Friends, I want to make a suckling pig at home in my regular old oven. I am most intrigued by Luis Bollo’s recipe, which is not only intrinsically enticing but also has the added benefit of being able to be prepared in advance. As written up a few years ago in New York Magazine: Luis Bollo, the executive chef at Meigas, in TriBeCa . . . handpicks his piglets from farms upstate, dunks them in virgin olive oil, then cooks them for twelve hours at around 135 degrees. After that, he sets the meat in a refrigerator for another twelve hours, roasts it for twenty minutes at high heat before serving, and accentuates the slow-cooked flavor with a basting of honey and red wine. The result is the filet mignon of pigs, a melting, smoky confection with a brittle, orange skin like Peking duck. The dish is so succulently rich that you may want to eat it like Peking duck, too, in delicate little slivers, with help from your friends. In an interview I found of Chef Bollo online, he says: I salt [the suckling pig] and cook it for 12 hours in a low convection oven. Then I rub it with olive oil and refrigerate it for another 12 hours. Then to serve, I heat it quickly in a high convection oven to make it very crispy. Anybody out there who can help me with the missing details, and with any other suggestions or advice? Thanks, D.W.
