Red Wine Braised Wild Boar Recipe

Wild boar... probably one of the most underappreciated and underutilized proteins I can think of. Wild boar are omnivorous feral pigs, that enjoy a diet of well.. almost anything! Nuts, seeds, acorns, roots, other smaller animals, etc. Perhaps a nuisance to some, these tasty little piggys are far from a nuisance in the kitchen. I do hope you enjoy my red wine braised wild boar recipe.

Let's get to braising one!

What is braising?

• Braising is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first sautéed or seared at a high temperature, then finished in a covered pot at a lower temperature while sitting in some amount of liquid.

Red Wine Braised Wild Boar Recipe 

What you will need: 

• Large Enameled Dutch Oven w/ Lid
• Fine mesh sieve
• Medium high-sided sauce pan
• 4 to 4.5lb wild boar leg, deboned, fat trimmed to 1/4", and trussed into a roast with butchers twine, or cotton roast netting.
• Plenty of Maldon large flake sea or kosher salt & fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 sweet Maui or Vidalia onions, peeled & sliced into 1/2 thick slices
• 6 large organic carrots, peeled and cut into 2" chunks on a hard bias
• 5 ribs organic celery, cut into 2" chunks on a hard bias
• 1/2 stick of cinnamon
• 5 dried bay leaves or 2 fresh bay leaves
• 4 whole sprigs of fresh thyme
• 4 cloves, whole
• 1 bottle of Chianti Classico (Sangiovese), Barolo, or other medium bodied Italian red wine
• 2-4 Tablespoons unsalted cold butter
• 4 tbsp Grapeseed oil

How to Prepare Wild Boar:

Heat the oil in the dutch oven over medium-medium high heat until shimmering. Apply a generous amount of Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to all sides of the boar. Add the boar, and brown on all sides 10-14 minutes, or until you get a nice even browning on all sides of the roast. (Don't forget the end caps too!).

Once browned, remove the wild boar roast from the pot, and set aside to rest on a plate that can catch the juices as the meat rests. These juices will be important later, so don't discard. them! Reduce heat to medium, and add in the onions. use a wooden flat bottomed spatula to scrape all those delicious brown bits (fond) off the bottom of the pan while the onions cook.

Continue to cook the onions until lightly golden brown, this should take 8-10 minutes or so. Next stir in the carrots & celery, and cook those for another 5-7 minutes until which time as they are also lightly browned. Always continue scraping up any brown bits that form on the sides and bottom of the dutch oven.

Place the wild boar roast and the collected juices from the resting plate back in the pot, adding in the cinnamon, cloves, thyme, bay leaves, and the wine. Next, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low, and braise the meat, turning every 30-40 minutes with tongs for a period of 2.5-3 hours or to an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.

Should the liquid level get too low and things appear to start drying out, you can add a 1/2 cup of chicken or pork stock. Once the boar is done braising, remove it from the pan and wrap tightly in heavy duty aluminum foil and set aside to rest.

Run all the liquids and solids thru the fine mesh sieve set over a medium sized high sided saucepan. Use the back of a wooden spoon to push the solids into the sieve to extract all those delicious flavors!. Discard all of the solids & veggies, into your compost bin, they've done their job. Skim off any fat on the top of the liquid in the saucepan. Place the strained braising liquids over medium-high heat and bring to a boil until reduced to about 1 cup or so. Always keep an eye on it, so that it doesn't boil over!

Once reduced, whisk in 1 tablespoon of the cold butter at a time until the reduction thickens and develops a glossy sheen. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper accordingly. Cover, and set aside.

Unwrap the boar, transfer it to a cutting board & remove trussing or netting and discard it. Slice the meat into 1/4" thick slices, and arrange on a plate. Spoon the delicious reduction sauce over the top of the boar and enjoy!

Great accompaniments or side dishes to this meal can include simple herb & olive oil roasted organic vegetables, balsamic roasted brussels sprouts, roasted garlic parsnip puree, or roasted garlic celeriac puree, or whatever other side strikes your fancy.

Check out some of our other recipes, tips & tricks on Easy, Effortless, Entertaining from AWG Private Chefs!

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About the Author:

Certified Master Chef Sean Andrade is Executive Chef/Owner of AWG Private Chefs, named the #1 Private Chef company in California. Chef Sean has worked in the restaurant and hospitality industries worldwide for more than 25 years. AWG Private Chefs offers highly custom tailored, private chef dining experiences, and event catering in over 30 countries around the globe.