This roasted wild boar recipe brings out the rich, savory flavors of the game meat with its tangy mustard caper sauce.
As anyone who has eaten wild boar will testify, it doesn’t taste like domestic pork or “chicken.” Wild boar meat has a concentrated pork flavor that’s sweet and nutty and has also been likened to a combination of beef and domestic pork. It is slightly darker, leaner, higher in protein and has less cholesterol than domestic pork, making it a healthier meat. Generally, about half the live weight will end up being boneless meat, which can be as succulent as any quality cut of domestic pork. This mouthwatering roasted wild boar recipe makes the most of such delicious game meat.
Roasted Wild Boar Leg
- 1 (5- to 6-pound) bone-in boar leg
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
Mustard Caper Sauce
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons capers, well drained
Remove the boar leg from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature (about an hour before cooking). Transfer the leg to a rack set in a large roasting pan.
Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and mustard, and spread liberally all over the boar leg. Add a little water in the roasting pan and place in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 275ºF and continue cooking the leg until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg reads 150ºF, about 4 to 5 hours.
Transfer the leg to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let rest about 30 minutes before carving.
To make the Mustard Caper Sauce, in a saucepan or pot, melt the butter over low heat. Mix in the wine, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and capers. Stir to blend.
To serve, spoon the sauce over the sliced boar meat.
Serves 8-10
Adapted from the recipe by Broken Arrow Ranch.
Wine Suggestion: 2017 DeLille Cellars Four Flags
The 2017 Four Flags shows elegance and restraint on the nose. Initially tightly wound and impenetrable, fruit begins to emerge – blue and red aromas of cranberry, blueberries and anise, with alluring black tea, gravel and cedar adding refinement. Absolutely enclosed by generous oak, ample fruit seeps through, delivering the savory balance Red Mountain typifies. A long finish carried by persistent and building tannin offers great promise for the future.
Note: This wild boar recipe was excerpted from The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Wild Game, available in the Sporting Classics Store.
Within the pages of The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Wild Game, twenty-five popular game animals are highlighted and discussed. Amateur and experienced hunters alike will enjoy learning about each animal’s origin, range, migration and travel patterns, life span, size and weight, typical habitat, desired foods, why the particular animal is targeted, where it can be hunted, along with hunting tips and why it makes for excellent table fare.
Whether you hunt for food, for pleasure, or for environmental management, know that you are engaging in a normal, natural, and innate human instinct that has been with mankind and our predecessors for hundreds of thousands of years and one that will be with us for many more years to come. Enjoy the hunt, and the tastes and flavors of your successes with a little help from this new book. Shop Now