Wild Boar Stew with Mushrooms
Wild boar stew with mushrooms featuring caraway, marjoram and lots of paprika with both slow cooker and stovetop instructions.
This recipe is a wonderfully easy and foolproof way to get to grips with a different and delicious protein source.
Wild Boar Casserole
We get access to some wonderful game out here in the Hungarian countryside, and this recipe is one of my very favourite Autumn and Winter stews.
Game is not an unusual thing to find here. I have recipes as varied as rabbit tagine through to a venison burger!
This simple stew comes with both slow cooker and stovetop instructions.
Flavour-wise, it is very much influenced by my adopted home here in central Europe.
It shares much in common with my marha porkolt recipe and has many flavour cross-overs with a traditional Hungarian Goulash.
Don’t worry if the game ain't your game or you struggle to find it. I make this exact same dish with shin of beef.
The only difference is I cook it for a couple of hours longer in the slow cooker, and it rocks!
Frequently Asked Questions
What does wild boar taste like?
Well, the simple answer is, erm… Wild Boar. If you are expecting pork, then you will be surprised. I guess the closest I can think of is a cross between pork and beef.
Wild boar has very little fat, but despite that, it really works well when slowly cooked, as I do here and in this wild boar ragu .
You can cook it quicker, as I do with my wild boar steak, but you do need to be careful not to overcook it.
Is this best cooked in a slow cooker or in a Dutch oven?
There is very little in it in terms of the final dish, so you can take your choice. I personally prefer to cook it on the stovetop, but that says more about me than the relative benefits of either cooking method.
This wild boar stew cooked in the slow cooker works perfectly. The meat is fork-tender, there ain't no need for a knife with this bad boy.
What is tomato passata?
Another question often asked by US-based readers, tomato passata is nothing more than sieved tomatoes; the closest product in the US is tomato puree, I am led to believe.
However, "Mutti" branded passata does seem to be available in some places.
Can I use smoked paprika?
If you must, however, this dish has very definite "Central European" leanings, and sweet paprika is king in those parts.
Serving Suggestions
The first thing to note is that this recipe serves four rather than the usual two that I focus on.
It will store in the fridge for 3-4 days, and as with many stews, it improves with age.
Just like my beef in red wine stew, this recipe just loves to be served with a mash.
I usually go with a buttery mashed potato, but it would also be wonderful with celeriac mash!
One final note, if you can score a leg of boar, then you must try this roasted whole leg of boar, it is glorious!
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- 24cm or 10" Dutch oven (or similarly sized saucepan with a heavy base) or a 4 litre (4-quart) slow cooker.
- 28cm or 11" frying pan.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups, and spoons.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
Wild Boar Stew Recipe with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 600 g Wild Boar 21oz
- 2 tablespoon Flour
- ½-¾ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper (freshly ground)
- 1 Medium Celery Stick 50g
- 1 Small Carrot 75g
- 1 Large Onion 200g
- 5 Garlic Cloves
- 250 ml Red Wine 1 Cup
- 100 g Bacon Lardons 3½oz
- 1 tablespoon Caraway Seeds
- 250 ml Tomato Passata 1 Cup
- 1 Large Tomato 200g
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 tablespoon Dried Oregano (or marjoram)
- 2 tablespoon Sweet Paprika
- 250 ml Cold Water 1 Cup
- 250 g Mushrooms 2-3 Cups
- 50 g Butter 3 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon
- 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil
Instructions
- Cut the boar into a rough 3cm (1¼") dice.
- Cut the carrot, celery and onion into a 5-6mm (¼") dice.
- Cut the bacon into 5-6mm (¼") cubes.
- Slice the garlic cloves as finely as you can.
- Cut the tomatoes into quarters.
- Cut the mushrooms into bite-sized (2cm or ¾") pieces
Slow Cooker Instructions.
- Heat a 28cm or 11" frying pan over a medium heat and fry off the bacon until crispy. Transfer to a slow cooker, keeping the fat in the pan.
- Add the carrot, celery and onion to the pan and fry for 10 minutes on a medium heat to soften.
- Throw in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, then transfer to the slow cooker.
- If the pan is looking dry, add a little more oil and add the wild boar in two batches, seasoning each with salt and pepper. Fry until nicely coloured, then add to the slow cooker.
- Return the frying pan to a high heat, and when it is searingly hot, pour in the red wine. Reduce the wine by half to two-thirds and then pour it over the meat in the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the flour over the ingredients in the slow cooker and stir well.
