Citizens, TFD is attending a secret conclave of the world’s true leadership Cabal here in Stuttgart, Germany, and has been asked to prepare a feast worthy of the powerful attendees gracing the table this evening.
What better and more appropriate dish could I, the almighty Food Dictator, serve than an entire roast suckling pig, prepared in true Bavarian style?
This is a version that any home cook can prepare – no rotisserie or fire pit needed! Just a good oven, a large pan, a piglet of suitably noble provenance and breeding and you’re off!
Presented in honor of the organizer of this weekend meeting, my friend Sebastian who is himself a master of this style of cooking! Herr Sebastian, my brother, this one is for you! 🙂
Battle on – The Generalissimo
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1 suckling pig [11 – 15 ½ pounds, 5–7kg]
4 tsp kosher salt
4 tsp dried marjoram
4 tsp ground caraway seeds
1 bunch celery leaves
1 bunch fresh thyme
½ bunch fennel fronds
1 cup or 240ml butter/bacon fat 50% mix, melted
1 bottle of dark beer
Beef stock (as necessary)
1 tbsp flour, stirred into a little stock (roux)
½ cup or 120ml sour cream [optional]
A small apple
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Eviscerate, clean, wash and pat the pig dry.
Rub the inside of pig with ½ the mixture of the salt, marjoram and caraway seeds. Add herbs into cavity, then stuff the cavity with crumpled aluminium foil to prevent the meat from collapsing during coking.
Place the front legs forward with the feet under the head, position the rear legs and tie with string.
Rub the outside skin of the pig with the remaining seasonings, then cover the ears and tail with foil to prevent burning.
Prop the mouth open with a stick or raw potato so that you can stuff it with an apple later.
Pierce the skin all over with a fork so that the fat will drain off. Lay pig on a rack in an open roasting pan and pour in just enough stock to cover the bottom of the pan.
Begin by searing the piglet in a very hot oven, then roast in a moderate oven as follows: preheat oven to 220°C/425 fahrenheit, put piglet in oven for 20 min and then reduce heat to 180°C/350 fahrenheit.
To keep the pig well-basted as it cooks, brush it with butter and bacon fat mixture every 15 min.
Add more stock as needed and pierce the skin with a fork at each basting.
Alternatively start in an oven pre-heated to 180°C for a moister pig with a less crispy skin. Allow 30–35 min per kg of cooking time; by the end the meat should be white with no pink juices but not dried out.
If the meat browns too quickly cover with foil except when basting. For the last half hour, remove the foil from the ears and tail. Towards the end baste frequently with beer for a browned crispy skin.
Pour off pan juices, make a gravy in a hot pan by combining pan juices, roux and optional sour cream.
To serve, cut the trussing away from the legs and place the pig on a large platter. Remove the wood block or potato in the pig’s mouth and replace with an apple. You can further garnish by cutting a circle around the neck and covering it with a wreath of leaves or [at Christmas] holly.
That roasted suckling pig looks AMAZING!