Slow Roasting a Suckling Pig

[D.W.]

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.

[Luckylies]

well first off don't try any slow slow roasting with too small a pig anything under 15 pounds is going to look like a cooked greyhound. i tried a low slow suckling pig for thanksgiving. it was very good but way too small, it looked sickly and there was not very much meat. when you cook your pig in the oven if you keept he temperature very low and go with the fridge thing make sure to tent the pig in foil when it's in the oven so it doesn't dry out or brown. also, don't peek too often. make sure you shape the ears with some tinfoil so they are perky and pointy not floppy. use tinfoil balls to make you pig sit in the right position, after a few hours you can remove them and the pig will be "set"

good luck, you can pm me for more info if you need it.

[budrichard]

The hog farmers I do business with in Wisconsin regard a 'suckling pig' as starting at 40 to 60 pounds. To get a pig of 15 pounds, a special order is needed because the pigs are fed an antibiotic that must be stopped about 2 weeks before slaughter. Anything smaller than 15 #'s as stated previously does not really have a lot of meat. 25 #'s is about the ideal start weight and I certainly recammend cooking outside in a smoker or some sort of controllable grill. Good Luck! -Dick

[Shalmanese]

One says dunk, then cook, the other says salt, cook then dunk. Personally, I would be interested in what happened if you tried to confit a whole suckling pig, dunno if I can afford that much oil though.

[chef koo]

i'm with lucky here. in fact for anything less than 10 kg, after being gutted i do'nt think it should take longer than an hour and a half. seasoning? salt and pepper of course. and than anything you want. i like a glaze to get an extra crispy skin. try sugar and vinegar. but just salt and pepper is good too

[D.W.]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll bag the pig for now (not quite the thing for a Brooklyn apartment), but in the unlikely event that I do make it, I will let you know how it turns out.

D

[Luckylies]

edited 'cause I just realised this was not the new york board.

Noooo roast the pig in the apt!!!!!!!!! wait how small is the oven???

like easy bake, or just un peu petit?

Edited January 19, 2005 by Luckylies (log)