But are they good eating?
“They” claim they are. But I suppose that if they are like wild hogs ya gotta cook thoroughly to avoid trichenosis which is still in the wild hogs, but mostly,eradicated in domestic. (”They” claim that you can cook domestic pork to 145 or so now- not sure I wanna though)
Yes, if you make sure, you remove the musk gland!
You’ve got to be careful dressing them but they make good sausage. Not enough juice for the squeeze as far as I’m concerned but definitely edible.
A bar in west Tx was famous for serving them at bianual bar parties. As long as you bought beer, the treats (bbq javina) were on the house. I scarfed a lot when working near there. Pretty good.
Yes, with a few caveats. I've hunted javelina for over 25 years. Field dressing them is by far the worst field dressing experience of any animal I've ever hunted (including deer, turkey, elk, coyote, feral hog, squirrel, rabbit, and upland birds). Very messy and very "dirty" out the back end. Plus there's a scent gland you really really don't want to puncture but you absolutely do want to remove.
That said, every javelina I've eaten has been fantastic. I smoked my last few to get the internal temp up to 205ºF and they were the best yet, but they make great fajitas as well. Steaks are also pretty good.
It’s all in the prep.