Outdoor cooking - Barbecues, Barbecue, BBQs, BBQ, Smokers, Grills. And Ribs.

@Aroogah

Any suggestions for a rub for wild boar? I just got a shoulder.

Am thinking of brining with garlic and bay leaves and want a rub to compliment...

ooh, where are you getting a whole shoulder from and how wild are we talking? i.e. bred with pigs but with a high enough percentage of boar in lineage to legally get away with it or legit wild boar? My butcher was talking about a farmer he gets his beef from - he has a patch of woodland on his land and some feral wild boar are completely fucking it up at the moment. (Somewhere in Ashdown Forest). Result: Butcher is going shooting next week (no close season) and I've put my dibs in.

Farm shop near my house in Gloucestershire

Everything is sourced locally, just said wild on the label, but wildness not quantified

Boar? Never done that before but have eaten lots of it.

You're looking at something between pig and venison then on the flavour scale. Garlic and bay leaves are good.

Something like cocoa and juniper berries come to mind for some reason - both are classic venison pairings. Could sweeten that up with molasses? Chillies for some heat to match the cocoa?

Just riffing here. No idea if they would work.

Had also thought juniper berries, but just not sure if they'd make a very bitter bark - generally they get removed from sauces etc to avoid being bitten into.

Maybe juniper bay and garlic in the brine, and possibly boil juniper and bay to inject it with before cooking.

Possibly salt, pepper, bay leaves, cocoa and a little ground coffee with some sugar.

juniper berries

How about fennel seeds or star anise?

Yiss! Fennel. Delicious with all things porky.

Fennel, cumin seeds & chilli. Juniper sauce to accompany. Or Cumberland sauce.

Just be sure to brine it and maybe protect it with bacon/some kind of fat cap, boar is very lean compared to pork...

Slow and low in the smoker?

Of course in the smoker.

Am hoping by low and slow cooking it won't dry out. Am guessing if I wrap with bacon the meat won't get smoked. But this is why I am thinking of injecting the meat before cooking.

I've seen it injected with aromatic infused marrow and rendered beef lard (on TV and only a couple of days ago), looked amazing... That was a whole leg...

I slow roasted a boar shoulder porchetta for 8-10 hours one Christmas and it was a bit dry for my liking, great flavour but deffo needed more protection... Wild boar so very little fat...

Could I use goose fat that's cooked with fennel and bay for injection?

Do you have a link to the cookery program?

It was that bald guy who does the extreme food shows, a BBQ special... Check SBS.com.au... Have you got a VPN?

It's the segment in Houston before a football game...

This is a great episode, Scott's BBQ in North Carolina make BBQ exactly how I wanna make BBQ...

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/592108099735/bizarre-foods-with-andrew-zimmern-bbq

Now that I think of it, it may have been buffalo and not boar, cuz Houston were playing the Bills... The boar was on another show...

It's BBQ month on the food channel, all gets a bit confusing...

You could go old school and lard it James.

But the smoke ring, Olly!?! 😋

That suggestion is smart and would taste delicious... Or smoke it naked for a couple of hours then foil that sucker up...

Injecting would work tho'...

You brining first? That'll help...

Aye, was thinking going through it with a big needle and strips of back fat, rather than wrapping. Le ring must not be compromised!

It's tougher meat than pork, tricky to get right but I'm sure you'll manage, James... 😘

Sounds like a 321 recipie to me.
Smoke for half the total time then wrap it in foil with cider, juniper and herbs. Smoke for two thirds of the remaining time before unwrapping, smothering in a buttery layer infused with garlic and cocoa before smoking for the remainder.
Probably would go 6 smoke, 4 steam, 2 finish. Or 4.5/3/1.5.

I'd be tempted to keep it simple, foresty herbs, garlic, lots of salt and pepper... That may just be my unsophisticated Latin palette tho'...

I think what this thread is missing most is pics.

i have bought some marrow bones, will scoop out marrow and melt it down with fennel bay leaves and worcestershire sauce

tonight i will brine the joint with fennel, garlic and bay leaves (juniper berries on order for delivery tomorrow)

after brining will inject it with the flavoured marrow

tomorrow will rub it with salt, pepper and sugar then smoke for 4 hours or so

then i will glaze it with honey, cider and juniper berries and wrap in cawl fat to try to keep moisture in - will also add a texas crutch (wrapping of foil)

will finish off with butter and cocoa

serve it up with a fresh fennel, apple and celery slaw, possibly with a few walnuts

Injections. How? Multiple little pricks or a few big ones? Not even euph.

Presume there is some science behind placement (i.e. varies from joint to joint depending on muscle/bone location etc?)