Recipe: Spit-Roasted Suckling Pig

Cooking a whole pig surely sounds like a daunting task but once you tackle it, you’ll realize that it’s not all that hard. Over the years we’ve researched and experimented with different techniques before perfecting our chosen method of spit-roasting over hot coals. After brining the pig overnight and transporting it in a cooler to New Hampshire, we built a stone-lined pit and stuffed the pig with a mixture of garlic, rosemary, thyme and fennel. Cooking a pig on a spit requires diligent rotating, raking of the coals, and adjustment of the height of the spit so that the pig cooks evenly and slowly. After about 6 hours of doing just that, we had a delicious pig that had reached perfection. Check out the stuffing recipe after the jump.

Recipe

Stuffing

Ingredients

• 5 Tbsp rosemary, coarsely chopped
• 1 head garlic, cloves crushed
• 9 branches rosemary
• 5 branches thyme
• 4 Tbsp fennel seeds, crushed
• 2 fennel bulbs, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Massage the skin with olive oil, rub with plenty of salt, ground pepper and chopped rosemary.
2. Work the seasonings into the cracks of the skin. Generously season the cavity of the pig with salt and pepper. Fill the cavity with all of the stuffing.
3. Close the cavity by sewing shut or wrapping tightly with chicken wire.
4. Roast the pig, turning frequently, until meat reached 160° in the thickest part of the shoulder or thigh.