Strips of Wild Boar Bacon freshly cooked.
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Wild Boar Recipes: 8 Ways to Take Things Up a Notch

In the mood for some fresh and unique wild boar recipes?

Wild boar gets a bad rap, and not just due to their destructive nature. If folks aren't concerned about the toughness, they're quick to notice that the taste (which is much like pork) can come with a touch of gaminess.

Sometimes it's tough to come up with good ideas beyond wild boar sausage to make with your bounty. We scoured the internet and put these to the test; they're some of the best-tasting recipes we could drum up using flavorful wild boar meat.

We'd also like to give a big thanks to one of our readers for sending in a tip on how to remove the gaminess from boar. You can view this tip at the bottom of the article.

Those points aside, wild boar is an excellent type of meat that can be prepared right off the butcher's block for a delicious, hearty meal that is sure to impress. Going hog hunting is a blast, and the meat shouldn't go to waste.

Below are eight of our favorite recipes from around the web.

1. Wild Boar Bacon

One might say, "How could you start a list without bacon?" and to that person I say, "I know exactly what you mean." Though it isn't always easy to make great-tasting bacon with a wild pig, it hasn't stopped us from trying. Below is a great recipe for how to cure your own wild boar bacon, which is about the best version we could find.

Ingredients:

  • 2 good-sized wild boar bellies
  • 2 gallons of water
  • 2 cups sea salt
  • 1/4 cup curing salt (pink salt)
  • 1/4 cup whole peppercorns
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup onion powder
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup brown sugar

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2. Wild Boar Ribs with Fig BBQ Sauce

Get over the ground meat idea and get ready to dazzle some dinner guests.

It's not hard to convince someone to come over for dinner; you just have to use the magic word: "ribs." You'll be hard-pressed to find someone who won't enjoy this flavorful dish. The sweetness of the figs creates a luscious BBQ sauce that will ignite your taste buds and enhance the natural flavors of the meat. Try this one on a cold night and pop in a movie while they roast in the oven to peak tenderness.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
  • 1-1/4 tsp kosher salt - divided
  • 24 racks St. Louis wild boar ribs (about 3 lbs)
  • 1-1/4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3/4 cup fig jam or preserves
  • 3 tbsp canned tomato sauce
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper

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3. Wild Boar Carnitas Tacos with Jicama-Mango Salsa

Cooking wild boar should be fun and inspire creativity. Our Texas roots cannot resist the call of the taco, so you can bet that if it's made of meat we're ready to stuff it in a tortilla. Carnitas are a delectable Hispanic staple and switching out traditional pork for wild boar is a simple substitution with a lot of flavorful results. Slow-cooked meals like this are great for hog meat. The fat from the wild boar (and fat is very important here, so don't trim it off!) is much richer than that of any regular grocery-bought swine. We challenge you to not eat at least five of these.

Ingredients:

For the carnitas:

  • 5 fresh (5-inch) marjoram sprigs
  • 5 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 2 medium bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 medium white onions, peeled and quartered through the root end
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 5 pounds boneless wild boar shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes (do not trim the fat)

For the salsa:

  • 2 cups small-dice jicama
  • 2 cups small-dice mango (from about 2 medium mangoes)
  • 1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 2 medium limes)
  • 2 serrano chiles, stemmed and finely chopped
  • Kosher salt

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 4. Tagliatelle with Wild Boar Ragout and Pecorino di Pienza

Sounds fancy, huh? Well it should - this recipe comes from the Four Seasons Hotel in Prague, and has a masterful amount of restraint in technique and ingredients. While you may think this dish will be overpowering with the fungi, cheese, herbs, and bacon, you'll soon see that these ingredients dial up the flavor you're used to seeing with wild boar without taking away the distinct, delicious flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1/2 small celeriac, diced
  • 1 celery stalk, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 parsnip, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¾ cup (185 ml) extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • ½ cup (125 ml) butter, cut in small pieces, divided
  • 10 oz (300 g) cubed wild boar loin
  • 1/3 oz (10 g) Guanciale bacon, julienned
  • Thyme and rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1/3 oz (10 g) dry porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water
  • 1 ¼ cups (310 ml) red wine
  • 1 2/3 cups (410 ml) veal stock
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Flour
  • 6 oz (180 g) fresh tagliatelle pasta
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) flat leaf parsley, chopped Pecorino cheese
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5. Wild Boar Salami

