Did I ruin hog meat?

I bought a cheap cooler that doesn't have a drain, I've been draining the water every night but the meat soaks in water all day, is it even worth trying to cook the meat or should I just trap a few more?

as long as there is plenty of ice and you change out the water you'll be fine. I did this for the first time this year and it worked out good. Mine has a plug but it doesn't matter as long as it gets drained at least once a day. I was concerned about the color but once you take it out and complete the processing it turns back to a nice color and that gray look on the outside is only temporary. Next year though I will have the drain plug opened so the meat does not sit in water. There is no problem with it but after trying it this year I think i would prefer to do it that way. I'm looking for an old refrig to buy also to hang the meat in after I get home and take it out of the cooler to dry age a little longer.

Some people do that with big gnarly boars on purpose to get some of the musk flavor out. You should be fine.

Soaking in water is good, gets blood out of meat. After all i bring it home and put it right back in salt water after its processed.

Water is fine if it has ice. Another words meat needs to be kept cold.

When we kill a hog we let the meat sit in ice water for about a week changing the water everyday. It pulls all the "gameyness" out of it for the most part...

X2

Just like purging some crawfish