Cider Braised Wild Boar Roast
This cider braised wild boar roast is slow-cooked with apple cider, fresh herbs, garlic, and warm spices until fall-apart tender. Perfect for cold-weather dinners or holiday gatherings, with a gravy that practically makes itself.
Ingredients
- 1 3 to 4 pounds wild boar roast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup apple cider
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- â…› teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Brown the Pork
- Preheat the slow cooker on the low heat setting.
- Dry the boar roast off with paper towels. Season on all sides with salt and pepper. High a large skillet over medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add the olive oil to the pan. Brown the pork on all sides. This will take between 5 and 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate.
Cook the Aromatics
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions to the pan and cook until just softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for one minute while stirring.
Build the Cooking Sauce
- Add the flour to the pan and stir until well combined. Slowly whisk in the apple cider and chicken stock. Scrape up and brown any bits from the bottom of the pan, then whisk until smooth. Pour this mixture into the slow cooker.
Cook the Boar
- Add the apple sauce, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, vinegar, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Whisk well to combine.
- Cover and cook on the low setting for 8 to 10 hours or until fork-tender.
- Carefully remove the roast from the slow cooker and place it on a serving platter.
Finish the Sauce
- Strain the sauce. If you want the sauce to be thicker, pour it into a pot and simmer until it has reduced to your desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If it tastes too sweet for your liking, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar to cut the sweetness.
NOTES
- Use shoulder or leg here. Shoulder is the best fit because the connective tissue breaks down better over a long cook, but a leg roast works too. If the roast is boneless, tie it with butcher’s twine so it holds its shape and slices cleaner.
- Dry and brown the roast first. Pat it dry, season it well with salt and pepper, and sear it on all sides before it goes into the slow cooker. That step builds a deeper sauce and is worth doing.
- Build the sauce in the pan. Cook the onion first, then the garlic and herbs, then stir in the flour and whisk in the cider and stock until smooth. Scrape up the browned bits before pouring it into the slow cooker.
- Cook it on low until tender. Plan on 8 to 10 hours on low, but go by texture more than the clock. The roast is ready when it is fork-tender and easy to pull apart.
- Strain and reduce the gravy. Once the roast is done, strain the cooking liquid and simmer it to thicken the sauce. If the gravy tastes too sweet, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar at the end to sharpen it back up.
- Make it a day ahead. This roast reheats well and tastes even better the next day, making it a good make-ahead dish.
- Freeze leftovers if needed. Store the cooked roast in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
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