Roast Suckling Pig
- 1 suckling pig (14 to 16 pounds)
- Salt and freshly milled pepper
- 6 tart apples, quartered
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 lemons, halved
- Vegetable oil
- Wild flowers or fresh herbs, for serving
- Field greens, for serving
- Preheat the oven to 450 F.
- Remove the liver, kidneys, heart, and other organs from the cavity of the pig and thoroughly scrub the pig.
- Towel dry thoroughly, inside and out.
- Salt and pepper the cavity, and stuff it with apples, herbs, and lemon halves.
- Sew the cavity shut with a larding needle or close it with skewers and string.
- Place the pig in a large roasting pan in a sitting position with its back legs folded until its rump and its front legs forward.
- Brace the mouth open with a 2-inch ball of foil.
- Cover the ears with foil to protect them from burning.
- If the pig is too large for the roasting pan, surround the pan with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil.
- Roast the pig for 30 minutes.
- Brush on vegetable oil to coat the skin, and reduce the temperature to 350 F. Roast for 30 minutes and baste again.
- Continue roasting for 2 1/2 hours more, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices.
- Insert a meat thermometer into the fleshiest part of the thigh.
- When the internal temperature reaches 185 F., the pig is roasted.
- Remove the pig from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the pig to a serving board or platter and remove the foil.
- Fill the mouth with wild flowers or fresh herbs, and surround the roast with more flowers or herbs.
- Meanwhile, skim off as much fat as possible from the pan juices and pour the liquid into a small saucepan.
- Cook the juice until heated through and reserve 3/4 cup to pour over the field greens.
- Serve the remaining juices with the roast.
suckling, salt, apples, thyme, rosemary, lemons, vegetable oil, flowers
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/roast-suckling-pig (may not work)