Wild boar stew is just the comforting meal you need on cold winter days! Tender and juicy chunks of wild boar meat are slow-cooked on the stove with carrots, celery, and onions inside a rich and flavor-filled tomatoey broth. This wild boar stew is a one-pot meal that everyone will want seconds of!
There's nothing better during the colder months than a homemade stew simmering on the stove. This stew is made with wild boar meat which is basically the gamey version of regular pork. Boar meat has a richer flavor and it is excellent when cooked low and slow so it can really become fork tender.
This stew is one of those recipes that takes a little while to cook but it's so worth it. As the meat, vegetables, tomatoes, and broth slowly cook together their flavors combine into something so incredibly delicious.
Wild boar stew is a popular dinner choice all across Europe and it's often paired with creamy polenta. For serving, I find that this pork stew is delicious with mashed potatoes, a side of rice, or served simply with warm dinner rolls. It's an excellent and comforting dinner made with very little effort or prep work!
Recipe ingredients
Wild boar stew meat. Make sure the meat is cut into bite-sized chunks and it's completely thawed so it can brown nicely. Wild boar chili is another great way to prepare wild boar!
Vegetables. Chopped onions, minced garlic, diced carrots, and celery. Aromatic vegetables are the base of any delicious stew.
Red wine. Used to deglaze the pot and it also adds a richer flavor to the stew. Any dry red wine that you like the flavor of will work here.
Beef stock. Cooking liquid for the stew. Beef stock adds a more delicious and deeper flavor than water or chicken broth.
Tomatoes. Diced tomatoes are a wonderful ingredient to add to stews because it adds sweetness that helps to balance out the other savory flavors. Tomato paste thickens the stew and adds a deeper tomato flavor.
Seasonings. Dried thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Simple seasonings but they really help to bring out the flavor in the meat.
Optional. You can add sliced mushrooms or cubed potatoes to make the stew a little heartier!
Substitutions
Wild boar. A substitute for wild boar is other game meats like lamb or venison. Regular pork cut into chunks or even beef can also work here, it just won't give your stew that slight gamey flavor that wild game meats have.
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Tomatoes. Substitute the diced tomatoes for crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce if you don't want chunks of tomato in your stew. Just keep in mind that tomato sauce will thicken your stew even more.
Broth. Game stock or chicken stock can be used in place of the beef broth. Use game stock if you want a strong gamey flavor and chicken stock for a lighter flavor. I wouldn't suggest using water because your stew won't be as flavorful.
Red wine. Use more beef stock or your favorite dry white wine.
Herbs. Fresh herbs will give a stronger herby flavor to the stew.
Variations
Add frozen mixed vegetables towards the end of the cooking process so they don't overcook.
Add thickly sliced or chopped mushrooms, potatoes, fresh green beans, and baby carrots for a chunkier and heartier stew.
Bacon. Cook the boar meat in bacon fat instead of olive oil or cook up a couple of slices of bacon to add even more smoky and savory flavor.
For a thicker stew. Sprinkle your meat chunks with a tablespoon of flour then brown like usual.
Frequently asked questions
A wild boar has a similar flavor to pig but it's a little leaner, more robust, and intensely flavored. Boar meat is also a darker red color so it's pretty similar to red meat.
Wild boar, just like regular pork dishes should be fully cooked to avoid any bacteria in the meat. Using a meat thermometer the boar meat should be cooked to at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit before consuming.
More game meat recipes
Hope you will like this wild boar stew recipe as much as we do. Rate the recipe if you made it and leave a comment below if you have any questions or suggestions.
Recipe
Wild Boar Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds wild boar meat cut into 1-inch cubes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 can 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- Optional: 1 cup chopped mushrooms or 2 potatoes cubed
Instructions
- Season the wild boar meat generously with salt and pepper.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the wild boar meat and brown on all sides. Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Remove the meat and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables start to soften.
- Pour in the red wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Allow the wine to reduce by half.
- Return the meat to the pot. Add the beef or game stock, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. If using, also add mushrooms or potatoes.
- Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let it simmer for about 2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is tender.
- Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.
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