- Add the tomato passata, water, tomatoes, caraway seeds, bay leaves and oregano or marjoram.Sprinkle over the paprika, stir and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Melt the butter in the pan and saute the mushrooms for 5 minutes.Add to the slow cooker and cook for a final 30 minutes on low, then serve
Stovetop Instructions.
- Heat a 24cm or 10" Dutch oven or saucepan with a lid and a heavy base over a medium heat.
- Add the oil and bacon and fry until crispy.
- Throw in the onion, celery and carrot and stir to coat in the bacon fat.
- Season the wild boar with salt and pepper, and then add the flour and mix to coat.
- Turn the heat up under the pan and add the boar, cook until browned, stirring regularly.
- Add the remaining ingredients, with the exception of the butter and mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper to taste.Add a lid and simmer on low for 2½ hours.
- Half an hour before you are ready to serve, saute the mushrooms in the butter.Add to the stew and simmer on low for a final 30 minutes.
are you a hunter or do you get the meat from a friend?
Wild boar was fairly commonly available in Hungary from butchers shops and even some supermarkets, I've found it more difficult to buy in the UK but have found a few online suppliers when I need my fix.
Can you freeze what’s left over.
Yes, this will freeze really well, you should be good for up to 3 months!
Brian
Wondering about doing it at night for next days lunch. Ok to cook it longer? Anyone experiment with this? Perhaps low for 12 hrs?
I've never tried it but you should be ok so long as the temperature stays low enough during the cooking process. Having enough liquid on the slow cooker will help, but they vary greatly by brand in terms of the final temperature that they reach.
Good Luck
We were gifted about 2 kilos of wild boar from our French neighbor who hunts in the Jura. I have the meat in the freezer and plan to cook it for New Year's. Am delighted to have found your receipe, it's exactly what I was looking for! My only concern is that my crock pot is too small! Will need to borrow a second one 🙂
Nice, sorry I took a while to respond, I took an extended Christmas break. I hop you enjoyed it, I love this recipe!
AMAZING! I am an American living in Germany for 20 years and have been introduced to several variations and this is the best. I’m going to try this with wild deer! We call it Hersch Gulasch and I bet it will be splendid.
So glad you liked it Melinda 🙂
@Brian Jones, going for my 4th dinner with this recipe. It’s amazing and so delicious. Thanks again!
You are welcome Melinda, thank you for taking the time to tell me 🙂
Hi Brian can you help I am looking for a nice recipe for bushpig(wild boar) roast leg without alcohol please. Thanks
Hi Le-Anne... Sorry it has taken a while to respond. I almost exclusively cook for two so I don't get a chance to cook big hunks of meat as often as I would like and as such don't have any experience cooking a large lump of boar.
I do link out to a recipe as you have probably seen https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roasted-leg-of-wild-boar-102758 I would probably stick with this but change up the marinade to use apple juice and a mix of cider vinegar. It will be a sweeter but I think it would work well.
Good Luck
Brian
I don't know if it's the recipe or I missed something...but there isn't nothing brown about this gravy. Ugh 😞
I have no idea why you would think that the gravy should be brown? It contains red wine and paprika and has a definite red tinge in both the video and photographs!
@Brian Jones,
I think it is more deep red. I used over one cup of red wine and then burned the heck out of it and it turned almost black…it really gave great Texter flavor and color.
I've tried this recipe twice now and it is fantastic. I used fresh chestnut mushrooms and dry porcini mushrooms and then added the liquor from rehydrating to the mix for a greater depth of flavour. I did reduce the Tomato Passata by 50% the second time round as I found the original a little heavy with tomato flavour - personal choice.
Highly recommended and one
So glad you like it Nick and thank you for taking the time to write to me! I could not agree more about flavour balances being personal preference, recipes are jumping off points for people to create food that they love and not a set of instructions to live by and people using my recipes like that brings my great pleasure 🙂
This sounds awesome, my husband is an avid hunter so I always have pig meat in the freezer, thanks for sharing
You are welcome, enjoy 🙂
Hello Brian, I was fortunate enough to harvest a 175lb boar the other night and have been bleeding the meat and getting ready to portion and package the meat for the freezer. I will be trying this recipe soon. I’m not the beat with a slow cooker and I have not had the best of luck with them... I read the instructions you gave several times but I didn’t see what setting to place the slow cooker on.
Hey Brandon... Sorry, I gave this recipe a bit of a freshen up a couple of weeks ago and must have deleted it. I've added it back in it is 6 hours on low, I've not had any joy cooking boar on high in a slow cooker. My recipe uses "farmed" boar which is relatively common here in Europe, you may need to cook an older truly wild beast a little longer.
