Char Siu Wild Boar Leg


In our Wild Boar Test Kitchen, Jade and Liv tried different cooking techniques for bone-in wild boar legs. Boar is typically paired with game-friendly flavors like rosemary and sage, fennel, and juniper berries, so Jade crafted this Chinese barbecue-inspired recipe to experiment with different ingredient and flavor pairings. The result is an easy way to cook a whole boar leg that’s exploding with flavor!

“Char siu is a mainstay in Chinatowns and Cantonese restaurants. The marinade is made with strong seasonings (five spice, nam yue, hoisin and soy sauce) that hold up well to the flavor of wild boar.” Jade
Servings: 10-12
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WINE PAIRING | |
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Pinot Noir or Grenache |
Commonly prepared with pork cuts like shoulder, belly, or Boston Butt, wild boar was historically used in ancient versions of this recipe. Though boar leg is leaner than pork, the results are equally delicious!

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp Five Spice Powder
- 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled & grated
- 3 pieces Nam Yue (fermented bean curd) + 1 tbsp liquid
- 1 tsp Tomato Paste
- ¼ cup Shaoxing Wine
- ¼ cup Hoisin Sauce
- ¼ cup Honey
- ¼ cup Water
- ½ cup Soy Sauce
- 1 Bone-In Wild Boar Leg (ours was 6.5#)
DIRECTIONS
“The depth of the pan doesn’t really matter, as long as the leg is slightly elevated on a rack so that air can circulate. A deeper pan can be really helpful to protect the meat because it’s so lean and there’s no skin that needs to get crispy.”
– Jade