Whole leg of wild boar

[Hassihand]

Hi all,

I'm currently working in Algeria and happened across a whole front leg of wild boar (don't ask, and i wont tell!)...long story short is that I'm looking for advice on how to prepare and cook this 4kg piece of meat.

We are very limited in terms of available ingredients and cooking equipment, so it will have to be done on one of our expat-built bbq's/smokers.

I'm thinking of a red wine marinade and then a quick sear followed up with a tinfoil wrap and low n' slow over charcoal for a few hours.

I've got a cajun rub and Montreal steak spice brought from home which will go on a day in advance (after 1 day in marinade)...any other tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. I can get apples which i plan to make a sauce from, but any other tips or recipes would really help.

Thanks in advance!

[watchdog56]

Wild boar might be kind of lean,you may want to wrap some bacon around it if you can find some.

[Keymaster]

This was a subject I was reading about on another forum and this was one of the forum members response.

Just a note here about trichinella spiralis. Too many people are under the impression that simply freezing meat in your kitchen refrigerator freezer compartment will eliminate the threat. It absolutely will not! ?Certified pork? is meat that has been deeply (sub-zero) frozen for a prescribed amount of time set by the Department Of Agriculture. The USDA-FSIS regulations are here: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=4808

Table 1: Required Period Of Freezing At Temperature Indicated
Temperature Group 1 (first number of days) Group 2 (second number of days)
5 degrees F. 20 / 30
-10 degrees F. 10 / 20
-20 degrees F. 6 / 12

The best way to eradicate the dangers of the trichinella spiralis larva is to simply cook the meat thoroughly. However, not all sausagemaking procedures allow the meat to be fully cooked or even cooked at all. In these cases, ?certified pork? must be used. Because of new USDA regulations in American hog production during the 1970?s and 80?s, the disease in modern America has mostly been eliminated. For decades preceding the new rules, many hog producers fed hogs the entrails of other butchered hogs as the cycle continued until the modern rules were put into effect. By public demand over an extended period of time, American pork has become less fatty and mostly trichinae free.

However, this is NOT the case with many species of wild animals. Trichinella spiralis is a parasitic roundworm whose larval form may be present in the flesh of pork or many wild game animals. Most bear meat is infected and much wild boar is as well. When the larva is consumed, it settles in the muscles of the victim and its painful infection is known as trichinosis.

Please treat any wild game with a little caution and good sense. Either cook it satisfactorily or deep-freeze it following the USDA?s regulations. It?s interesting to note that in England, as well as in many other hog producing countries, trichinella spiralis is virtually unknown.

Always follow the recommended cooking temperatures in recipes. The internal temperature of cooked fresh pork must reach at least 150 ?F. (65.5 ?C.) All hot smoked sausages should be cooked to 155?F. (68 ?C.). Never judge by looks alone, whether meat is cooked sufficiently, and always check the internal temperature using an accurate meat thermometer.

[Hassihand]

Thanks for the advice all...unfortunately Bacon is not available and the only stuff I brought is the ready crisp microwave junk. I do have prosciutto but can't see that adding very much flavor or moisture at all. I'll check on some other options that might be available.

On the food safety side, I am planning on bringing it up to 152-155, then rest in foil for 20-30 min which will likely bring it up to 162-165 IT which from what I've read should be safe.