Roast Suckling Pig A La Grande Bouffe Recipes

WHOLE ROAST SUCKLING PIG

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare the pig: Wash it, including the cavity, under cold running water, and towel-dry thoroughly, the way you would dry a small child after a bath - ears, armpits, chest cavity, face, legs, backs of knees.
• Sometimes there are imperfections remaining after the slaughtering and processing of the animal. Use dish towels or sturdy paper towels to rub away any dark spots on the ears, any little bit of remaining bristles around the mouth. Like that yellow, papery flaking skin you sometimes find on chickens, which can be peeled off to reveal tender, fresh skin underneath, a similar bit of crud can remain on pigs' chins and under their belly flaps. Clean this little cutie as if you were detailing your car! The purple U.S.D.A. stamp, however, is indelible. But not inedible.
• Bard the pig with all 20 garlic cloves, making deep incisions all over with a thin filleting knife and shoving the cloves into each pocket; include the cheeks and the neck and the rump and the thighs and the loin down the back and the front shoulders, all areas of the small creature that have enough flesh to be able to receive a clove of garlic. (Sometimes I find I have to slice the larger cloves of garlic in half to get them to slide into the incision.)
• Rub the entire pig in oil exactly as you would apply suntan oil to a sunbathing goddess of another era, when people still were ignorant of the harmful effects of the sun. Massage and rub and get the whole creature slick and glistening. I do this directly in a very large roasting pan.
• Wash and dry your hands. Take large pinches of kosher salt, and raising your arm high above the pig, rain down the salt in an even, light dusting all over. You can start with the pig on its back and get the cavity and the crotch, and then turn it over and get the back and the head and flanks. Or vice versa. But in the end, the whole animal is salted evenly and lightly, snout to tail.
• Arrange the pig in the roasting pan, spine up, rear legs tucked under, with feet pointing toward its ears and its two front legs out ahead in front. Sometimes the pig needs a sharp, sturdy, confident chiropractic crack on its arching spine, just to settle it in comfortably to the roasting pan, so it won't list to one side or topple over.
• Put the potato deep into its mouth, and place in the oven, on the bottom rack, and roast slowly for about 4 to 5 hours, depending on the size of your pig. (Plan 15 minutes of roasting time per pound of pig; if you have a 20-pounder, then you'd need about 5 hours total cooking time.) Add a little water to the roasting pan along the way if you see the juices are in danger of scorching, and loosely tent the animal with aluminum foil in vulnerable spots - ears, snout, arc of back - if you see them burning. For the last half-hour, raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees, and cook until the skin gets crisp and even blistered, checking every 10 minutes.
• Tap on it with your knuckle to hear a kind of hollow sound, letting you know the skin has inflated and separated from the interior flesh; observe splitting of the skin at knuckles - all good signs the pig is done. Or use a meat thermometer inserted deep in the neck; the pig is ready at 160 degrees. Let rest 45 minutes before serving.
• Remove the potato, and replace it with the apple. Transfer the pig to a large platter; nestle big bouquets of herbs around the pig as garnish. Save pan juices, and use for napping over the pulled meat when serving.

COCHINILLO ASADO: SPANISH ROAST SUCKLING PIG

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 425 F. Season piglet inside and out with salt and pepper to taste.
• Wrap pig's ears with aluminum foil to stop them from burning.
• Place piglet in a large, open roasting pan. Coat with olive oil and place dabs of butter all over.
• Place pig in the oven and roast, basting often with pan drippings, for about 2 1/2 hours.
• Peel carrots and onion. Slice carrots into 4 pieces each and coarsely chop onion. Reserve.
• About 10 minutes before removing piglet from the oven, place carrots and onions in the pan with piglet.
• When a safe temperature of 145 F, minimum, is reached at the thickest part of the piglet's meat, away from bone or fat, remove piglet from the oven. Remove the aluminum foil from ears and place piglet on a serving dish, letting it rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. Keep warm in a warming drawer or in the oven on the lowest setting if not serving right away. Be mindful that meat can dry out if left in a warming drawer for too long.
• While meat rests, pour juices from roasting pan into a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add cooked carrots and onion.
• When juices start to sizzle, skim fat off top.
• Add water and increase heat to high. Boil mixture to thicken.
• Strain gravy through a strainer or cheesecloth .
• Serve piglet on a large platter with warm gravy on the side, along with patatas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes) and a simple green salad.

