South Texas Ghost Pie

Sponsored by South Texas Elite Hog Hunting

The name may seem odd unless you were with me on a recent hog hunt in South Texas where I got the first shot on a boar that was tucked tight in some mesquite and cactus trying to escape the sun’s rays. The shot was true and my very first wild hog was drug from its hiding spot. It was a hog that was tough to locate and had become worthy of its own name. They called him The Ghost, hence the name of this wild hog pie recipe.

This hog pie recipe is great for cleaning out your fridge or using up some potatoes and onions in need of replenishing. I left a couple of packages of my hog harvest out after our trip so I could try the wild pork they called the ghost. It was great, but after two pork chop meals, I wanted to use the meat for something different just to finish it off. I decided to make a pot pie and it was awesome. Keep reading for instructions and remember you can use whatever meat you want, I just happened to use my fresh South Texas pork chop and sausage.

I had the carrots and okra from a venison stew I made a few days before and just found them in the freezer. It was cold and nasty outside and I didn’t want to go to the grocery store so it worked out great. I love to create as I go and this wild hog pie recipe was created on the fly in my kitchen. You have to let your culinary imagination run wild sometimes. If you lack a culinary imagination and you love to cook then you need to work on getting one. It’s in there, you just have to let it out. Sometimes you might make a meal your dog won’t eat, but more often than not you come up with your favorite dish like I did with my PANFISH CHOWDER GUMBO recipe. I promise once you use that imagination and cultivate it you’ll seldom make a dish you don’t like because you use the things you love to eat. Creativity makes cooking fun.

Wild Hog Pot Pie Ingredients

1 pound of wild hog meat
1/2 bag of carrots
1/2 bag of okra
1 large yellow onion
4 large potatoes
4 tablespoons of fresh cracked pepper
1 small can of diced tomatoes
1 small can of V8 juice
dash cayenne pepper
2 cups of water
salt to taste

Wild Hog Pie Pot Pie Instructions

1. Cut meat into stewing size pieces. If you like big chunky meat cut them 1-inch square. If you prefer smaller pieces, then cut them 1/2 inch or so square. Personal preference. I used jalapeño and cheddar sausage I had made by the processor with my South Texas hog

2. Brown the meat chunks in a skillet. I like to add some of the spices to the meat to season it. Then put the meat into a large stew pot or my favorite, a Dutch oven.

3. Cut the onion into 1/2 inch cubes or do like me and just chop the onion up until it looks right. Cook your onion in a little butter until translucent. I like to brown the ends of the onion because it gives you a different flavor that adds to the pie’s overall flavor.

4. Cube your potato into 1/2 inch cubes or again like the onion just cut it up until you like the size and drop them into the pot along with the other ingredients and all the spices. The diced tomatoes and V8 will be enough liquid to simmer and cook down to a thicker and more flavorful broth before adding the water. This also allows the meat and other ingredients to soak up the spices and flavors generated by the simmer.

5. After the wild hog pie filling has simmered down and all the flavors are incorporated it is time to add the water. I usually add a bottle of dark beer at this point to all my stews unless I am running low then keep it in the fridge. Cook until the potatoes are tender and have a bowl just to savor your work before creating the pie. There is usually some leftover afterward anyway and you can just eat it as a stew and it is delicious this way as well.

6. Making the pie is simple and you can do it several different ways. You can use biscuits, crescent roll dough, or pie crust for your wild hog pie crust. You can even make your own. For this pie, I chose biscuits so I could get them out of the freezer. If you use biscuits be sure to cook them for several minutes before placing them on top of your pie. This cooks the bottom just a little bit so the biscuits are completely done in the end.

7. Put your filling in the skillet. I prefer cast iron for its even heating. Place your biscuits on top to cover your filling. Then put your pie into the oven at the temperature called out for the dough you use. Fill your skillet and let the filling cool while the biscuit pre-cook. This way the filling doesn’t overcook while the biscuits brown. Remove from oven when biscuits are brown and serve. Enjoy The Harvest and enjoy this wild hog pie recipe.

NOTE: We hunted with South Texas Elite Hog Hunting Arnold La Count runs a great operation with excellent numbers of hogs and great South Texas hospitality. Check out South Texas Elite Hog Hunting for your next hunt. Thanks, Arnold for a great time, and man what a breakfast after driving 22 hours straight without sleep. Enjoy The Harvest