Suckling pig in the oven - recipe

Some dishes on our tables evoke special delight and tenderness, and will also adequately decorate any holiday and even add a special flavor to the treats. Such dishes can easily include a whole baked suckling pig. A suckling pig, beautifully decorated and solemnly presented on the table, will arouse special interest among guests, and you can’t doubt its taste for a minute.

In Russian folk cuisine, three main types of meat main courses can be distinguished:

• boiled meat in large pieces, cooked in soups and porridges, and then used as a main course or as a cold appetizer;
• dishes made from offal (liver, omentum, rennet), baked together with cereals in pots;
• dishes from a whole animal (bird) or from a part of it (legs), or from a large piece of meat (rump, rump), fried in an oven on a baking sheet - the so-called roast.

As side dishes for meat dishes on the Russian table, porridge and gruel were usually used, in which the meat was boiled, then either boiled, or rather steamed and baked, root vegetables (turnips, carrots), as well as mushrooms.

Regardless of the meat used, the roast was also served with pickles - sauerkraut, pickled and sour apples, soaked lingonberries and infusions. In modern conditions, baked vegetables for Russian meat dishes are conveniently prepared in aluminum food foil. The role of gravy is usually performed by the juice formed during frying, as well as melted sour cream and melted butter, which are used to pour over boiled vegetables or flavor porridges.

Suckling pig in the oven video recipe:

How to cook suckling pig

There are many ways to prepare pork dishes. One of them is to roast meat on a spit. It can also be baked in the oven or boiled. A common dish is suckling pig stuffed with a variety of ingredients: buckwheat, rice, millet, corn and others.

Ingredients:

• 1 suckling pig (1.5 kg)
• 500 g buckwheat
• 50 g butter
• 2 tbsp. spoons of sunflower or olive oil.

Suckling pig. Recipe

Wash a well-fed piglet with cold water, keep it in it for 3-4 minutes, then put it in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, carefully pluck out the bristles without damaging the skin, rub with flour, singe, then rip open, gut, wash inside and out, after which it is desirable cut out all the bones (ribs, spine) from the inside, with the exception of the head and legs, under no circumstances cutting through the meat and skin.

Prepare cool buckwheat porridge, but do not flavor it with anything other than butter. Before cooking, fry the cereal with butter, scald with boiling water, and separate the floating grains.

Season the finished porridge with moderate salt. Add fried and chopped pig liver to it, stir.

Place the porridge evenly along the pig along its entire length, so as not to distort its shape, avoid thickening in certain places, and at the same time be quite tight. Then sew the piglet up with a harsh thread, straighten the shape, bend the legs, place it on a baking sheet sideways on birch sticks placed crosswise so that the skin of the pig does not touch the baking sheet. You cannot add salt or flavor with spices.

Coat the pig with vegetable oil, pour melted butter on top and place in a preheated oven until browned. Then turn over and brown the other side. After this, reduce the heat and continue to fry, pouring the draining juice over the pig every 10 minutes for 1 hour and turning it over alternately: fry for 15–20 minutes with the back facing up.

Roasted pig with buckwheat

When the pig is ready, make a deep cut along its back to allow steam to escape. This will keep the crust dry and crispy. Let stand for 15 minutes, cut into pieces (or leave whole), pour over the juice remaining after frying and serve with cranberry infusion.

Potato

As a rule, suckling pig cooked in the oven is served (photo of the finished dish is presented above) with baked potatoes. For cooking you will need 10-15 medium sized potatoes. They should first be boiled in lightly salted water until half cooked. Then place the potatoes in a large container, add a pinch of salt, ground pepper, a couple of tablespoons of oil, vegetable seasoning, dried parsley or dill. Toss the potatoes until each vegetable is coated with the spice mixture. Place the potatoes on foil on a baking sheet. Bake the potatoes for about 20 minutes.

Suckling pig baked in the oven with citruses

The piglet turns out very juicy, with a golden brown crust and a unique aroma of orange, lime and grapefruit.