CUBAN-STYLE ROAST PIG

Steps:

• Place pig skin side down on a large work surface. Strain one recipe of the mojo into a bowl, reserving solids. Transfer liquid to a large syringe and inject the mojo into the meat of the pig every 3 to 4 inches, taking care not to push syringe down so far that it punctures the skin on the underside of the meat. Sprinkle the interior and exterior of the pig with adobo criollo and rub all over; rub reserved solids from mojo over rib cage. Cover and let marinate, chilled, overnight.
• Bring pig to room temperature. Lock the pig into the wire rack of the Caja China by using the S-hooks. Place locked pig in the Caja China on top of the drip pan, skin side down. Insert a meat thermometer with a cable attachment into the thickest rear section of the pig.
• Place ash pan and grid tray on top of the Caja China. Fill the bottoms of two large chimney starters with crumpled newspaper. Starting with16 pounds of charcoal briquettes (not instant), fill the tops of the chimney starters with some of the 16 pounds of charcoal. Place a chimney starter on each end of the grid tray; light the newspaper in each chimney starter. Flames will sweep up through the chimney, igniting charcoal. When charcoal is red-hot, after 15 to 20 minutes, dump out charcoal from starters and add remaining charcoal to total 16 pounds; spread evenly across grid tray. After 1 hour of cooking, evenly add 8 pounds charcoal. Repeat process every hour until pig reaches 185 to 187 degrees, about 3 1/2 hours.
• When pig has reached 185 to 187 degrees, two people wearing protective gloves should raise the grid tray and carefully shake ashes off the coals and into ash pan. Carefully place the grid tray on the long handles. Two people should then lift the ash pan with ashes and safely dispose of them, adding water to ensure they do not cause a fire.
• Using protective gloves, carefully turn pig skin side up and return to the Caja China. With a knife, carefully make cross cuts into skin between each grid of the rack, taking care not to cut into the meat. Return ash pan and grid tray with hot coals to the Caja China and cook, until skin is crisp, 30 to 45 minutes more.
• Heat remaining recipe mojo and transfer to a serving bowl. Remove ash pan and grid tray from Caja China. Lift wire rack containing pig out of the Caja China. Detach S-hooks and remove top rack. Serve meat on rolls topped with warm mojo and chopped onions, if desired.

ROAST SUCKLING PIG

Steps:

• This recipe is a two day procedure. Make sure that your butcher thoroughly cleans the suckling pig. By cleaning inside and out and removes the eyeballs. With a knife make several cuts on the pig's skin so the skin doesn't burst during cooking. Prop the pig's mouth open with a small yam. Season the entire pig with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Place the pig in a garbage bag and tie the back tightly. Place the pig in the refrigerator and chill for 12 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and rinse thoroughly. In a mixing bowl combine the garlic, parsley, thyme, cumin, bay leaves, onions, juice of the orange, lime, lemon, olive oil and wine. Whisk the marinade until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Place the pig back in the bag and pour the marinade over the pig. Tie the back tightly and place back in the refrigerator. Turn the pig every three hours. Refrigerate the pig for 12 hours. Remove the pig from the refrigerator and out of the bag, reserve the marinade. Stuff the cavity with the stuffing. Using a kitchen needle and thread, tie up the cavity. Tie the front legs and then back legs. Cover the tail with aluminum foil. Place the pig on a large roasting pan and pour the reserved marinade over the pig. Place the pig in the oven. Roast the pig in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes per pound, about 5 hours, basting and turning the pig every hour. For unstuffed pig, roast at 350 degrees for 15 minutes per pound. Internal temperature should be about 155 to 160 degrees for both methods. Remove the pig from the oven and allow the pig to rest for about 30 minutes before slicing.
• In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the vegetables for 2 minutes. Add the ground pork and continue to saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, and parsley. Continue to saute for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and turn into a mixing bowl. Stir in the beans and rice. Season with salt and pepper. Moisten the stuffing with the juice of 2 oranges.

ROAST SUCKLING PIG

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine the orange, lime, and grapefruit juice and whisk together. Wash and pat the pig dry with paper towels. Sprinkle inside and out with the salt and pepper and place it in a large roasting pan, belly side up. Place the grapefruit, oranges, limes, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme inside the cavity and skewer it closed. Turn belly side down and place a ball of wood or a rolled up piece of aluminum foil about the size of a lemon in the pigs mouth. Skewer the legs into position by pulling the forelegs forward and bending the hind legs into a crouching position (this will help a large pig fit in a home oven, if it fits already, this is not necessary). Cover the tail and ears with small pieces of foil to prevent them from burning. Place the pig in the oven and baste with the citrus juice mixture. After the pig has roasted for 15 minutes, baste it again with the citrus juice mixture and reduce the heat to 325 degrees. Roast for 20 minutes per pound longer, basting generously every 15 or 20 minutes with the juice mixture and then the pan juices. To test for doneness, prick the thigh with the tip of a sharp knife to see if the juices run clear. The internal temperature should read 165 degrees on a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes, loosely tented with a large piece of aluminum foil. Distribute the parsley and watercress sprigs loosely around the edges of a large warmed oval platter. Halve the trimmed blood oranges and place them around the edges of the platter, nestled in the greens. Remove the foil from the tail and ears and replace the wood or foil from the mouth with a lemon, lime, or apple. Carve at the table, with confidence.