Unlike our previous non-entree (wild boar bacon), this recipe is not for the faint of heart or those lacking in patience. Salami is a waiting game, and it is crucial to get the proper amount of aging time in before you start slicing up your epic creation. Nonetheless, it's worth having the opportunity whip up a quick charcuterie board in your own home with salami that you made yourself from a wild boar you took in the field. Sounds like an inviting little challenge, right?
Ingredients:
  • 4 pounds wild boar or pork, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 pound pork back fat
  • 40 grams kosher salt
  • 6 grams Instacure No. 2
  • 2 teaspoons Bactoferm T-SPX starter culture
  • 1/4 cup distilled water
  • 25 grams dextrose or sugar
  • 45 grams dry milk powder (helps salami retain moisture)
  • 1/4 cup Angelica or white port
  • 10 grams cracked black pepper
  • 2 grams fennel seeds
  • 5 crushed, dried California bay laurel leaves
  • 2 grams crushed, dried California white sage leaves
  • 15 grams fresh minced garlic
  • 3 grams wild fennel pollen(optional)
  • Beef casings, about 6 feet worth

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6. Braised Wild Boar Belly

If you're not using your wild boar belly to make delicious bacon, then you should definitely try braising it to create a super versatile piece of meat that can be sliced for a sandwich, crisped up on the grill as part of an entree, or even use small pieces as a garnish on small plates. However you choose to use this cut of meat, we think we can all agree that the buttery flavor is worth the process it takes to master this dish.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds of wild boar belly
  • ~1 quart beef stock (enough to cover)
  • 4 cups of brining solution
  • High heat oil (grapeseed, canola, peanut)

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7. Wild Boar Rack with Whiskey Apples

There's something about racks of meat that really get people excited. Perhaps it's the presentation, or maybe it's our barbaric instincts that know any large, charred lump of meat hanging gingerly from a bone is going to be delicious. I'm going to go with instinct here, and my instincts are telling me that I need to make this the next time someone gifts me a rack of wild boar. Until then you can find me munching away at whiskey apples, 'cause seriously, y'all, these things are d-i-v-i-n-e. Put them on everything, including the plate for this dish.

Ingredients:

  • 1 wild boar rack
  • 1/4 cup of bread crumbs
  • 4 tablespoons of mustard
  • 4 apples
  • 1/3 cup of brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup of whiskey
  • Salt and pepper to taste

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8. Braised Wild Boar Shanks with Sweet Soy and Star Anise

As far as I'm concerned, shanks are one of the best/most flavorful cuts of meat you can get. This recipe calls on the bold flavor of star anise, which is a great spice for game meat - especially wild boar. Since this is a working cut of meat, you'll want to make sure to braise this for a few hours to break down the tissue for a tender, savory dish.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 6 wild boar shanks (about 5 pounds)
  • 12 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
  • 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 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 cup palm sugar or light brown sugar
  • Steamed rice and cilantro, for serving

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Extra Tip...

Donald Griffith from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida sent us the following tip:

Here is my recipe for removing that gaminess for wild hogs as well as any other wild meat.

1. Put the meat in a cooler with the drain open so water can drain out.
2. Pack it with ice and keep it packed with ice for 4 days. [Note: very important]
3. Rinse meat and close drain.
4. Mix a box of baking soda with enough water to cover the meat in the cooler.
5. Pack it with ice and leave it for 24 hours. Add ice as needed.
6. Rinse meat and you will find that the "gaminess" is gone. The baking soda takes it out.

NEXT: THE ULTIMATE BEER-CANDIED BACON RECIPE