Was at Henry’s (just merged with Sprouts) grocery store in Tustin yesterday and noticed they had frozen wild boar, elk, antelope and other game, mostly in ground form. Grabbed the boar and made meatballs in marinara sauce, delicious and very lean. 14 grams of fat and 560 cal. per 1 lb. This is way less than standard ground pork but tastes very rich and not gamy.
I once hunted for wild boar and was shocked how lean the meat was, actually too lean. To cook the sausage we made, you had to add fat to the pan.
I was young and dumb at the time with a crapload of meat I had no idea what to do with. I think it was the last animal i killed in the wild, now feel bad when a spider washes down the drain in the shower!
The tough part is finding the fat to add. I tried making my own Greek Loukaniko sausage a few years ago. I couldn’t find anybody local willing to sell me the casings and nobody carried pork back fat for sale. Fortunately, there is a smoke house/game butcher down the street that was willing to make it for me if I supplied the seasonings.
Since then I’ve taking several classes at The Fatted Calf in Napa. They’re willing to sell those items. They also taught me to make crepinettes which are basically sausage patties wrapped in caul fat (which they also sell). It is a more forgiving process, offers more possibilities (you can add chunkier garnishes to the mix that would cause problems while stuffing a casing), and requires less equipment.
If you are in Napa - try hitting up Browns Valley Market for all of your butchery needs. I guarantee you’d save yourself 1/2 of the cost as opposed to The Fatted Calf.
As a kid my family used to have our cattle broken down by the butcher there, and I just had another friend send them 10 lbs of wild boar he shot up in Wild Horse Valley to turn into sausage for him.
Just curious for opinions: is “wild” boar really “wild” in this setting? or do they farm them. Or…are they really the ones the guys on the reality shows hunt and shoot?
Somehow, I can’t believe the stuff they sell is really “wild”.
Based on what I’ve learned, the boar you can buy is “ranch raised”. I don’t know they actually care for them. They just roam around huge properties and are hunted down when it is time. This is one of the operations I found: http://www.brokenarrowranch.com/.
Interestingly, they aren’t really “wild” like European boar. They are the feral descendants of escaped, domesticated pigs and considered an invasive species. I was told that an escaped domestic pig’s progeny will reach “feral” state in about 2 generations which I find pretty amazing. I can’t think of many domesticated species that would survive and adapt to a wild environment that quickly.
That may be why those are so lean. I have bought wild boar from a farm where they are raised in exactly the manner you describe. They just roam around a large property. No needles, no barn, virtually no feed BUT these are genetic stock from Europe and boy, are they fatty (at least around wintertime.)
Thanks for the explanations. I think the “wild” doesn’t mean really “wild”…just not domesticated pigs…and feral in some sense.
They can be mean animals, as I’m sure Nola can confirm.
In 1985, during a visit to the Languedoc, we were hiking up a small mountain trail. Someone pointed out that this was a good place to hunt “sanglier”. I asked my wife what that was…and one French teenager said, matter of factly , in perfect English “Razorback”. I thought that was pretty funny… I also never made that connection and had no idea what a “razorback” was then.
Nasty Beasts… we’re getting close to the time of the year when the sows birth…you have to be careful at night driving through the mountains as you may run the front end of your Mercedes into the mother crossing the road with her piglets. If you hit one or two, don’t think twice about picking it up and taking it home for dinner. Momma sow will not be keen on it! Just keep driving assess the damage to the car later. Just sayin…
Yes definitely farm raised. Not supposed to even sell wild trout in US, but I think a few sneak em through. I guess the key is everything needs to be observed by USDA before they are to be sold. Probably a good thing to protect the masses, although I would be okay taking my chances with wild.