Roasted Milk Piglet

⏳ Time

2 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

If the milk piglet is small, it does not need to be turned during roasting, but if the piglet weighs more than 5 kilograms, it should be turned halfway through the cooking time and finished with the back side up. To brown the crust, do not use the oven's grill; it is preferable to increase the temperature and leave it in the oven for a few more minutes. To prevent the piglet's limbs from burning, wrap the ears, tail, and legs in foil. When serving the milk piglet from the oven, it should be presented with a crispy crust that contrasts with the fatty, tender meat. The head is exquisite and may be the most delicious part of the roasted piglet.

Ingredients

Dressed Milk Piglet - 22 lbs
Water - 1½ cups
Pork fat - 7.1 oz
Garlic - 2 heads
Coarse Salt - to taste
Bay leaf - 3 pieces
Thyme - to taste
Marjoram - a pinch

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Before roasting the piglet in the oven, you need to: clean and finely chop the garlic. Mix it with the fat, coarse salt, thyme, and marjoram. You can also crush the garlic into a paste and mix it with the remaining ingredients; this paste is easier to use than the previous mixture. If you prepare the garlic paste in advance, a day before, the garlic will enhance its effect, making the piglet tastier.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 302°F for an hour, during which time rub the piglet inside and out with the prepared mixture using a kitchen brush. Place the piglet on a heat-resistant tray. Put the bay leaves at the bottom, pour a cup of water onto the tray without wetting the piglet's skin. Melt the pork fat. Puncture the skin and head with a thick needle or fork and rub with the pre-melted fat. This is very important to prevent air bubbles from forming and to create a crispy crust.

Step 3

Roasting the milk piglet. Place the whole piglet at 302°F in the center of the oven with heat from above and below for approximately 1 hour, frequently basting with the juices that form in the tray. Leave the piglet in the oven without turning it for half an hour. If the water in the tray evaporates, a little should be added; it is necessary to keep the piglet slightly moist for better flavor. For the last 15–20 minutes, to form a crispy and golden crust, increase the temperature to 374°F. The milk piglet should be in the oven for almost 2 hours.

Step 4

Remove it from the oven, slice it, and pour the juice from the tray into a sauce boat. The sauce is for dipping bread or mixing with the meat. A garnish that pairs very well with this dish is a salad of fresh chicory and good white wine.