Wild boar recipes
Tested ways to cook wild hog meat, written for lean, flavorful wild boar — not fatty farm pork.
Wild boar is leaner and richer than pork, so it rewards a slightly different approach: add a little fat, use moisture for the hard-working cuts, and always cook to at least 160°F (71°C). Every recipe below tells you which of our cuts to use.
Recipe Whole hog roast: how to roast a whole wild boar for 40 people
Thaw a 40 lb dressed wild boar for 2–4 days on ice, inject it, then roast it at 225–275°F for about 5–7 hours until the shoulders reach 195–203°F and the hams at least 160°F (71°C).
Recipe Wild boar ragù (pappardelle al cinghiale)
Brown 2 lb of wild boar shoulder or stew meat, braise it for 2½–3 hours with soffritto, red wine, tomato, juniper and rosemary, then shred it into a thick ragù for pappardelle.
Cooking wild boar: the basics
- Tender cuts — tenderloin, backstrap, chops, rack: sear hot and fast, finish gently, rest before slicing.
- Working cuts — shoulder, shanks, stew meat, ribs: braise or smoke low and slow until tender.
- Ground and sausage — ground and sausage work anywhere you would use lean beef or venison.
- Whole hog — see how to roast a whole hog and what a whole hog costs.