Cooking Boar with Nicolas Gauthier
of Laies marcassins du Rieur Sanglier, Yamachiche, Quebec

Nicolas Gauthier is a passionate producer, raising more than 400 head. And when not watching over his snorting, affectionate herd, he puts on a butcher’s apron and prepares his cuts and charcuterie products for restaurant chefs… and home cooks looking for something different.

Basics
Boar is lean meat that is not marbled with fat. Only the shoulder has some streaks of fat. Therefore, boar has to be cooked at a lower temperature than beef and for a shorter time.

Preheat the oven to 160° C (325° F) and use a meat thermometer to determine the cooking time. Rare: the internal temperature should reach 60 °C (140 °F); medium 65° C (150 °F). If you prefer your meat medium, take it out while still rare. If you like it rare, aim for blue rare. The meat should always keep its color. If it turns gray, it’s too late! 

Unlike butcher’s meat or wild meat, boar doesn’t have to rest after coming out of the oven. Making it sit  will cause it to lose its juiciness and tenderness. Just another whim of lean unmarbled meat!

Young boars are slaughtered for the market at between 4 and 6 months, adult boars when they are 15-16 months and weigh between 70 and 80 kg.

Boar pairs well with ginger, garlic, thyme, rosemary, basil, mace, sugar and the acidity of fruit.

If you decide to buy a young boar to roast whole on a spit, it’s better to cheat a bit since the loin and the shoulder require different cooking times. Cook to an internal temperature of 70° C (160° F). The boar will overlook a few little deviations in temperature without much harm. Allow a carcass weight of at least 680 g (1 1/2 lb.) per person.

Enjoying
If you prefer your meat well done, forget about a boar roast or steak unless you want to spend all evening chewing. Opt instead for a braising cut.

Here in diminishing order (of tenderness and cost) are the various cuts available on the market and their recommended cooking methods:

Filet (Tenderloin)
Because it is small, the tenderloin is generally cooked whole. It weighs around 300 g (10 oz.). Sear the tenderloin in a skillet over high heat for 90 seconds on each side and finish cooking in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Avoid coating it with anything so as not to form a crust.

Suggestion: add a bouquet garni to the cooking pan. Sauté some bacon pieces, onions and cashews in the skillet and deglaze with dark ale.

Festive: butterfly the tenderloin and season well. Lay on a few thin slices of foie gras and close it up again; tie like a roast. Sear on both sides in a mixture of foaming butter and oil; place in the oven for 10-15 minutes to finish cooking, depending on the thickness of the meat and the desired doneness. Serve with pears poached in red wine spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Loin
It is found in three forms:

Rack
Sear in a skillet; finish cooking in the oven. Allow about 45 minutes per kilogram.

Roast
Butterfly and stuff with a good piece of firm, full-flavored goat cheese. Sear in a skillet and finish cooking in a 65° C (150° F) oven. It can first be brushed with Dijon mustard or honey mustard and seasoned with herbs.

Medallions
Medallions require hot quick cooking in a skillet or on the barbecue. As soon as juices begin to bead on the top of the meat, turn it over.

Suggestion – Deglaze the pan with fruit liqueur, a full-bodied red wine or maple syrup. Heat a few berries in the sauce.

Sirloin
Sold as steaks or roasts. Follow the same instructions as for the loin. 

Inside Round
Sold as steaks or roasts. Follow the same instructions as for the loin.

Outside Round
Sold as roasts or cubed for kebabs. This is the muscle that works the most so it requires a long alcohol-based marinating to tenderize it: use a berry-based aperitif, a full-bodied red wine, Port or still strong cider.  Avoid white wine.

Suggestions: freshly-ground pepper and lemon zest (but no lemon juice, which will “cook” the meat.) Insert slivers of garlic.

Whole leg
Sold whole for oven-roasting or “mechoui” (Moroccan-style spit roasting). It can feed up to 15 people. Opt for a sweet marinade – for example, equal parts water and maple syrup seasoned with pepper, garlic and Worcestershire sauce.

Flank
Spare ribs
Though not very meaty, the ribs are excellent if approached with a little patience: simmered for at least 2 hours, then braised for 2 hours.

Ground
For grilled burgers.

Boar Terrine
Grind together 25% boar fat, 25% boar liver and 50% lean boar meat. Combine well and bind with an egg. Season with salt and pepper. Place into a rectangular mold and cook in the oven until a meat thermometer shows an internal temperature of 80 °C (175 °F). Press to expel any excess fat and to firm up the terrine. Cool; refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.

Variations:
Garden – add some finely chopped onion, celery and carrot.
Fruity – add some dried fruits: apricots, cranberries, raisins and/or prunes.
Seasoned – salt, pepper, garlic, herbs, mace.

Shoulder
Butt
Sold in cubes for long-simmered stews, bourguignon-style. However, allow half the cooking time you would use for “butcher’s” red meat, such as beef.

Suggestion: try cooking it in red wine with orange zest and quartered plums.

Shoulder
Sold as a roast. It’s perhaps not the most attractive cut for impressing guests, but it’s very flavorful and lightly marbled. 

Suggestion: remove from the oven when the thermometer registers 60° C (140 °F). It will be rare. Let it rest. Deglaze the roasting pan with 125 ml (1/2 cup) of the liquor of your choice. Reduce. Whisk in some butter (optional). Slice the roast thinly and add the slices briefly to the pan juices over high heat just to caramelize them for a few seconds on each side.

Shank
It is very small. Braise it or prepare it as osso bucco.