Cooking time 3 hours.

Ingredients:

• Piglet 1 piece
• Garlic 1 head
• Oranges 2 pieces
• Limes 2 pieces
• Grapefruit 1 piece
• Onions 1–2 pieces
• Coarse sea salt 2 tbsp. spoons
• Ground black pepper 1 tbsp. spoon
• Bay leaf 1 leaf
• Thyme 5–7 sprigs
• Orange juice 360 ​​ml
• Grapefruit juice 180 ml
• Lime juice 180 ml
• Lemon or apple 1 piece

Preparation

1. 1․

Rinse the piglet well under running water and wipe dry with paper towels.

1. 2․

Cut the head of garlic, oranges and limes into halves, grapefruit and onions into quarters.

1. 3․

Rub the carcass outside and inside with salt and pepper. Place chopped fruits, onions, garlic, bay leaves and thyme inside.

1. 4․

Sew with kitchen thread or secure the edges with skewers to keep the filling inside.

1. 5․

Place the pig on a baking sheet. Top with a mixture of orange, grapefruit and lime juices.

Use freshly squeezed juices.

1. 6․

Place a ball of foil the size of an apple or lemon into the pig's mouth.

Piglet, ears and tail can be wrapped in foil to prevent them from burning.

1. 7․

Place the piglet in an oven preheated to 230°C. After 15 minutes, pour the juice over again and reduce the heat to 160 °C.

1. 8․

Bake the pig for a few more hours at the rate of 20 minutes for every 450 g of weight.

1. 9․

Every 15-20 minutes, water with juice, and when it runs out, with the liquid that accumulates in the pan.

1. 10․

To make sure the pig is cooked, carefully pierce it with the point of a knife. Light transparent juice should stand out.

You can also check readiness with a cooking thermometer: the temperature should be between 74 °C.

1. 11․

Remove the finished pig from the oven, cover with foil and leave for 15–20 minutes. Before serving, remove the foil and replace the foil ball with lemon or apple.

Pickling

From all the listed ingredients we create a flavorful mixture for marinating. After you grate the zest from the citrus fruits and squeeze out the juice, do not throw away the leftovers; they will come in handy a little later.

Take a large enough plastic bag and put the pig in it. Rub the top and inside of the meat with the marinating mixture. The bag should be tied as tightly as possible. The tighter the bag is tied, the less air will get into it and the better the pig will marinate. In addition, when the bag is tied tightly, the pig is almost completely in the liquid marinade.

The minimum marinating time is 24 hours. Maximum - 48 hours. During the process, you can turn the piglet over without opening the bag. Do this more often, then the marinade will penetrate into the most inaccessible places and completely saturate the meat.

Suckling pig on the New Year's table

Today it is considered rare to see a suckling pig baked whole in the oven on a holiday table. The dish turns out to be very original and incredibly tasty. You should definitely prepare it, and our recipe with photos will tell you how to do it.

Ingredients:

• suckling pig - 1 carcass; • water; • dry white wine - 2 glasses; • soy sauce – 80 ml; • cloves - 3-5 pcs.; • star anise - 1 inflorescence; • allspice peas – 10 pcs.; • onions - 1 head; • fresh champignons – 200 g; • buckwheat – 1 glass; • olive oil for frying - 1 tbsp. l.; • butter – 15 g; • table salt, ground pepper to taste; • paprika - 1-3 tsp; • wooden skewers; • twine; • honey - 1 tbsp. l.; • soy sauce – 50 ml; • potatoes - 500 g; • rosemary to taste.

Preparation:

1. Take a gutted suckling pig. Before cooking, scald with boiling water. Place it in a deep container. Pour in cold water until the limbs are completely covered.

2. Pour in white wine and stir. Add soy sauce. It is important that the resulting solution completely penetrates inside the animal. Add spices.

