Baked suckling pig is a delicious, satisfying and very effective holiday dish. Such a delicacy is served on big holidays – weddings, anniversaries, births of children. An appetizing piglet can be cooked with or without filling, either on a spit or in the oven, either cut or whole.
Dairy pigs are three-month-old pigs that suck the uterus. Thanks to this feature, in finished form, such a dish will be very tender, aromatic and pleasant to the taste. The traditional classic recipe is whole roasted suckling pig without filling.
Ingredients:
- 2,5 kg piglet
- bunch of celery
- 80 g butter
For the marinade:
- 150 ml semi-sweet red wine
- 2 tbsp grain mustard
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 10 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp dried paprika
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp dry basil
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- salt
Typically, a whole suckling pig weighs about 2,5–3 kg and is sold gutted and processed. The bristles are usually shaved off and singed, but sometimes it is necessary to remove some hairs, to clean them from the traces of burning. Rinse the piglet well inside and out and dry it with paper towels. Make several shallow cuts inside the carcass.
To make the marinade, grind the peppercorns, nutmeg, cinnamon and basil in a mortar. Add the rest of the marinade ingredients and mix. Lubricate the outside and inside of the piglet with the mixture. Leave the carcass at room temperature for 30-50 minutes.
If there is still marinade, grease the carcass again just before sending to the oven.
To ensure that the carcass is baked on all sides and does not fall on the barrel, wrap a wine bottle in foil and place it in the belly of the piglet. Preheat the oven to 180-190 ° C. At this time, the ears, tail and piglet must be thickly smeared with butter, wrap the head or designated parts of the muzzle with foil so as not to burn.
Cover the bottom of the baking sheet with vegetable oil, lay out a mesh of thick celery stalks. Lay the suckling pig on top of the belly. It must be baked for at least 2 hours.
Readiness is checked with a wooden toothpick. If thick transparent juice comes out of the puncture site, the pig is ready
Sprinkle the cooked meat juice on the pork periodically. Remove the foil 15 minutes before the end of cooking and increase the temperature to 200 ° C for a crispy crust.
Serve the baked carcass with buckwheat or rice garnish. You can insert olives into your eyes and ears, draw a net or patterns of mayonnaise on your back, and put a baked ranetka or lemon in your mouth.