Boar is my meat of choice. Thanks for this delicious recipe xx
You are more than welcome 🙂
I am jealous! We don't have Wild boar around here! I have a question, though. My friend is a homesteader in southern NY and grows a vintage breed of pig, called American Guinea Hog. When she has to remove a boar from her herd, she usually gives them us. We have been using them for dog food. They don't really taste bad, but they have a hideous odor (of urine) whilst cooking, and I can't stand it. She says to avoid that, they males must be castrated in the first few days of life. My long winded question, these boar have no lingering smell when you cook them? I would so love to try them!
Great photos, Brian! Love the pairing with mashed potatoes too!
I have had smoked wild boar in Romania this summer - I loved it - I have not had it since I was a kid and I have to start eating it again as I really love it! What a great recipe - need to see where I could get some wild boar here in the UK - it might not be an easy find.
I have never tried wild boar, but I like the idea that it tastes like a cross between pork and beef. This recipe for stew looks hearty and flavorful - perfect for a cold fall night!
This looks to die for! I have only had boar in salami form but am excited to give this stew a try. Now I just need to find boar in my area. The hunt is on!
I am jealous! We don't have Wild boar around here! I have a question, though. My friend is a homesteader in southern NY and grows a vintage breed of pig, called American Guinea Hog. When she has to remove a boar from her herd, she usually gives them us. We have been using them for dog food. They don't really taste bad, but they have a hideous odor (of urine) whilst cooking, and I can't stand it. She says to avoid that, they males must be castrated in the first few days of life. My long winded question, these boar have no lingering smell when you cook them? I would so love to try them!
I have heard of boar taint but it is reported to only be prevalent in 20% of male hogs, although it is not just restricted to wild boar it impacts all males of all pig species. Interestingly I read there is a vaccine for boar taint which probably asks more questions than it resolves, however certainly an interesting development.
I have never encountered that joy of boar taint, fortunately, I suspect our supplier hooks us up with meat that will not make me want to not use them again 😉
@Beth, My daughter worked for a business in Hardwick MA called Chestnut Farms. Their meat is phenom. They are very careful of where they have their cows, pigs, lambs, goats, etc. processed. My daughter on one days of work was tasked with going to St.John's VT to pick up and they owners explained to my daughter that all animals slaughtered there never ever come off a truck and directly put down. They put them to pasture a day or two to allow them to relax and they are never slaughtered in groups. It is fear that releases whatever gives the meat a seriously gamey flavor. Be sure where you purchase processes their animals humanely.
Great photos, Brian! Love the pairing with mashed potatoes too!
Thanks Amanda
I have had smoked wild boar in Romania this summer - I loved it - I have not had it since I was a kid and I have to start eating it again as I really love it! What a great recipe - need to see where I could get some wild boar here in the UK - it might not be an easy find.
Wild boar numbers in the UK have been climbing after their reintroduction, I have no idea if they are a viable food source as they are here in central Europe though.
I have never tried wild boar, but I like the idea that it tastes like a cross between pork and beef. This recipe for stew looks hearty and flavorful - perfect for a cold fall night!
It certainly is a great winter warmer
This looks to die for! I have only had boar in salami form but am excited to give this stew a try. Now I just need to find boar in my area. The hunt is on!
Good luck, I love the stuff!
Wild Boar is not something easy to find around these parts, but I really need to try that sauce/stewing concoction! I think this would be a great way to stew a big slab of pork (meat of choice for this guy!) Sounds delicious, Brian. I'm officially starving right now.
Thanks Byron, I kinda figured wild boar would not be the most accessible of meats for some but thought I would write the recipe anyway as it is so good. Marinading pork in red wine over night really works although I would dial back on the juniper with pork as it has less robust flavours in itself.
Such a perfectly savory dish for Fall weather! I've never tried wild boar, but I think I need to!
I do hope you can find some Paige, it is a wonderful meat packs so much flavour!
i would go "HOG WILD" over this awesome looking dish.
I see what you did there 😀
I have not tried wild boar either! But I just might have to. Delish!
Wild boar is such a fab meat, hopefully I have encouraged just one or two to give it a try.
This sounds delicious, though I don't know where I'd find a wild boar!
I'm afraid I can't help with that... It is pretty easy to get hold of here in Central Europe although you may need to order form a specialist butcher in some places.
Another interesting post with flavor combinations that are new to me. Thanks for the recipe.
Always welcome Dan.
Very interesting. I've never tried wild boar, sounds like a delicious dish.
I love wild boar, hopefully I have encouraged just one or two to 'hunt' some down.
What a coincidence. I have never tried wild boar before, but just yesterday I saw it in my local shop for the first time. I guess it's a sign to try your recipe, ha!
It's definitely a sign 😉