Roasted Leg of Wild Boar

Preparation

1. Step 1

   1. 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 36 hours.

   Step 2

   2. 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.

   Step 3

   Whisk in the vinegar.

   Step 4

   3. 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 shallow dish. Pour the cooled marinade over it, return it to the refrigerator, loosely covered, and let it marinate for 36 hours, turning it at least four times.

   Step 5

   4. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

   Step 6

   5. 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, and when you cut into it it is a very faint pink, but not in the least red, which will take about 2 hours. 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.

   Step 7

   6. 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 red current jelly. Continue cooking and whisking until the sauce is smooth and satiny, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

   Step 8

   7. Before slicing the boar remove as many of the cloves as possible. 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.

2. Step 9

   *Leg of wild boar is available for mail order from:

   Step 10

   Broken Arrow Ranch

   Step 11

   P.O. Box 530

   Step 12

   Ingram, TX 78025

   Step 13

   (800) 962-4263