingle well with smoke and hot pork fat. Marinate the ribs for at least a day, allowing the salt and vinegar to make some headway in seasoning and tenderizing.

This method will work with shoulder ribs, belly ribs (St. Louis style is necessary, as the ribs are cut individually before being marinated and grilled) and babybacks performing well, so long as they’re from a pretty fatty animal. By this, I mean a ballpark 20-25% fat content, as measured with a visual assessment. With shoulder and belly ribs, you’ll want plenty of white or pearly fat layered into the belly portion and a firm layer of exterior fat, too. Babybacks should have some fat around the ribs, and some left attached from the fat layer on the back, or loin, of the animal.

The fire needed for this is a “medium” fire, or one that you can hold your hand over for about 6-8 seconds before it gets too hot. Once this consistent fire is achieved–be that over a gas grill, a pellet grill, charcoal or burnt-down wood–add the ribs, fatty side down. About every 5-10 minutes you’ll want to turn the ribs, cooking them evenly on all four sides. The fire should never be so hot as to start burning a surface of the ribs within that time period. If it is, adjust the grates away from the fire or turn the heat down a little. The process, which I acknowledge is Hot and Fast, should probably be Hot and Relatively Fast, as it will take an hour to an hour and a half to get to the finish line. Pork shreds at around 200°F, but is cooked through (no pink) at 165°F. This method is aiming for the “cooked through” temperature, but getting there at a moderate rate. The ribs are done when they’ve just hit “well done” and all the sides are deeply caramelized, brown and crispy with an internal temperature of 165°F. This slow and direct cook melts the fat and starts to cook out the connective tissue, but does not yield the falling apart texture of a slower-cooked rib. It does, however, make for a tender rib with a very pleasant meaty texture. Much beyond this temperature and you’ll be flirting with dryness, especially if the ribs aren’t especially fatty. Under this temperature, the ribs might be chewy and flabby due to the fat not being adequately rendered.

Once cooked, they can rest for quite a while. I suggest getting them away from direct heat and allowing them to absorb a little smoke and warmth until ready to serve. I do not recommend wrapping them, which might lessen the pleasant crust developed on the exterior. An adjustable grill, like my Mill Scale, is perfect for this in that I just place the grate at the highest level and cut off the airflow to the fire, creating a smoky, warm resting spot.

Serve these ribs with a sweet and sour sauce and some other grilled things. Here, I’ve grilled a few chestnut mushrooms and gypsy peppers from the garden, but ramps, eggplant slices, spring onions, summer squash or even tomatoes would be excellent. Dress everything with the reserved marinade and serve.

serves 4

1 tbsp Kosher salt

2 tsp fennel or anise seeds

6 cloves garlic

Dried or ground hot pepper to taste

1 4” sprig rosemary, leaves only

¼ cup sherry vinegar

¼ cup honey

¼ cup olive oil

2-3 pounds fatty feral hog ribs (shoulder ribs, St. Louis style or babybacks), cut into individual ribs

In a mortar (or finely chop everything together on a cutting board), combine the salt, fennel or anise, garlic, hot pepper and rosemary. Crush or chop this to a fine paste. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the vinegar, honey and olive oil. Divide this marinade into two equal portions, setting one aside until ready to serve. Use the remaining marinade to coat the ribs well. Marinate for 24 hours, covered and refrigerated.

Heat a grill to medium heat.

Place the ribs, fatty-side down, on the grate and cook for 10 minutes. Begin cooking and turning the ribs every 5-10 minutes until deeply browned, cooked through and to an internal temperature of 165°F. This will take 1-1 ½ hours. Once cooked, remove the ribs to a warm, smoky spot away from the direct heat and rest until ready to serve, up to another hour.

When ready to serve, dress with the remaining marinade (also dress any vegetables you’ve grilled with the ribs) and sprinkle with some coarse salt.