Cooking Wild Boar Meat

The wild boar meat is lean and for this particular reason, it should be cooked at lower temperatures in comparison with other meats. Whatever you do, do not overcook the meat, as you will ruin it. The wild boar, raised like beef, is range fed and for this reason, it can be served on the rare side.  The general rule for cooking wild boar meat is “low & slow”. For cooking roasts, the temperature must be between 250 – 275 degrees Fahrenheit.

As far as the time for cooking is concerned, it greatly depends upon your personal preference as to how well done you prefer to cook your wild boar meat. For chops, you will obtain great results baking with a sauce, an alternative to this would be pan-frying at medium heat. It is highly recommended to check the meat from time to time so that you will not overcook it.

The wild boar meat is delicious if barbecued because when it is prepared properly it is very tender and flavorful. With the wild boar meat, you can also make great sausages, jerky as well as ground meat products. When you will be preparing the wild boar meat, remember not to cook it in a microwave because it will become dry and very tough.  For obtaining the best results, slowly thaw the meat the day before cooking it and marinate overnight. For marinating, it is highly recommended to use wine or pineapple juice as it contains an enzyme that actively breaks down muscle fiber and for this particular reason, it is very good as a meat tenderizer.

The animal’s light fat layer can be easily trimmed but many good cooks believe that the fat layer provides a “self-basting” element and also helps retaining the succulence. Smoking the wild boar meat is the most popular way of preparing the meat and it is usually served at friend & family reunions. Great seasonings include onions, lemon, potatoes as well as others; the choice is up to you. It is recommended to completely wrap the wild boar meat in order to make sure the vapors are locked in as well as possible and make sure that the drippings will not escape.

Slowly smoke or bake at about 275 -300 degrees Fahrenheit, turning/rotating the meat in order to make sure that the meat is being cooked evenly. The time for cooking depends on the quantity of the meat being cooked. Entire wild boars should be cooked overnight or all day as for quarters it requires between 5 – 6 hours.

Wild meat soak and tenderizer is another way to go. Skin and debone or quarter the animals out and place the meat in a large ice chest along with the following mixture: ice water, ½ cup of vinegar, medium/large (18 – 20 oz.) size container or real lemon juice. Soak big portions of meat for 2 or 3 days (changing the water as needed and keeping the ice very cold, making sure that the entire meat is covered with this ice). Soak the meat until it turns white and all of its blood is leached out. Word of warning: if the meat starts to darken or turn blue, it means that you have used too much vinegar but do not worry, the meat is not ruined, all you need to do is to change the ice water and reduce/eliminate the vinegar.

As a conclusion, cooking the wild boar meat is not a very hard thing to do and the meat is simply put, delicious. As far as the wild boar recipes are concerned, the variety is quite generous; you just simply have to take your pick.