3. Leave the piglet in the resulting marinade for 1.5 days, turning it over from time to time for uniform marinating.

4. Peel the onion head and chop it into half rings.

5. Rinse the champignons and cut into 4-6 pieces.

6. Rinse the multicooker bowl and place it inside. Pour in the washed buckwheat.

7. Pour filtered water 2 fingers above the cereal. Close, set the “Garnish Cooking” mode for 10-15 minutes. The cereal should be half-cooked.

8. Place the frying pan on the stove and heat it up. Add butter, melt and add a little olive oil. Send chopped onion.

9. As soon as the vegetable has become transparent, add the champignons and stir. Fry until golden.

10. Wipe the inside of the marinated pig with a clean kitchen napkin. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add for a nice paprika color. Pour oil over the spices. Rub the suckling pig with your hands: outside and inside.

11. Add buckwheat to vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix thoroughly. Place the filling inside the pig.

12. How to properly sew up a carcass? For those who don’t have a special needle, this method will come in handy: using wooden skewers, fix the animal’s skin. To prevent the skewers from coming apart, connect them on top with a simple twine. At the very end, tie a tight knot. Place the prepared pig on a suitable baking sheet. For convenience, you can tie up the legs.

Before putting the carcass in the oven, wrap the ears and snout in foil, as these parts burn strongly. Place in a preheated oven, pre-set the temperature to 180 degrees. The roasting time of the pig takes 1.5-2 hours, depending on the power of the stove.

After 30 minutes, remove the pig from the oven onto the table. Place honey in a deep bowl, add soy sauce, stir thoroughly. Using a silicone brush, coat the piglet. Return to oven.

You can’t just serve suckling pig like that. It is necessary to prepare boiled potatoes and vegetables baked on coals. Therefore, we suggest considering how to prepare a side dish for suckling pig in the oven according to a step-by-step recipe with photos.

Pour some oil into a hot frying pan. Place peeled whole potatoes in it. Lightly fry on both sides, add a little salt. Add butter to taste. Sprinkle with a little dried rosemary. Place the roasted potatoes with a creamy rosemary flavor on the baking sheet next to the pig.

Remove to the table and brush with honey and soy sauce again. If parts of the animal begin to burn, then they need to be wrapped in foil. Place in the oven and cook until done.

Advice! If desired, insert olives into the eyes. For a beautiful presentation, some chefs put citrus fruits in the pig's mouth. To do this, before putting it in the oven, you need to insert a ball of foil into his mouth. Otherwise, he won’t be able to open his mouth in the future.

Preliminary processing

It is important to understand that suckling pig meat is significantly different from the meat of adult pigs, so it requires a special careful approach. Of course, you can always buy (in a store or from a farmer) an already cut up pig carcass, but at home you will have to “conjure” it a little more

At home, you should remove any remaining fat from the skin and thoroughly clean it of any existing fibers (bristles).

It is also recommended to thoroughly rinse the carcass, paying special attention to the head and crotch area. Remaining blood is removed using a knife

Experienced housewives even advise resorting to the process of firing over a fire, even if at first glance there is no need for this moment.

Suckling pig on a spit

This dish has its own subtleties that must be taken into account in order to get a truly tasty dish with an appetizing crust and tender flesh. It is best to use birch coals, which give the meat an original flavor. In general, the prepared ingredients are enough for 8 servings.

Ingredients:

• pig

For the brine:

• 2.5 liters of water;
• 0.5 tbsp. sea ​​salt;
• 1 tbsp. spoon of spices,

For the marinade:

• 4 tbsp. table vinegar;
• 2 tbsp. spoons of sea salt and allspice;
• 1 teaspoon red pepper;
• 3 onions;
• 2 hot peppers.

