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This one goes out to my friends at the magical, mystical CF Ranch for letting me take over the kitchen in their private residence and cook up some Javelina. That is love.

These are the back straps from the Javelina, silver skin removed (as we talked about yesterday). They marinated for quite some time. Since Javelina has a naturally smoky flavor, I decided to play on that with some chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce. The other things you will need (not all pictured) are: olive oil, cider vinegar, garlic cloves, brown sugar, dried oregano, and dried thyme.

Once it has marinated for a good long while, you’ll want to tie it in some twine so that it is uniform in thickness and cooks uniformly. You tie it the same way you would a roast or a leg of lamb.

It will look like this. The bottom one is the tenderloins tied together, so it looks a tad different.

If you don’t know how to tie a roast raise your hand and I’ll show you a step-by-step tomorrow!

You want to preheat the oven and meanwhile get your skillet nice and hot. The reason you use a skillet (as if you need any!) is that you want a pan that can go both on the stove top and in the oven.

Sear for a few minutes on all four sides.

Til golden brown. This will lock in the juices.

Then, stick ‘er in the oven.

It will be poifect in 12-15 minutes, but to double check, use a thermometer and check that the internal temperature is 140 degrees F.

Take it out and cover it in foil for 20 minutes more to let it rest and so that the juices retreat back into the meat.

Then slice it up and serve it table side!

This would be delightful with some chunky guacamole and wild rice.

And if you don’t have a Javelina handy, I’ve suggested some alternative meats below. Give it a try sometime!

"Adobo Javelina Backstrap"

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 Javelina backstraps or tenderloins
  • 1 chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce finely chopped, with about 1 or 2 teaspoons of the sauce
  • 1/3 cup cider vinegar
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  • Place the Javelina in a re-sealable plastic food storage bag with all of the ingredients save for 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Refrigerate for 6 hours.
  • Remove the meat from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for 20 minutes.
  • Tie the backstraps with kitchen twine so they are uniform in thickness. If you are using tenderloins, tie them together using the same method.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sear the tenderloins until golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes longer, until they reach an internal temperature of about 140 degrees F.
  • Remove from the heat and set on a plate. Cover with tin foil and let sit for 20 minutes before slicing to serve.

Notes

Serve with: Guacamole and wild rice
Alternative meats: Wild boar, pork, venison, chicken breasts (though optimal internal temperatures will vary)

Photos skillfully taken by Gordon Pellegrini

15 Comments

  • Maureen
    Posted October 29, 2010 at 1:57 pm

    The beauty looks as good as it probably tastes. It looks perfect for this time of year. Adobo Javelina Backstrap is something new in my travels!!

  • Peter Gabriel
    Posted October 29, 2010 at 3:24 pm

    Looks delicious!

  • Kristian Russell
    Posted October 29, 2010 at 3:25 pm

    Wonderful. I assume it tastes like Wild Boar only gamier?

    • Post Author
      Georgia
      Posted October 29, 2010 at 4:13 pm

      Just like wild boar… a little "smokier."

  • Kiran
    Posted October 30, 2010 at 7:10 pm

    Emmm… Yummy!

  • HankShaw
    Posted November 3, 2010 at 6:24 pm

    Haven't yet had the pleasure of javalina. I hear they can be very good, or rank as hell. Guess you got a good one! I bet the backstraps would be excellent cooked sous vide….

  • Post Author
    Georgia
    Posted November 4, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    Yes, they would be great sous vide since they're naturally kinda chewy. Otherwise very similar to pork. It's all about cutting the gland out of its back as soon as you kill it so the oil doesn't spread!

  • online casino slots
    Posted January 4, 2011 at 7:15 am

    Greattt post as always 😉

  • Bruce Wilson
    Posted December 30, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    Georgia: You likely will not get this since I probably have to sign in or something. My question is simply this: The adobo sauce is simply way too hot for us – have attempted similar marinades previously. What would be your recomendation to eliminate the “hot” from the sauce and still accomplish the same thing for the marinade….. PS – We’ve ordered your book………. Bruce & Carolyn – Payson, AZ

    • Post Author
      Georgia
      Posted December 31, 2012 at 8:35 am

      Smoked paprika will work, it doesn’t have the heat! Cumin will also be nice on top of that.

      • Bruce Wilson
        Posted December 31, 2012 at 9:30 am

        Thank you………. I do not hunt javalina anymore but am starting my 10 yr. old grandson on them – less kick on a little .22 mag. don’t you know…….. Don’t believe in killing if you are not going to eat it and I never had found a way to do javalina that didn’t end up like “planked carp” (you probably have heard the old joke)……….. Sure appreciate the information and our best to you and yours for the New Year…….. Bruce & Carolyn – Payson, AZ

  • Sara
    Posted February 14, 2019 at 8:14 pm

    This recipe was So good. We used Javelina back strap and tenderloin. I did a few things different. I used a chilli relleno pepper instead of chipotle bc our store did not have one. I also used a mixture of apple cider vinger and red vinger bc I didnt have enough apple cider for the 1/3 cup. I added a little more brown sugar too. I also did not wrap the meat in twine. I did use an iron skillet. This recipe came out amazing. When you remove the meat to rest save the juice in the pan to pour over it. We made burritos with them. We used guacamole, long grain rice, Mexican cheese, and the sauce from the pan. It was so yummy. This is my favorite javelina recipe so far. It was not spicy at all. We will make this again when we get our next peccary.

  • Geralyn
    Posted December 20, 2020 at 12:05 pm

    Hi. A friend gave us some backstrap. Do you think using this recipe on the grill would work? Or will that make it too dry?

    • Georgia Pellegrini
      Posted August 9, 2021 at 1:30 pm

      You could do the grill, just make sure not to let it cook for too long. Let us know how it turns out!

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