Wild Boar Outdoors

Continuing my last post on 10 wild boar recipes, I bring you 10 more delicious ones. As hunters, we hunt for the sport and to enjoy the amazing cuisine. Personally, it’s a forceful sacrifice when killing game, and the spoils should be treated as an honor. So I prep and plan my hunt and my game meals. Here are 10 wild boar recipes to expand your game cookbook.

1. Wild Boar Bacon

Ingredients

• 1 lb wild boar bacon
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• Black pepper to taste
• Cayenne pepper (optional)

Method

1. Prep the boar – mix maple syrup, brown sugar, and black pepper in a bowl and mix. Next, baste the bacon with the mixture. (Add the cayenne if wanted).
2. Start your flame – using a pellet grill or oven with a wire rack at 375 degrees, place tin foil at the bottom for cleanup, and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Enhance the flavor – while cooking, continue to baste every 5-10 minutes. Keep cooking until the bacon becomes crispy and the sugars have caramelized.

2. Braised Wild Boar Belly

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of wild boar belly
• 1 quart beef stock
• 4 cups brining solution
• High heat Oil (grapeseed, canola, peanut)

Method

1. Brine the boar meat in solution overnight in the fridge.
2. Next day, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
3. Cut the meat into pieces small enough to fit into a braising pot on one layer.
4. Score the belly fat in a shallow crisscross pattern on the non-rib side.
5. Heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat.
6. Lay the meat fat-side down in the pan and sear.
7. After crusted, flip it over and sear.
8. Remove fat and pour in enough beef stock to cover the meat.
9. Cover and bring to a simmer.
10. After, move to the oven to braise for 1.5 hours or until tender.

3. Wild Boar Salami

Ingredients

• 4 lbs wild boar, cut into 1″ chunks
• 1 lb pork back fat
• 51 g kosher salt
• 6 g instacure No. 2
• 1 tsp bactoferm T-SPX starter culture
• 1/4 cup distilled water
• 1 g dextrose or sugar
• 45 g dry milk powder
• 1/4 cup angelica or white port
• 10 g cracked black pepper
• 2 g fennel seeds
• 5 crushed dried California bay laurel leaves, or regular bay
• 2 g crushed dried California white sage leaves, or regular sage
• 15 g fresh minced garlic
• 3 g fennel pollen (optional)
• Beef casings, about 8 feet worth

Method

1. Cut the 4 pounds of meat into 1″ chunks.
2. Cut the back fat into small pieces and place in freezer.
3. Put Angelica in fridge.
4. Mix the instacure and salt with meat in a grinder. Then cover a sit overnight.
5. Soak the salted casings in lukewarm water.
6. Mix 1/2 of black pepper, sage, bay leaves, fennel pollen, and garlic. Add to dry milk and dextrose. Mix in meat chunks and grind through coarse die.
7. Stir Bactoferm T-SPX into water. Sit for 10-30 minutes.
8. Grind 2/3 of meat through fine die. Then add fat, rest of meat, fennel seeds, rest of black pepper, chilled Angelica, and starter culture. Mix for about 2 minutes or until a paste.
9. Rinse casings and thread on stuffer. Pack sausage into stuffer at about 10″ long. Tie off casings in butterfly knot, or commercial salami netting.
10. After netting and tieing, hang in a warm, humid place for 36-48 hours misting it with water twice a day.
11. After the salami is cured, move to a cooler place for 4-6 weeks.
12. Store by vacuum sealing and freezing.

4. Wild Boar Roast with Wine and Cognac

Ingredients

• 3 lb wild boar roast
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into cubes
• 1 celery, cut into cubes
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 3 springs parsley, 1 spring thyme, and 1 large bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 to 3 cups full-bodied red wine
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 to 2 tbsp red currant or grape jelly
• 6 juniper berries (optional)
• 1/2 cup Cognac (optional)
• 1 to 2 tsp potato or corn starch (optional)

Method

1. Marinate the meat: put meat, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, berries, and salt and pepper in large bowl. Cover with red wine and add vinegar. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for as long as you can. Remove meat and dry with paper towels.
2. Heat 2 tbsp butter and oil. Reduce heat, add meat and brown all sides.
3. Remove from heat and flambe meat with Cognac.
4. Add marinade and ingredients.
5. Simmer on low heat until tender.
6. Sauce: Puree vegetables and cooking liquid in blender until smooth. Heat in pan, add jelly and whisk. Thicken with starch. Add remaining 2 tbsp butter. Pour over cooked meat and serve.

5. Wild Boar Ragu

Ingredients

• 1 lb wild boar shoulder or leg
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 cups Chianti or other red wine
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup canned tomatoes, with liquid
• 2 cups vegetable stock
•  Tagliatelle or other pasta

Method

1. The night before place meat in a bowl with rosemary, peppercorns, garlic, and cover with wine. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Remove rosemary and garlic. Drain the meat in a bowl. Heat oil on medium-high heat and add carrot, celery, and onion. Sauté until softened.
3. Add meat and cook until meat is browned. Add the reserved wine and cook until mixture is dry. Add tomatoes, 1 cup water, reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour.
4. Add vegetable stock and continue cooking 1.5-2.5 hours. Remove from heat, shred the meat, and serve over pasta.

