Feral sausage and cabbage soup

Once a pig is down, it’s a chore to reduce some of it to sausage. Feral pigs don’t skin easily. It is wise to wear rubber gloves and not expose bare skin anytime you are cleaning or processing game, and this goes 10 times over when processing feral swine.

One other warning is to not prepare this recipe for large groups. You will always be asked to make it in the future. If you prepare for a group, take a handful of index cards with you with the recipe printed on them so you’re ready when folks start asking for it.

Regular readers know I usually suggest you experiment to suit your personal tastes with any of my recipes. This may be the one best left alone. You won’t offend me trying to tweak this, but I’ve tried and this is the mixture that continues to headline the page. If anyone comes up with something they believe is better, please send me that recipe so I can try it too.

Feral pig soup

I’ve been making this sausage and cabbage soup for years. About 15 years back I decided to try it with a batch of sausage from a roughly 100-pound feral pig. The pig was nice and lean, but still tender, and the seasoning was just right. It has become my go-to mixture for this soup. I’ve also made it with venison sausage and sausage from domestic pigs. Those aren’t bad, but something about spicy feral pig sausage bumps it into a class of its own.

What appears to be far too much cabbage cooks down into the right amount. A little bit of sugar helps this recipe tremendously. Sometimes cabbage has a little bit of harsh edge to it and this completely negates that, plus gives an ever-so-light sweetness to the soup. I use Splenda to keep the calories down. The croutons are the kicker. It’s like bread, but with a cracker crunch. Seriously, this really finishes off the soup.

I use tomatoes for this recipe, even though I often substitute one of the versions of Rotel for tomatoes in other recipes. Some of you will want to try it and you should. If you do this, my suggestion is to pick one that isn’t too spicy. The spices in the Rotel may clash with the spices in the sausage mixture.

Add some diced potatoes as an option. They contribute some bulk to the soup, and some of my friends say they mellow the spices. I don’t think this is particularly spicy, but if you do, adding some diced potatoes will help fill you up and detune the spices. This is a difference for personal tastes.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound hot feral pig, venison or bear sausage
• 1 Head green cabbage
• 1 Large Can diced tomatoes
• 1 Bag seasoned cornbread or Texas toast croutons
• 2/3 Cup sliced carrots
• 1 sweet onion
• 1 TBL minced garlic
• 4 Cups chicken stock
• 2 TSP crushed red pepper flakes
• Cavender’s All Purpose Greek Seasoning and coarse ground black pepper to taste
• 2 TSP brown sugar or Splenda
• Optional: diced potatoes

PREPARATION:

1. Remove the core and shred the cabbage.
2. Chop the onion.
3. Slice the carrots.
4. Lightly brown the sausage and set aside.
5. Saute the onions and garlic in the sausage drippings.
6. Set the onions and garlic aside and pour off the excess sausage drippings.
7. Stew the cabbage down in a deep pot for 20 to 25 minutes with the chicken stock.
8. Add the sausage, tomatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, spices, and sugar. Now stir to mix well. If the liquid is low, add the tomato juice saved when the tomatoes were drained.
9. Allow to slowly simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.
10. Serve topped with croutons.

This is pretty much a meal as it is, but welcomes your favorite extra vegetable, a hearty bread or some light appetizers beforehand. Warm bread pudding, drizzled with a little chocolate syrup, makes an excellent dessert.

I have a soup and stew pot, but prefer to cook this in a cast iron pot. I started cooking with cast iron after watching my dad make tasty meals using it, and now I cook using cast iron whenever possible.

Cast iron really is great cookware. It distributes the heat well and doesn’t have cold spots at the outer edge or hot spots over the burner rings like some other cookware.

This recipe contains good amounts for four people or three hungry people. Try it at this amount the first time. However, I’m pretty sure it won’t be long before you’re doubling or tripling this recipe. Don’t worry about leftovers either. If there are any leftovers, do yourself a favor and warm them back up in a pot. The leftovers are pretty good warmed in the microwave, but are like spaghetti and become more flavorful when warmed slowly and thoroughly in a pot – preferably a cast iron pot.

This is a great soup to warm up a winter day. It’s also a good soup to enjoy on any occasion. It’s tasty, plus will warm you up and fill you up.

If you like soups, give this one a try. It isn’t as spicy as you may think. My wife doesn’t care for hot, spicy foods and loves this, so I’ll offer her recommendation. Enjoy!

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