Jabalí en recado rojo is a traditional game stew from Cobán, Alta Verapaz, made with wild boar meat in a thick sauce of red chiles, tomato, and spices.
It’s a dish from traditional Guatemalan game cooking, valued for the intense, distinctive flavor of wild meat combined with a classic recado.
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Guatemalan Jabali in Red Chile Sauce
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Guatemalan
Ingredients
- 1 kg of wild boar meat, in pieces (about 2.2 lb)
- 4 of guaque chiles, toasted and soaked
- 2 of pasilla chiles, toasted and soaked
- 4 of tomatoes, roasted
- 1 of onion, roasted
- 3 cloves of garlic, roasted
- 1 tablespoon of achiote (annatto)
- 1/4 cup of corn masa (to thicken)
- 1 sprig of hoja santa (optional)
- to taste of salt
Instructions
- Cook the meat, boil the wild boar meat in salted water until tender, reserving the broth. Wild boar meat may need longer cooking than other meats.
- Prepare the chiles, lightly toast the guaque and pasilla chiles and soak them in hot water until softened.
- Blend the sauce, blend the soaked chiles, roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, and achiote with a little broth until you get a smooth sauce.
- Thicken, dissolve the corn masa in cold water and add it to the sauce.
- Cook the stew, pour the sauce into the pot with the meat and broth, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until it thickens.
- Add aromatics, add the hoja santa toward the end of cooking, if using.
- Adjust seasoning, correct the salt to taste.
- Serve, serve hot, with white rice and tortillas.
Tips for getting it right
- Wild boar meat is usually firmer than domestic pork, so it may need longer cooking to become tender.
- Achiote is key to this recado’s characteristic reddish color.
- Marinating the wild boar meat a few hours before cooking can help soften its wild flavor.
- This dish reflects the game hunting tradition of the Cobán region, in Alta Verapaz.
Traditional variations
- It’s a traditional dish of the Cobán region, Alta Verapaz, tied to local game hunting.
- It can be substituted with other meats if wild boar isn’t available, though the flavor will vary.
How to serve
Jabalí en recado rojo is served hot, in a deep bowl, with white rice and corn tortillas.
It’s a dish from Alta Verapaz’s traditional game cooking, with an intense, distinctive flavor.
Recommended sides
- White rice
- Corn tortillas
Did you know?
Jabalí en recado rojo is part of the game cooking tradition of the Cobán region, in Alta Verapaz.
Using recados based on red chiles and achiote is a common technique in several traditional dishes from the region.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a traditional game stew from Cobán, Alta Verapaz, of wild boar meat in a thick sauce of red chiles, tomato, and achiote.
Wild boar meat is firmer than domestic pork, so it usually needs a longer cooking time to become tender.
Yes, though the flavor will change, it can be substituted with pork or another game meat depending on availability.
It's a traditional dish of the Cobán region, in the department of Alta Verapaz.
