January is the most wonderful month! It’s both National Meat Month and National Slow Cooker Month … so you can bet we are going to put meat in the slow cooker.

And we plan to start with a wild boar shoulder. Something about eating wild boar in the heart of winter seems very comforting, in a medieval sort of way. These feral swine have been a part of the human diet for a long, long time. You can read a little more about eating wild boar here.

If you haven’t tried wild boar yet, this recipe for Slow Cooker Wild Boar Shoulder is a good place to start. It’s easy  – the slow cooker does all the work – and yields tender meat and a rich sauce. Not only delicious as is, the leftover meat can be shredded for BBQ boar sandwiches, wild boar tacos, or even pulled boar nachos. The possibilities are endless.

You can use the recipe above to make these BBQ Pulled Wild Boar Sliders, with zesty barbecue sauce and a classic slaw to add crunch. Serve these on soft, sweet rolls such as Hawaiian bread or mini brioche.

What are you going to cook in the slow cooker this month? Tell us about it right here, or find us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Tag @dartagnanfoods so we can chat about food – we love to see what’s cooking.