With the increasing rise of the wild hog population across the country, for hunters, that means two things: more sport & more meat. I don’t mean that I’m thrilled that hogs are running wild and all hunters have a golden ticket, a get out of jail free card, or a license to kill without limit.

I’m a conservationist. Always have been.

However, these feral pigs have been destroying farmlands and invading across state lines. In almost every state, it’s open season year-round and there is no bag limit. With all the farmers and hunters and even government agencies helping out to thin their population a lot of boar meat becomes up for grabs.

Preparing Your Boar Meat

Wild boar meat can carry a number of diseases. So always take precaution, use gloves, and have a sharp blade. Freeze dressed meat as soon as possible and slather it in salt.

When cooking pork make sure to bring the internal temperature to at least 160 degrees. The common rule is “low and slow”. Don’t overcook your meat. When you’re preparing to cook your pork soon, thaw it out slowly overnight (pineapple is a great pork tenderizer).

I’ve tried to make the following recipes short and bit-sized. I have paraphrased them from referenced sources. Time to dig in!

Wild Boar Meat Recipes

1. Wild Boar Chops

Ingredients:

• 2 wild boar chops
• 2 tbsps oil
• 4 tbsps flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp mustard
• A bottle of beer
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 cup beef broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Slather the chops in flour, salt, and pepper mix.
3. Heat oil in pan, then add meat.
4. Cook until lightly browned.
5. Remove chops, drain pan (but keep brown bits) and add beer, mustard, garlic, and broth.
6. Simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Return chops to oven safe pan and bake for 45 minutes.

Ref: https://www.realworldsurvivor.com/2018/05/10/pork-prep/

2. Roasted Boar Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1/2 bulb fennel
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds wild boar roast
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Toss the chopped vegetables in 1/4 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a skillet.
4. Season the roast with salt and pepper. With a tablespoon of olive oil, sear the roast on all sides in the skillet.
5. Chop half the fresh herbs, place in a small bowl, and add the remainder of the minced garlic and olive oil; stir to form a loose paste.
6. Rub it all over the seared boar and place on the vegetables in the roasting pan.
7. Tie the remaining herbs together with butcher’s twine and throw into the roasting pan.
8. Add the water to the pan, then cover the pan and roast for 1/2 hour (or to 155-160 degrees inside).
9. Allow to rest about five minutes before slicing and serving with the roasted vegetables.

Ref: https://food52.com/recipes/14705-roast-wild-boar

3. Roasted Boar Leg

Ingredients:

• One wild boar leg
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• Marinade:
  • 4 cups red wine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 40 sprigs thyme
  • 20 black peppercorns
  • 6 cloves
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Roasting the boar:
  • 20 whole cloves
  • 2 to 3 tbsps olive oil
• Sauce:
  • 2 cups chicken or veal stock
  • 3 tbsps red current jelly

Directions:

1. Slather meat with salt and pepper, cover loosely, and refrigerate for 36 hours.
2. Boil the wine, herbs, spices, and vegetables for about 3 minutes and strain.
3. Whisk in the vinegar.
4. Lightly wash the boar, dry it, return to dish, pour cooled marinade over it, refrigerate again for 36 hours turning it at least four times.
5. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
6. Dry the boar, make 20 tiny slits over it, insert a clove into each slit, transfer to a baking dish and pour one-fourth of marinade over it. Roast about 2 hours (until golden outside and light pink inside). Occasionally add more marinade.
7. Remove it from the oven to sit for at least 20 minutes. For the sauce, transfer cooking juice and browned bits from bottom of the baking dish to a saucepan. Whisk in the stock, boil, reduce heat, stir in red jelly. Continue cooking and whisking until the sauce is smooth and satiny, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
8. Before slicing the boar remove as many of the cloves as possible. Thinly slice the wild boar and arrange it on a platter. Garnish with flat-leaf parsley leaves. Either pour the sauce over the meat, or serve it on the side.

Ref: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-leg-of-wild-boar-102758

4. Wild Boar Tacos and Salsa

Ingredients:

Tacos:

• 5 marjoram sprigs
• 5 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsps coriander seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 white onion
• 1 tbsp salt
• 5 pounds boneless wild boar shoulder with fat

Salsa:

• 2 cups jicama
• 2 cups mango
• 1/2 white onion
• 3 tbsps cilantro
• 3 tbsps lime juice
• 2 serrano chiles
• Salt

Directions:

Tacos:

1. Place the marjoram, garlic, coriander, and bay leaves in cheesecloth and tie it tightly with butcher’s twine. Place the bundle in oven with onions and salt. Arrange boar in 2 layers and add water to just cover the meat. Bring to a simmer, discard top foam, for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Salsa:

1. Place ingredients in a bowl, season with salt, and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serving:

1. When ready, remove herb bundle, increase heat to evaporate water, reduce heat and fry meat in the fat until browned, about 20 minutes. Remove large pieces of fat.
2. Serve the carnitas in the tortillas, topped with the salsa, with the lime wedges on the side.

