Buffalo Wild Boar Meatloaf
- 2 pounds wild boar sirloin
- ½ pound bacon end pieces with most of the fat removed
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buffalo sauce of your choice
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped (1 ½ cups)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon) or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
- Caribeque Island Thyme Seasoning
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 strips of bacon
- 3 or so handfuls of apple and cherry wood
Preparation
The wild boar or “feral pig” was imported as a food source to America as early as the 1500s. They have escaped from domestication and were intentionally released and have taken over as an nuisance animal across the United States.
First of all the meat needs to be ground and mixed( If not already ground) . I prefer to use a sirloin roast for this recipe, but any cut will work. This recipe also works great for any type of venison. Cut the meat into 1 inch chunks. Grind the meat with the coarse blade in a meat grinder. Remove to a large plate. If your pig meat has some fat, strip most of the fat off the bacon until you have a half pound of smoked goodness. If your pig is lean, leave the fat on the bacon. Grind the bacon and spread it evenly over the ground boar. Feed this mixture back through the meat grinder to further blend the two meats.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, then stir in the rest of the ingredients except for the bacon strips. Add your Caribeque Island Thyme seasoning. Heat it up with your favorite buffalo hot sauce and your grated parmesan cheese. Add in the ground meat, folding the mixture with your hands until thoroughly incorporated. Do not over work as the texture will start to degrade. Form the meat into a 10- by 5-inch loaf. Lay three strips of bacon lengthwise about a half inch apart on the rack (or the foil if you are not using a rack). Place the loaf on top of the bacon lengthwise, so it covers the bacon. Cover the rest of the loaf with the additional bacon across the width, with about a half inch between slices, tucking the ends under the loaf. Fold the ends of the bacon slices on the bottom up to cover the ends. Your wild pig meat loaf is now wrapped in bacon.
Pre-heat the Egg to 300 degrees F and arrange the plate setter in the smoking position.. Line a heavy baking sheet with foil and place a rack, if you have one, over the foil to keep the loaf out of the grease as it cooks. If you do not have one of these “cooling racks” don’t worry, the pig-loaf will still be phenomenal. Add apple / cherry chips and set the plate setter in the smoking position.
Place the loaf on the egg and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from the egg and let rest for ten to fifteen minutes. Slice and serve.
