Wild Boar Recipe

To date, this is probably my favorite wild boar recipe. Its from the SF
Chronicle, printed on 10.15.08.

Wild Boar and Tomatillo Chili

Serves 6-8

Wild boar is a little richer and gamier than pork, but that would be a fine
substitute if you can’t find the wild boar at your local butcher. We
ordered ours a day in advance from Golden Gate Meats in the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco, and asked the staff to grind some of the meat for chili as well.

2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 lb ground wild boar*
1 1/2 lbs wild boar shoulder, cut into 1/2 inch dice**
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 white onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large anaheim peppers, cut into small dice
2 jalapeno peppers, minced
1 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbs dried oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 12oz bottle dark beer
1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, husked and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
2 14.5 oz cans pinto beans, drained
juice of 1/2 lime
chopped red onions for garnish
sour cream for garnish
chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions:
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large dutch oven or stockpot over
medium-high heat. Season the wild board (shoulder and ground) with a
generous amount of salt and pepper. Brown in two batches for about 3-4
minutes; remove and set aside.

Add remaining tablespoon olive oil to the pot, turn heat to medium, and add onions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, until onions have softened slightly. Add Anaheim and jalapeno peppers, and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes. Put meat back into the pot, and add 1 1/5 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika, stirring until the spices are evenly distributed. Pour the beer to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom.
Add tomatillos, crushed tomatoes and chicken broth, and bring to a simmer.

Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pinto beans and
continue to cook for another 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the
lime juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with chopped red onions, sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Per serving: 423 calories, 27g protein, 27g carbohydrate, 22g fat (7g
saturated), 71mg cholesterol, 705 mg sodium, 8g fiber.

Fred’s notes:
* I never use ground pork, too much of a hassle to break out the grinder for 1/2 lb of meat. Instead I use a total of 2 lbs of diced pork.
** larger than 1/2 inch is also good; I typically prefer larger chunks on
the order of 1 inch cubes.
This recipe is every bit as good as it sounds. You won’t be dissapointed.

Enjoy,
Fred