Ref: https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/wild-boar-carnitas-tacos-with-jicama-mango-salsa-30252

5. Wild Boar Rack and Apples

Ingredients:

• 1 wild boar rack
• ¼ cup of bread crumbs
• 4 tbsps of mustard
• 4 apples
• ⅓ cup of brown sugar
• 3 tbsps of salted butter
• ¼ cup of whiskey
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Combine bread crumbs and mustard.
3. Sear rack with a little oil over high heat.
4. Transfer to a roasting pan. Coat the meat with the mustard crumb mixture.
5. Cook until rack’s internal temperature reaches 150° F (about 30 minutes).
6. Remove and cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
7. While the rack is cooking, cut the apples into thick slices.
8. Heat pan add sugar, saute to caramelization. Add butter and mix. add apples and coat them.
9. Add whiskey, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the caramel. Cook off alcohol for 1-2 minutes.
10. Serve warm.

Ref: https://chefdruck.com/2012/02/wild-boar-rack-with-whiskey-apples/

6. Braised Wild Boar Shanks

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 6 wild boar shanks
• 12 garlic cloves
• 8 star anise pods
• 3 whole cloves
• Two 4-inch cinnamon sticks
• 10 cups water
• 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) or 2 tbsps molasses
• 1 cup palm sugar or light brown sugar
• Steamed rice and cilantro, for serving

Directions:

1. Heat the oil. Add shanks on high heat, turning occasionally until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven.
2. Add garlic, star anise, cloves and cinnamon sticks to the skillet and cook over low heat, stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add water, soy sauce, kecap manis and sugar and scrape up any bits stuck to the pan.
3. Pour the liquid on the casserole and bring to a boil. Simmer partially covered until tender (about 2 hours)
4. Transfer shanks to shallow bowls and strain the broth. Spoon off fat, serve shanks with rice and cilantro, and spoon some of the fragrant broth on top.

Ref: https://www.wideopenspaces.com/top-8-wild-boar-recipes/

7. Wild Boar Loin Chops

Ingredients:

• 8 loin chops
• 2 tbsps butter

Marinade Ingredients:

• 2 cups apple juice
• 1 tbsp gingerroot
• 3 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup red onion
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ tsp salt

Blueberry Apple Compote Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• 1 large apple, any variety, peeled, cored and cut into matchsticks
• ¼ cup onion, minced
• 3 tbsps water
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

1. Combine marinade ingredients.
2. Heat 1 tbsp butter in pan, add 1 cup blueberries and remaining blueberry apple compote ingredients, cook 10 minutes. Add remaining blueberries and cook 5 minutes.
3. Place chops in bag and pour marinade in, toss, refrigerate 12-24 hours, remove, drain, and discard marinade.
4. Heat 2 tbsps butter in pan. Add chops and cook until browned on both sides, no hotter than 145 internally.
5. Serve with compoter spooned over.

Ref: https://www.bowhuntingmag.com/editorial/marinated-wild-hog-loin-chops-with-blueberry-apple-compote-recipe/310604

8. Pulled Wild Boar Your Way

Ingredients:

• 1 wild hog shoulder or hindquarter roast, bone in or out
• ¼ cup salt
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup paprika
• 2 tbsps each black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 2 cups barbecue sauce

Directions:

1. Combine seasonings and coat roast. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6-48 hours.
2. Smoke, roast or grill (covered) at 250 degrees for 6-8 hours or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees.
3. Remove roast, pour bbq sauce over it, wrap with foil and cook another 2 hours.
4. Remove roast and cool. Shred with fingers, tongs or forks.
   

Ref: https://www.bowhuntingmag.com/editorial/pulled-hog-shoulder-or-hindquarter-roast-recipe/310391

9. Wild Boar BBQ

Ingredients:

• 1 4 to 8 pound wild hog shoulder, boneless or bone-in
• Salt
• Dry rub of your choice
• Barbecue sauce of your choice
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup bacon fat, lard or butter

Instructions:

1. Salt the pork thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate 24 hours.
2. Remove, rinse, and season with a dry rub. Place in foil holding with extra foil to wrap it later.
3. Set smoker to 200-250F and place meat inside. 
4. Flip occasionally, for 4-8 hours.
5. Wrap the meat tightly in the foil, cook another 1-2 hours until tender.
6. Shred the meat with a fingers or forks, and mix in bacon fat. Serve.

Ref: https://honest-food.net/wild-hog-bbq-recipe/

10. Fried Wild Boar

Ingredients:

• Wild boar backstrap
• 1/3 crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/3 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 paprika
• Pepper
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 soy sauce
• 1/4 raw honey
• 1 large jalapeno

Directions:

1. Slice the pork backstrap into ½” medallions.
2. Mix the seasonings: ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp pepper, ⅛ tsp cayenne, ¼ tsp ginger, and ½ tsp garlic powder.
3. Mix the spices and sprinkle over medallions.
4. Mix ½ c of flour and remaining spices.
5. Cover medallions in flour mix.
6. Crack 2 eggs, mix with splash of water, and add ¼ tsp of salt. Dip medallions in egg wash and coat with seasoned flour.
7. Heat oil in pan, add garlic and jalapeno, fry 1-2 minutes.
8. Mix ¾ c honey, ¼ c soy sauce, and ⅛ tsp red pepper flakes.
9. Add honey/soy mix to garlic/jalapeno pan, stir and simmer for 5-10 minutes, and close heat.
10. From step 6, heat oil in pan, add medallions and fry 3-4 minutes per side.
11. Remove medallions to rack or plate and drizzle with sauce.

Ref: http://synapticendeavors.com/2018/03/28/fried-boar-backstrap-medallions/

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

If you’re in the taste for more, check out my next post, 10 More Delicious Wild Boar Recipes.