Roasting a Suckling Pig

It's party time. About this time of the year, the clocks go back, I turn our mattress to the winter side and the bathroom scale is set back by 5 pounds. There will be no escape, we are going to feast  for the next couple of months.

In fact at Pebble Soup HQ we have already succumbed. Having been lured into  the world of small producers and small family businesses, my research took me to an importer of products from Spain. A bit more about this in a minute.

  

I was not looking for it to happen, it just did: a boneless suckling pig  found its way to my freezer. But what does one do with a little pig?

It's a very good alternative to turkey but contrary to what the press would have us to believe we are still a way away from Christmas. However, a little pig is a little too large for two and certainly not adequate for friends who don't like fat on their meat (and I seem to have many of these).Having found the perfect companions for the occasion, I set myself to prepare a feast. But you know me, that was not without doing a bit of research on

The advantages of roasting a suckling pig :

• The obvious reason: boneless meat, easy to pick at, very similar to pulled pork so you don't have to watch your table manners. 
• It is a real show stopper and a bit of an event in itself.
• There is very little prep and as long as you oven is big enough, no cooking worries
• It's rich, moist and tender and all the juices make the meat really sweet.

My favourite bit: the crispy skin

I borough the recipe from Basco Fine Food

Ingredients

2.5 Kg Boneless Suckling Pig

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt

1 Large Bulb of Garlic

1 Carrot, roughly chopped

1 Onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 Stick of celery, roughly chopped

1 Leek, roughly chopped

300ml Water or chicken stock

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 250°C for 30 minutes.

Cut the garlic bulb in half round its diameter and lightly rub the skin of the suckling pig.

Place the suckling pig in a large roasting tin with the garlic and chopped vegetables, drizzle some good quality extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt.

Roast joint for 20 minutes at 250°C top get the skin of the piglet going, turn the heat down to 200°C and roast for a further 50 minutes.

Keep an eye on the garlic to make sure it does not burn. Increase the oven temperature to 250°C once again, remove the garlic, keeping it warm and roast for a final 25 to 30 minutes or until the skin is golden brown and crispy.

Remove the piglet from the oven and take it out of the roasting tin onto a serving platter with the garlic.

Drain the oil excess from the roasting tin, keeping the roasted vegetables inside and pour about 300ml of water or chicken stock into the roasting tin and return to the stove to deglaze the bottom of the pan with the liquid and make the sauce.

Use a whisk to scrape all the caramelisation from the pan.

Bring to gravy to the boil and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, pass through a fine sieve and serve with the roast suckling pig.

 



All in all very simple, the only difficulty is to source the meat. Which brings me to Grey's Fine Foods. Their products are delicious. They are an importer of food and drinks from Spain and work with small producers and family business.

For more info call 01937 845 767.

Disclaimer: No money was exchanged for this post- I received a sample- all the words are my own



.