Cooking method:

1. The pig carcass must be thoroughly washed both outside and inside.
2. After this, use paper towels to dry it. To prepare the brine, mix salt with spices, and then dissolve the mixture in water.
3. To quickly and well salt the meat on all sides, you need to take a large syringe and prick the carcass with the prepared brine, not missing the legs, head, etc.
4. Tie the prepared pig tightly with fishing line on all sides. If there are special clamps for the carcass, then use them.
5. It's time to put the pig on the spit and set it over the fire. Turn the carcass constantly so that it cooks evenly.
6. You need to make a marinade for frying, for which you peel the vegetables and cut them into thin rings. Combine in a separate container and add the remaining ingredients.
7. Now you need to grease the carcass with marinade on all sides. This procedure must be repeated every 40 minutes. This procedure will ultimately result in a beautiful and flavorful crust. On average, the meat will cook for 4-5 hours.
8. To check readiness, you need to pierce the carcass deeply in the thickest place and clear juice should come out of the hole. All that remains is to remove the pig, decorate and serve.

The most natural option

At the time when cookbooks began to be published, there were no ovens or microwaves. Back then, baked pig could only be prepared in the most ancient way.

To do this, they used a spit and an open fire. Nowadays, this option is used during a picnic. From the products you will need the carcass of the animal itself, salt with spices or a pre-prepared marinade. All actions must be done clearly and in a timely manner:

1. First you need to light a fire and let the wood burn out.
2. Before baking, the carcass must be prepared. This is easy to do in two ways. First, marinate. Secondly, rub with salt and seasonings.
3. Then take the prepared carcass and place it on a skewer. You should start from the tail. The rod should pass close to the spine so that the pig does not turn.
4. Place the spit with the pig on the stand and do not forget to turn it periodically. Otherwise, a bubble may form on the skin, which, when bursting, will ruin the appearance of the dish.

A baked pig is considered ready when the knife can easily pass through the meat to the very bones, and no blood will ooze from the hole formed.

Fragrant pig in the oven

Today, not every city dweller has the opportunity to try suckling pig. The dish turns out to be very original, tasty, tender and juicy. Let's look at how to cook a whole suckling pig in the oven, the recipe with photos is below.

Ingredients:

• suckling pig – 1 pc.; • celery – 100 g; • red wine - ½ glass; • table vinegar - 2 tbsp. l.; • soy sauce - 2 tbsp. l.; • olive oil; • cinnamon - ½ tsp; • paprika - 1 tsp; • black peppercorns; • mustard seeds - ½ tsp; • dry basil – 2 g; • nutmeg - on the tip of a knife; • butter; • table salt, ground pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1. Combine the indicated spices in a deep mortar. Grind thoroughly.

2. Pour the prepared seasonings into a deep bowl. Pour in the wine, soy sauce, vinegar and stir. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.

3. Wash and dry the gutted pig. Make an incision from the inside along the ridge, but do not pierce the whole thing. Rub in the marinade.

4. Place a glass jar inside the pig, after wrapping it in foil. This way the pig will not sag or lose its shape.

5. Rinse the celery and cut into several pieces. Place in the pan where the meat will be baked. Place the pig on top. Place in the oven, preheated to 190 degrees.

Note! First, grease the tail, coin and ears with butter, wrap in foil to prevent excessive baking.

Remove the finished pig from the oven. Place beautifully on an oblong dish and serve with fresh vegetables and herbs.

Classics: tips and ingredients

In order to prepare this dish, you need to choose the right pig. It is advisable to buy a small carcass. Ideally, it should weigh 3-4 kg. In this case, the meat will be well cooked and very tender.

When choosing, you need to pay attention to its color. The piglet should have a soft pink tint

The carcass should not be slippery or have an unpleasant odor.

Suckling pig meat is considered dietary. It does not contain harmful substances; it contains only about 3% fat. That is why it is so valued by all gourmets of the world. Meat contains essential amino acids for humans, which are easily absorbed by the body.

To prepare, you will need one small pig, spices and herbs. This roast suckling pig recipe does not use any marinades. Because they can clog the taste of young meat. In general, in all cuisines of the world they try not to spoil the taste of suckling pig with a large number of spices and other ingredients.

