Roasted Wild Boar Leg

Made this to have as part of the Thanksgiving dinner. That is the boar leg with sauce on the left part of the plate.

One 6-pound leg of wild boar

1/4 cup coarse sea salt

1/4 cup coarsely ground black pepper

For the marinade:

4 cups hearty red wine

2 dried imported bay leaves

40 sprigs fresh thyme, rinsed

20 black peppercorns

6 cloves

1 carrot, trimmed, peeled, and cut in 1/4-inch chunks

1 medium onion, cut in eighths

1/4 cup best-quality red wine vinegar

To roast the wild boar:

20 whole cloves

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce:

2 cups chicken

3-4 tablespoons loganberry jelly

Rub the leg of wild boar all over with the salt and the pepper. Place it in a shallow dish, cover it loosely, and refrigerate it for 2 days.

Place the herbs and spices in cheese cloth and tie it up. Then, bring the wine, the herbs and spices, and the vegetables to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat and cook for about 3 minutes.
 

 

 

 

Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain, reserving the bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns and cloves, and discarding the vegetables. 

Whisk in the vinegar.

Quickly rinse the salt and pepper from the boar to remove most but not all of it. Pat meat dry and place it in a brining bag (like those used for turkeys). Pour the cooled marinade over it, return it to the refrigerator, loosely covered, and let it marinate for 2 days, turning it at least four times.
 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Remove the leg of wild boar from the marinade and pat it dry. 

Make 20 tiny slits in it all over, and insert a clove into each slit. Transfer the boar to a baking dish, and pour one-fourth of the marinade over it. Roast in the center of the oven until the boar is very golden on the outside, about a half hour.

Lower temperature to 250°F, and continue roasting for another 4 – 5-1/2 hours so that it reaches 170°F. Check it occasionally to be sure the marinade hasn't completely evaporated, and pour the additional marinade over the roast, one-fourth at a time.

When the boar is roasted remove it from the oven, and set it on a platter in warm spot, loosely covered, to sit for at least 20 minutes so the juices have a chance to retreat back into the meat.
 

To prepare the sauce, transfer the cooking juice and any browned bits from the bottom of the baking dish to a medium sized saucepan. Whisk in the chicken or veal stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce by about one-fourth, then stir in the loganberry jelly. Continue cooking and whisking until the sauce is smooth and satiny, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Thinly slice the wild boar and arrange it on a platter. Garnish with flat-leaf parsley leaves. Either pour the sauce over the meat, or serve it on the side.