Pan Roasted Wild Pig Chops
It’s much more likely that the animal you shoot is a feral hog, not a wild boar. There are populations of wild boar in the U.S., mostly in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, but the rest of us are probably gunning for a closer cousin of the domestic hog.
There is a relatively small danger that your hog, boar, etc. may carry the parasite trichinella, which causes trichinosis… a bad thing. Make sure that the meat is cooked to an internal temperature of 155 degrees for several minutes, just to be safe. It’s also best to trim most of the fat from the chops as it often imparts unpleasant flavors to the cooked meat.
If you don’t have boar chops handy, substitute lamb, venison or pork chops. Use any vegetables in season to accompany the chops if you don’t want to use shallot, celery and carrot.
Pan Roasted Wild Pig Chops
Ingredients
- 2 – 3 lbs boar or feral pig chops bone can be in or out (looks better with the bone!)
- salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary minced
- 1 lemon juice only
- 8 - 10 whole garlic cloves
- 6 – 8 whole peeled shallots
- 1 cup baby carrots
- 2 celery stalks cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup chilled butter cut into 4 pieces
Instructions
- Season meat with salt and pepper. Toss seasoned chops with 1/4 cup of the olive oil, rosemary and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for 6 – 12 hours. Heat remaining oil in a large ovenproof skillet. Add chops and lightly brown on both sides. Remove chops and set aside. Add garlic, shallots, carrots and celery and cook until lightly browned. Return chops to the pan and place the pan in a preheated 375 degree oven. Cook for 5 – 8 minutes more or until chops are just done and shallots are slightly soft. Remove pan from oven. Remove chops from pan and keep warm. Place pan over a medium-high burner and add wine. Reduce wine to about 2 tablespoons. Remove from heat and whisk in chilled butter until melted. To serve, place vegetables on plates and arrange chops over. Drizzle sauce over chops.