Preparatory process

Suckling pig in the oven is a dish that is valued for its incredibly delicate taste, pleasant meat aroma and appetizing crispy crust. But to achieve such a result, you should make every effort during the cooking process.

As a rule, in an urban kitchen you can master a recipe for suckling pig in the oven, which weighs from two to seven kilograms. Of course, if you live in a private house and always have a large Russian stove at hand, then the piglet can weigh ten kilograms or more. But we take as a basis a small pig whose weight does not exceed 3-4 kg. It will be more convenient to work with such a carcass, and it will definitely fit into a standard oven.

After the carcass has been processed and washed, the meat should be marinated. Marinating time ranges from 24 to 36 hours. As they say, the longer the better.

Preparation

After the time specified in the recipe has passed, remove the piglet from the bag. We wash it thoroughly under the tap and dry it with a paper or cloth towel. While the oven is heating up, the pig should “rest” at room temperature for about 30-40 minutes.

How to cook suckling pig in the oven? First, preheat the oven to 180 degrees. It is important that the oven preheats for about half an hour after the required temperature level has been reached. This is necessary so that the initial cooking of the meat begins in the correct way.

To bake a suckling pig in the oven, you will need the largest baking sheet that is in the kitchen and fits in the oven. Rub the pig's belly with spices (listed above) and put the remaining citrus fruits inside. Now we place the carcass so that the belly is evenly distributed in the center of the baking sheet.

In order to protect the hooves, snout and ears from burning, we wrap these parts of the carcass in foil. Coat the top of the carcass with a mixture of olive oil, honey and spices. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 160 degrees. And leave until final readiness. The cooking time at the second stage of baking will directly depend on the initial weight of the pig. The calculation is as follows: 40 minutes per kilogram of meat. Consequently, a suckling pig weighing 3 kg will be baked in the oven for about two hours. Add another 20 minutes. primary heat treatment, we get 2.5 hours.

During the baking process, burnt areas, sometimes even black, may appear on the carcass. Don't worry: it was the honey in the coating composition that burned. These places will not taste bitter or have an unpleasant aroma. We take the pig out of the oven.

Now we need a fairly large piece of foil. They need to completely cover the pig carcass and leave it in this form to “rest” for 30-40 minutes.

Recipe for inquisitive housewives

Finally, take note of this recipe for roasting a pig. This dish will please everyone without exception!

Ingredients:

• piglet weighing 4 kg;
• laurel leaves – 3 pieces;
• red and allspice pepper;
• garlic cloves;
• salt;
• olive oil.

Preparation:

1. Let's wash the pig carcass. Let's discuss it.
2. Place laurel leaves, red pepper and allspice into a mortar.
3. Peel the garlic cloves and put them through a crusher.
4. Add the garlic mass to the mortar and add salt.
5. Grind the seasonings to a powder.
6. Rub the pig with the spice mixture on all sides.
7. Let's put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
8. Place the pig on a baking sheet lined with foil, back up.
9. Place a glass jar inside. This will help us keep the piglet in shape. Just be sure to wrap the jar in foil.
10. Lubricate the ears, tail, and snout with olive oil.
11. Cover these parts of the carcass with foil on top.
12. Preheat the oven to 170° and bake the pig in it for 1 hour 30 minutes.
13. Then raise the oven temperature to 220 degrees. Cook the pig for another 1-1.5 hours.
14. We serve the pig to the table. Olives can be used as so-called eyes.

Innings

Suckling pig in the oven is a universal dish. It can be prepared in advance, and when guests arrive, simply heat it in the oven at 160 degrees. 20 minutes is enough for this. By the way, during heating the carcass will become even more golden, and the meat will become even more tender.

The suckling pig is served with baked potatoes or vegetable salad. As for sauces, the choice is huge: garlic, mayonnaise, cream, mustard-apple and others.