Recipe: Wild Boar Carnitas

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This Saturday on Good Food, Evan talks with Jesse Griffiths, author of Afield: A Chef’s Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish.

Griffiths is a seasoned hunter and fisherman. He says Texas, much like California, has been overrun with wild boar. The boars destroy millions of dollars of agricultural products each year and are considered a pest to many farmers. Keep reading to find Jesse’s recipe for his Wild Boar Carnitas. The meat has to simmer for hours, but the recipe is incredibly short and simple.

Read below for the two easy steps.

Wild Boar Carnitas

(Adapted from Afield: A Chef’s Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish by Jesse Griffiths. Welcome Books. Text © 2012 Jesse Griffiths. Photographs © 2012 Jody Horton. Foreword © 2012 Andrew Zimmern. www.welcomebooks.com/afield)

Fatty, crisp, and chewy, “little meats” make a perfect taco with raw onion and fresh cilantro. The meat is browned slowly and cooked until tender in the oven. Use lard if the pig is a bit lean, or try to make this with fatty cuts—i.e., belly—from fatty hogs. The long cooking time of this recipe lends itself well to an overnight­er in the oven.

Serves 4

2 pounds fatty hog belly or shoulder, diced

Kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons guajillo or chipotle chile powder

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Juice and zest of 1 orange

1. Preheat the oven to 225°F.

2. In an ovenproof pot or Dutch oven, combine all of the ingredients and stir to combine. Cover the pot tightly, place in the oven, and cook until very tender and crisp, about 6 to 7 hours.