6. BBQ Ribs & Tenderloin

Ingredients

• wild boar ribs
• wild boar tenderloin
• flavored stock
• onion, cloves, garlic, chili
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• lime juice
• chili powder
• BBQ sauce: onion, molasses, mustard, chili sauces, vinegar

Method

1. Ribs: Poach ribs in stock with onions, cloves, garlic, and chili. Add tomato puree. Boil for 20 minutes.
2. Tenderloin: slice into medallions. Cover in olive oil. Add salt, pepper, lime juice, and chili powder.
3. BBQ Sauce: chop and fry an onion, add molasses, add 2 tbsp mustard, chili sauces, and vinegar
4. Brush BBQ sauce on meat and grill
5. 35-45 seconds on tenderloin, 1.5-2 mins on ribs

7. Wild Boar Stew with Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 500 g wild boar
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 50 g celery
• 75 g carrot
• 200 g onion
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 cup red wine
• 100 g smoked bacon
• 1 tbsp caraway seeds
• 1 cup tomato passata
• 2 Small-Medium tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp dried marjoram
• 2 tbsp sweet paprika
• 250 g mushrooms
• 3 tbsp + 1 tsp butter

Method

1. Cut the meat into small pieces.
2. Cut the carrot, celery, and onion into small pieces.
3. Cut the bacon into strips.
4. Slice the garlic.
5. Cut the tomatoes into quarters.
6. Cut the mushrooms into pieces.

Slow Cooker Method

1. Add carrot, celery, and onion to the slow cooker.
2. In frying pan, fry bacon until crispy, save fat, and add to slow cooker.
3. Season boar with salt and pepper and coat with flour.
4. Brown the meat in the pan, then add to slow cooker.
5. Add garlic to the pan for 60 seconds. Add wine and reduce by 2/3.
6. Add tomato passata, tomatoes, caraway seeds, bay leaves, and marjoram to pan.
7. Bring to a boil and add to the slow cooker.
8. Sprinkle in paprika and add 250 ml of cold water.
9. Stir and cook on low for 5 1/2 hours.
10. In pan, melt butter and saute mushrooms for 5 minutes. Then, add to slow cooker for final 30 minutes.

Stovetop Method

1. Heat a large pan with lid on medium heat.
2. Add bacon and fry until crispy.
3. Add onion, celery, and carrot and stir with bacon fat.
4. Season boar with salt and pepper and coat with flour.
5. Increase heat and add the boar until browning.
6. Add the remaining ingredients except the butter and mushrooms.
7. Simmer for 2-3 hours.
8. In separate pan, saute butter with mushrooms. Then, add to stew and simmer for 30 minutes.

8. Wild Boar Bolognese

Ingredients

• 12 oz ground wild boar
• ½ cup red wine
• 2 ½ cups basic tomato sauce
• 2 lbs fresh pasta
• bread crumbs & parmigiano reggiano cheese
• olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat oil in pan over medium heat.
2. Add meat, cook, and break up.
3. Add wine, cook until alcohol evaporates and some wine is reduced.
4. Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper.
5. Boil the pasta.
6. Serve with topped bread crumbs and cheese.

9. Pan Roasted Wild Boar with Fruit

Ingredients

• 2 lb hog backstrap
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
• 3-4 peaches, apricots, or nectarines
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup basil, sliced (optional)
• Oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season meat with salt and pepper.
2. Wash, pit, and cut the stone fruit into wedges.
3. Spread cherry tomatoes in a tray. Drizzle with oil and add salt and pepper. Roast in oven for about 20 minutes.
4. Heat a pan with oil and sear the sides of the meat then remove to the oven for about 10 minutes.
5. Add shallots to pan and saute until soft, add fruit and let carmelize. Then, add the bourbon and let it reduce.
6. Scrape the roasted tomatoes and juices into the pan with peaches. Gently stir to combine and then add butter. Reduce the heat to low and finish cooking until butter is melted and fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and then taste. Add an extra pat of butter if it tastes too acidic or a small squeeze of honey if it’s too bitter. Just before serving, sprinkle the basil across the top.
7. Serve the hog loin with a spoonful of the stone fruit sauce on top.

10. Wild Boar Burgers

Ingredients

• 500 g minced wild boar shoulder/belly
• 1 tbsp brown sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 shallots
• 4 burger buns
• olive oil
• 2 braeburn/cox’s apples
• 50 g blue cheese
• 30 g watercress

Method

1. Mix mince in a bowl and break down the fat. Divide into 4 balls, then flatten into burger shapes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 250°F.
3. Mix the brown, Worcestershire, and tomato sauces together. Add finely chopped shallots and mix.
4. Toast the buns.
5. Heat oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Fry burgers for about 4 minutes on each side, seasoning occasionally.
6. Spread shallot sauce on the bottom buns. Slice and add the apple, then the burger, some blue cheese, some watercress, top the bun and serve.

Note: These are not my recipes. These are various recipes I found on the internet. They are referenced.