How to remove the gamey taste from wild boar?

To reduce the gamey taste of wild boar, carefully remove the outer fat and the silvery membranes, then marinate it 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. The fat often carries part of the strong taste; the marinade, for its part, softens it without making it disappear completely. For a stew or a ragout, try red wine with onion, garlic, bay leaf, juniper and pepper. Then drain the meat and dry it before browning it: if it is wet, it will brown less well. Do not let it marinate on the countertop.

If the flavor remains strong, choose a long, gentle cooking method, in sauce, rather than quick pan-frying; add tomato, carrot or a little pancetta to round out the taste. Avoid extending a very vinegary or lemony marinade: it can make the surface mushy, without fixing meat of mediocre quality. And if the meat clearly smells sour or rancid, do not try to mask the smell: it is better to throw it away. For wild boar, cook the meat through to 71 °C, verified with a thermometer; marinating and freezing do not replace this precaution.