Sucking Pig

Ingredients

• A sucking pig
• a pinch of salt
• a piece of fat bacon
• one onion minced
• bread-crumbs

Method

1. 1

   Roast the sucking pig before a brisk fire, basting with hot salted water initially, then switch to salad oil.

2. 2

   Rub the crackling with fat bacon to keep it crisp.

3. 3

   Make balls with onion, sage, and breadcrumbs, coat with breadcrumbs and eggs, fry, and use for garnish.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Cookery and housekeeping (1882) by Reeve, Henry Mrs., page 81. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

SUCKING PIG. 195 A wooden spoon is to be used in making and moving the brine. Sucking Pig. A sucking pig at the beginning of autumn is not a bad dish, though it is not acceptable to all palates. It must be roasted before a brisk fire, and must be well basted with, at first, hot water which has been put in the dripping pan with a pinch of salt ; pour away this water, replace it with salad oil, and continue to baste ; or take with a pair of tongs a piece of fat bacon, and rub it up and down the ' crackling.' The object is to keep the crackling from scorching, and to render it crisp. Make some balls with onion, sa^e, and bread- crumbs. Coat with breadcrumbs and eggs, fry and use for garnish ; a better mode than stuffing with onion and sage. A puree of apples or tomatoes may be served with sucking pig. Galantine of Sucking Pig. The body of the sucking pig must be carefully boned, the feet and head excepted. All the bits of meat which come off in the process of boning, a quantity of veal or of rabbit, of fat bacon, and of panada must be pounded in a mortar and seasoned ; and another smaller quantity of fillets of rabbit, bacon, truffles, and the liver of the pig must be made ready. Put a layer of the pounded meat, and then one of the mixed fillets in the pig, till you have filled it up ; 196 BRAWN. then sew up the opening. Try to arrange it so as to preserve the shape. Fasten up in a cloth as other galantines, and braise slowly in weak stock with the usual vegetables for from three to four hours. Do not remove the cloth until it is cold. Brawn. The tin in which the brawn is made is to be a cylinder, of nine inches by seven inches. The sides must be perforated with small holes like a rushlight shade. Take a pig's head, feet, ears, and tongue, and a calf's foot (or cow's heel), let them be well turned and rubbed in pickle for six days. Boil slowly for seven hours. The head requires less than four hours to boil, the feet nearly seven. Remove all the meat and gristle from the bones, and cut, or tear into suitable pieces ; the tongue is to be cut into larger bits. Season with mixed spice and pepper. Arrange the skin next the sides of the tin, put a layer of meat and bits of tongue here and there, and so fill the tin with all your material. The effect aimed at is to give the mottled look of marble to the brawn. When the tin is filled with the prepared meat, a cloth is to be laid over it, and on that a 7 lb. weight, which must remain for 24 hours. Pickle for Brawn, &c. Pour 2 gallons of boiling water over 6 lbs. of salt. When quite cold put in ^ lb. saltpetre, pounded very BOAR'S HEAD. 197 fine, I oz. bay salt, and \ lb. brown sugar. Mix thoroughly. Boar's Head. Pig's head, feet, and ears ; Haifa teaspoonful of black pepper, and the same of cayenne ; 4 teaspoonsful powdered sage ; I teaspoonful mace ; One onion minced

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.