Asian-Flavor Wild Boar Sticky Ribs

The ultimate Super Bowl (or really any football, hockey, basketball, baseball, soccer, curling…) game day snack is barbeque ribs with “fixings.” This year, I’m opting for Asian-flavor wild boar sticky ribs.

For anyone who is a fan of pork ribs, I suggest making the move to wild boar. Wild boar is leaner with less cholesterol and is a good source of zinc. Moreover, wild boar generally lives a healthier life and is more humanely raised with less artificial hormones than American pork. While wild boar is not a native species to the American West, places like California are now overrun and hunting helps control the population of this invasive species.

Best Place to Purchase Wild Boar Online

• Blackwing Quality Meats

• Fossil Farms

• Broken Arrow Ranch

Today, I’m cooking these Asian-Flavor Wild Boar Sticky Ribs on my new Traeger grill. (Thank you to my parents for the awesome Christmas gift!). Traeger’s use wood pellets for a constant heat source with a great smokey flavor added to your cook.

These Asian-flavored wild boar ribs are a significant time commitment. First, you need to smoke them for an hour and then cook them at high heat in the sauce for another three. Trust me, low and slow always is the always best choice for ribs, but you will have lots of time watching all of the pre-game. Cooking ribs too hot or too fast will lead to nothing but tough, chewy meat.

Three Reasons Why Smoking is the Best Way to Cook Ribs

1. Low and Slow = Tender and Juicy. The elongated cooking process over low heat allows more of the meat’s connective tissue to break down. Additionally, less of the meat’s natural moisture evaporates when cooked at higher heat.
   
2. Smoke adds to the flavor. Both sweet and bitter flavor profiles are enhanced when adding smoke to your meat.
   
3. It is easy! Smoking ribs requires little effort and is perfect for barbeque beginners. Just remember to allow plenty of time. You will need to set aside at least 3 hours. Some recipes may suggest longer cooking times, but three is perfect for this one!

The secret to any good barbecue is as much cook as it is the sauce. A good barbeque sauce needs to be sweet, spicy, and appropriately acidic. I call these Asian-flavored orange wild boar sticky ribs since the hot citrus sauce combines the flavors of China, Japan, Vietnam, and Korea.

If you don’t eat these ribs for the Superbowl or the Lunar New Year, they are also a perfect fit for your backyard summer dinner.

Interested in other ways to cook wild boar? Check out these other wild boar recipes.

4.85 from 13 votes

Asian-Flavor Wild Boar Ribs

Servings 4 people

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs

Ingredients

• 2 racks wild boar ribs
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil

For the rub…

• 1 1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Japanese 7-spice
• 1/2 tbsp chili powder

For the sauce…

• 1/2 onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger root grated
• 3 tbsp Gochuchujang
• 1 cup Hoisin sauce
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar

For the glaze…

• 3/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

For the garnish….

• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

• Combine ingredients for the rub. Oil racks and massage with the rub. Leave set for 10 minutes while you heat the grill to 180 degrees. Smoke ribs directly on the grill for 1 hour.
• Whisk together ingredients for the sauce. After the racks have smoked for 1 hour, increase the heat on the grill to 300 degrees. Place ribs in an aluminum roasting pan. Pour sauce over ribs and flip to coat ribs well. Cook for 3 hours. Take ribs off the grill. Place on a plate to let rest.
• Strain sauce through a sieve into a small pot to remove all solids. Skim off fat. Add marmalade and vinegar. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Coat ribs in sauce and finish with garnishes.

Notes

The ribs cook as good on a campfire as they do on the grill.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Fusion

Keyword: Barbeque, Hunt

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @bewildeats on Instagram and hashtag it #bewildeats.