A colleague and good friend from work, Jeff Meyer, made me a bet that I wouldn’t actually find and kill a pig. The terms of the bet were that he would cook the pig and provide the beer for everyone at Centellax to enjoy. I’m not sure what I was supposed to do if I didn’t get a pig, but, well, it didn’t matter, did it?
Willowside Meats processed the boar into 25lbs of Swiss-Italian sausage, 20lbs of pork loin chops, and 18lbs of smoked ham. Brad marinated and grilled 18 chops, probably 10lbs of meat. Jeff used 9lbs of sausage in a huge pot of chili and three meatloafs, plus he brought a pony keg of beer and a margarita mixer made from a garbage disposal unit. I made two lasagnas with another 4lbs of sausage.
The party was awesome. We thought we made way too much food but it was demolished in about an hour. Despite all the trichinosis jokes, we received rave reviews from everyone. We spent the afternoon killing the keg and finishing off most of the tequila. Fantastic!
A week later a smaller group of friends gathered to enjoy the smoked ham. We drank much less beer and tequila, but the ham was absolutely incredible. Easily the best ham I’ve ever had.
The recipes are attached.
Spicy Boar Chili (by Jeff Meyer)
4.5lbs of sausage
3 large white onions
20 cloves of garlic
4 tbsp cayenne
1 16oz cans chicken broth
2 32oz stewed tomatoes
1 gallon can kidney beans
2 16oz cans kidney beans
1 8oz diced jalapenos
1 can (8) green whole jalapenos
2 cans of V8
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 bottle red wine
1. brown sausage with diced onions, diced garlic, wine
2. everything in pot on stove, bring to boil, then simmer overnight
Wild Pig Meatloaf (by Jeff Meyer)
4 peeled carrots
3 stocks celery
1.5 onions
2 cups breadcrumbs
4.5lbs sausage
1 cup ketchup
6 eggs
20 cloves of garlic
3 large potatoes
1 small can heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp honey
1 cup grated cheese
1. grind carrots, celery, onions in Cuisinart
2. boil potatoes, mash with heavy whip cream
3. mix everything else, bake 90mins at 350-degrees
4. add cheese and ketchup, bake 10 mins
Boaring Lasagna (by Will Sitch)
1 box lasagna sheets
2 eggs
15oz ricotta cheese
16oz shredded mozzarella cheese
4oz grated parmesan cheese
2lbs sausage
2 jars spicy marinara sauce
1. roll sausage into half-inch balls and brown (>160-degrees internal temp) in a frying pan, drain off excess oil
2. mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, all the parmesan into a thick paste
3. layer sauce, lasagna sheets, paste, sausage, and mozzarella three times, in that order
4. cover with foil, bake 1hr at 375, uncover, bake 15 mins at 400
Honey-mustard Smoked Ham (by Will Sitch)
10lb smoked ham, cooled to room temp for 2 hours
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup spicy mustard
1. mix sugar, honey, mustard with a little water to make a thick paste
2. score entire ham with 1/4″-deep slices 1″ apart, repeat in perpendicular direction (make a crosshatch)
3. rub paste into cuts on ham
4. bake in a pan with a half cup of water at 325-degrees for two hours, turn once
5. internal temp (near the bone) must be >160-degrees