ROAST SUCKLING PIG A LA 'GRANDE BOUFFE'

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Lay the bread cubes out on 2 cookie sheets, in single layers. Bake for 20 minutes. Toss the cubes and bake for 10 more minutes; the bread should be dry, not brown.
• In a medium-size skillet, cook the bacon over low heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 20 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels. Cook the leeks in the bacon fat until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the chestnuts and stir for 4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, and add the bread cubes, bacon, truffle, thyme, savory, 2 cups of stock, salt and pepper. Add additional stock if you like the stuffing very moist.
• Raise the oven to 475 degrees. Remove the tail from the pig. Stuff the cavity with the bread mixture. Truss the pig to enclose the filling. Place in a roasting pan (with or without a rack), the trussed opening face down. Tuck the back legs under the body. Cover the snout and ears with foil to avoid burning. Place on the middle rack and roast for 45 minutes. Turn the pan and roast for 30 minutes more. Remove the foil and roast another 15 minutes. (The skin should be hard and crackly.)
• Place the pig on a platter. Pour the wine into the pan and bring to a boil on top of the stove, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up any browned bits. Carve the meat, skin on. Serve with the stuffing on the side, moistened with the pan juices.

WHOLE ROAST SUCKLING PIG

Steps:

• THE DAY BEFORE COOKING, WASH pig inside and out; soak it in very cold water with vinegar for a few hours. This freshens and whitens the meat. If you pig is frozen, it can also defrost during this soaking. Over a medium heat cook the carrots, celery and onions in the oil for a good 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions should become somewhat translucent, the carrots slightly caramelized. Add salt and thyme. Dry the pig thoroughly inside and out.
• You may stuff the pig with the vegetables at this time; however, if you use a conventional stuffing, such as one for a turkey, wait until just before cooking and make certain that the pig and stuffing are at room temperature. The easiest way to close the opening is to use an ice pick or an upholstery needle to punch rows of holes about an inch apart on both sides of the stomach flaps. Then lace it up with thick string just as you would a shoe. You may also use skewers and string as you would for a turkey. Because protein firms as it cooks, the pig will stay in whatever position you place it. It should resemble a dog resting on its haunches.
• Place the pig in the roasting pan; it may have to be placed diagonally. Tuck the hind legs close to the stomach on either side; tie them together with string under the stomach if needed. The forelegs should be pointing straight ahead (also tied together so they won't spread out) and the head resting between them. Place a small piece of wood (like a child's block) or a piece of bunched-up foil in the mouth, opening it as wide as you can. Twist the tail into a curl and secure it with string or tape. Place crumpled aluminum foil in the eye sockets (some people place marbles). At this point you may cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it. Before cooking the pig, let it come to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 450°F With the oil, thoroughly baste every inch of the pig, including the head, legs and tail. Out of aluminum foil make little covers for the ears and tail. If your pig hangs over the pan, use heavy-duty foil to extend the pan so that any juices will be collected. Place the pig in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the pig quickly, shutting the oven door, baste with oil again and return to the oven. Then reduce the temperature to 350°F Continue basting with oil every 20 minutes 4 to 5 more times (for a total of 2 hours). If the ears and tail haven't browned, remove the aluminum covers for the last 20 minutes. The total cooking time will be between 2 and 2 1/2 hours.
• The cooking time is less because it is not fully stuffed; if it were, it would take an hour longer. (Approximately 10 minutes per pound lightly stuffed or unstuffed; 15 minutes per pound fully stuffed.) The pig is done when the temperature of the thigh reaches 165F (trichinae are killed when the internal temperature reaches 139F for a period of 10 minutes). When done, it may easily rest for an hour under foil or in a turned-off oven. To serve, make a garland for the pig's neck by stringing together sprigs of watercress. Make certain your apple is nicely polished. Enlist some help and very carefully slide the pig onto the platter or carving board it will be presented on. It is rather fragile at this point and can even break in half. Make a sauce by skimming the fat off the juices in the roasting pan. Place the roasting pan over 2 burners, add the stock and the wine and bring to the simmer. Stir to dissolve all the roasting juices coagulated on the bottom and continue cooking about 10 minutes. If you wish to thicken the sauce, whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour that have been blended with 2 tablespoons of butter, bring the sauce back to the boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring. Remove any remaining foil, string or skewers. Place the apple in the pig's mouth. Place the watercress garland around its neck and bring it to the table.

CUBAN-STYLE ROAST SUCKLING PIG

Steps:

• Combine the juice, garlic, oregano, and salt in a mixing bowl. Transfer to a large, deep roasting pan and place the pig, belly down, into the pan. Thoroughly coat the pig with the marinade, massaging it in. Let sit in the marinade overnight. Baste the pig occasionally.
• Preheat the oven to 275°F.
• Remove the pig from the marinade and place it on a large baking sheet. Cover the pig's ears, snout, and tail with aluminum foil. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 4 to 4 1/2 hours (20 minutes per pound).
• Remove the foil when you take the pig out of the oven. Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Serve with the mojo, and some black beans and rice .