Roast Suckling Pig is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of suckling pig that's stuffed with butter, breadcrumbs and sage before being roasted and served with apple sauce and the stuffing. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Roast Suckling Pig.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
ROAST SUCKING-PIG.
841. INGREDIENTS.—Pig, 6 oz. of bread crumbs, 16 sage-leaves, pepper and salt to taste, a piece of butter the size of an egg, salad oil or butter to baste with, about 1/2 pint of gravy, 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice.
[Illustration: ROAST SUCKING-PIG.]
Mode.—A sucking-pig, to be eaten in perfection, should not be more than three weeks old, and should be dressed the same day that it is killed. After preparing the pig for cooking, as in the preceding recipe, stuff it with finely-grated bread crumbs, minced sage, pepper, salt, and a piece of butter the size of an egg, all of which should be well mixed together, and put into the body of the pig. Sew up the slit neatly, and truss the legs back, to allow the inside to be roasted, and the under part to be crisp. Put the pig down to a bright clear fire, not too near, and let it lay till thoroughly dry; then have ready some butter tied up in a piece of thin cloth, and rub the pig with this in every part. Keep it well rubbed with the butter the whole of the time it is roasting, and do not allow the crackling to become blistered or burnt. When half-done, hang a pig-iron before the middle part (if this is not obtainable, use a flat iron), to prevent its being scorched and dried up before the ends are done. Before it is taken from the fire, cut off the head, and part that and the body down the middle. Chop the brains and mix them with the stuffing; add 1/2 pint of good gravy, a tablespoonful of lemon-juice, and the gravy that flowed from the pig; put a little of this on the dish with the pig, and the remainder send to table in a tureen. Place the pig back to back in the dish, with one half of the head on each side, and one of the ears at each end, and send it to table as hot as possible. Instead of butter, many cooks take salad oil for basting, which makes the crackling crisp; and as this is one of the principal things to be considered, perhaps it is desirable to use it; but be particular that it is very pure, or it will impart an unpleasant flavour to the meat. The brains and stuffing may be stirred into a tureen of melted butter instead of gravy, when the latter is not liked. Apple sauce and the old-fashioned currant sauce are not yet quite obsolete as an accompaniment to roast pig.
Time.—1-1/2 to 2 hours for a small pig.
Average cost, 5s. to 6s.
Sufficient for 9 or 10 persons.
Seasonable from September to February.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 prepared suckling pig
300g breadcrumbs
120g butter
4 sage leaves, minced
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
300ml good gravy
1 tbsp lemon juice
butter or olive oil, for basting apple sauce, to accompany
Method:
Combine the breadcrumbs, butter and sage in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper then mix thoroughly before using to stuff the body cavity of the piglet. Sew closed then arrange on a roasting rack in a tin.
Place in an oven pre-heated to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) and roast for for 55 minutes per kg plus 50 minutes. Baste frequently with butter or olive oil during roasting.
Just over half way through cooking, double up a sheet of foil and wrap this around the belly of the piglet (this ensures that the rump and haunches roast evenly without the belly portion burning. When cooked through, remove the head of the pig. If desired, split the head, take out the brains and mix this in with the stuffing from the belly. Split the body of the pig down the backbone and remove the stuffing.
Mix the stuffing with the gravy and lemon juice then pour in the pan juices and mix thoroughly. Arrange the suckling pig on a serving dish, with one half of the head on each side of the body. Serve accompanied by apple sauce and serve the stuffing mixture in a tureen.
