People many centuries ago understood a lot about food. In occasion of a great celebration, they tried to cook the most delicious and delicious dishes. Perhaps that is why a roasted pig often stood on the festive table of the kings. To appreciate this dish, you need to know how to cook it correctly.
The most natural option
At the time when they were just starting to publish cookbooks, there were no ovens or microwave ovens. Then a baked pig could only be prepared in the most ancient way.
For this, a skewer and open fire were used. These days, this option is used during a picnic. Of 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:
- First you need to light a fire and let the wood burn out.
- Before baking, the carcass must be prepared. There are two ways to do this easily. First, pickle. Secondly, grate with salt and seasonings.
- Then take the prepared carcass and put it on a skewer. Begin with the tail. The core should extend close to the spine so that the pig does not turn.
- Set the skewer with the piglet on the stand and do not forget to turn it periodically. Otherwise, a bubble may form on the skin, which, bursting, will spoil the appearance of the dish.
A baked pig is considered to be ready when the knife easily passes through the meat to the very bones, and blood does not ooze from the hole formed.
No frills meat
Very tasty meat dishes prepared in a Russian oven. In the villages, the mistresses did just that:
- Before starting work, the carcass had to be sprinkled with flour and scorched so that it would not leave stubble.
- After this, the piglet needs to be cleaned, freed from the insides and pickled for 5-6 hours. As a brine, a solution is suitable, which includes salt, vinegar, pepper, bay leaf, spices, as well as garlic or onions.
- Then the carcass must be laid on a metal sheet. Today for this there is a baking sheet. From above, it is better to smear the skin with vegetable oil, and wrap the ears and patch with foil.
- The cooking process takes at least 3 hours. During this time, it is necessary to constantly monitor the state of the upper layer, pouring it with the allocated juice.
Baked piglet is very tender and fragrant. Before serving, it can be decorated with fresh herbs, vegetables or fruits. Any of these options will be successful.
Kitchens of different countries
Interestingly, in the capital of the Philippines , a whole baked pig is considered a specialty and almost a national dish. It is served in all cafes and restaurants. There is even a separate quarter in the city where such meat is cooked in large quantities. It can be ordered through the store, which is located on the back of the institution. Roasting is done on a spit.
Mainly used carcasses of animals weighing from 5 to 10 kilograms. First they are cleaned and thoroughly washed. The meat must be clean. After that, rub abundantly with a mixture of ground pepper, sea salt and garlic. The combination of products is quite successful. Then the carcass is mounted on a skewer and roasted for several hours directly over the hot coals. The process is monitored by a special worker who periodically rotates the skewers. The meat is very soft, and the crust is brightly colored and crispy. In Manila, such a dish is called "lechon." Each tourist considers it his duty to definitely try it.
What to do with dairy pigs?
As a rule, a piglet is considered milky, which is no more than two months old. At this time, he still drinks mother’s milk, so his meat is juicy and very tender. It usually has a specific smell that not everyone likes. It smells of milk from a piglet, which is why it is called that. Baked milk pig is a real delicacy.
Nevertheless, cooking it is not at all difficult. True, you will need many different ingredients. For one carcass weighing 2.5 kilograms: 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, mustard and balsamic vinegar, ½ cup red wine, a bunch of celery, 140 g of vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon of peppercorns and paprika, a little salt and butter as well as a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg and dry basil.
After all the products are assembled, the main process begins:
- First, the carcass must be washed, dried with a towel, and then chopped inside with a sharp knife in several places.
- Prepare marinade from other products. You need to start with solid components (walnut, pepper, cinnamon and paprika), rubbing them with a pestle in a mortar.
- Coat the piglet on all sides with the prepared mixture.
- In order for the carcass to retain its shape, inside you can insert a regular bottle wrapped in foil. Now it can be put in a baking sheet and left for 40 minutes for pickling.
- After this, the piglet must be sent to the oven or oven.
In an hour and a half he will be completely ready.
Georgian pig
In the East, meat is treated with great respect. The preparation of such a dish is a real ritual. For example, experienced Georgian cooks know many interesting recipes.
They can tell you how to bake a pig in the oven. For this you need only a carcass weighing up to five kilograms, 60 grams of butter and 5 tablespoons of adjika.
This recipe is not unusual:
- First of all, you need to grind the oil with adjika until a thick, most homogeneous mass is formed.
- Coat the washed and dried carcass with the prepared mixture, and then put on a baking sheet and put in the oven, which has already been preheated to 190-200 degrees.
- During baking, the product should be constantly watered with juice, which escapes onto a pallet. Readiness can be determined using a long needle. You just need to pierce the pig in the shoulder area, where the layer of meat is the thickest. From the resulting hole should appear juice, not blood.
Now the finished pig can be taken out and transferred to the dish. To make it more convenient for guests, the meat can be cut into portions.
Everyday Recipe
For home use, you can offer a recipe for baked pig with minced meat. This method is very practical, as there is not much meat in the piglet itself.
For cooking, you will need a carcass weighing a little more than one and a half kilograms, 35 g of sunflower and 50 g of animal oil, ½ kilogram of buckwheat, a tablespoon of flour, 100 g of honey and a little cranberry.
Cooking method:
- Rinse the piglet under water and then lower it in boiling water to easily remove the hairs.
- After that, scorch, sprinkled with flour, and then wash thoroughly.
- Remove all bones (except legs and head).
- Cook the minced meat. To do this, add salt and the inside of the pig fried with onions in the porridge cooked from buckwheat.
- Fill the inside of the carcass with the prepared mixture and then sew the incision with a dense thread.
- Coat the workpiece with vegetable, and then butter.
- After that, carefully place it on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 1.5 hours.
- Turn the piglet on the other side and leave for another hour. Piglet and ears must be covered with foil.
- Make a small incision on the back of the finished product to let off steam.
- As a sauce, prepare a mixture of cranberries, honey and flour. To do this, it needs to be boiled over low heat until thickened.
On the table, such a dish will look very beautiful.
Photo to help
First time cooking is always difficult. What should a housewife do if she does not know how to make a baked pig? The photo in this case will help to control the work at each stage.
First you need to stock up on products. You will need a pig weighing 5 kg, pepper, garlic, salt and sour cream (or cream).
Now you can start work:
- From a grated garlic, salt and pepper, prepare a mixture, which on all sides to grate the washed carcass of a pig.
- After that, it is good to coat it with sour cream outside.
- Transfer the product to a greased baking sheet or in a mold.
- Send to the oven for a couple of hours. It may take more time. Willingness is best determined by making a small puncture. Be sure to remember to close your ears and nose.
For a side dish, boiled rice or vegetables of any kind are suitable for such a dish. If desired, the piglet itself can be decorated using mayonnaise, herbs and fresh vegetables.