Whole Suckling Pig
Otway Pork’s Suckling Pig is perfect for a show-stopping meal, offering tender, juicy meat with a rich, delicate flavour.
Suckling pigs are ideal for festive celebrations, family feasts or special occasions. They cook beautifully when roasted low and slow.
Each pig is carefully prepared for easy cooking and must be fully cooked before serving, whether that’s spit-roasted or in an oven.
See cooking instructions below.
Estimated roasting times:
- 15 kg pig – approx. 5 hours
- 20 kg pig – approx. 6 hours
*Cooking times will vary depending on size, heat source and method.
Cooking Instructions
To start, simply remove the Otway Pork Suckling Pig from its packaging and, if possible, leave it uncovered in a cool room or large chiller box overnight. This will help dry the skin and promote that crisp, delicious crackling.
Spit
- Prepare and mount pig on the rod as per instructions and secure the hind and fore legs with wire.
- Wrap the ears in foil to prevent burning.
- Concentrate the coals under the legs and shoulders as these areas will take the longest to cook. Coals will need to be moved back and forth on the pit to achieve even cooking across the pig.
Crucifix
- Lay the pig skin-side down and run a boning knife hard at the point where the ribs meet the spine. Run the knife down this rib section a couple of times.
- With the pig facing north-west, hold the ribs at the sternum area with your forearms inside the rib cavity. Push down firmly with both arms to release the ribs from the spine, butterflying the pig.
- Directly between the hind legs, use a sharp knife to separate the aitch bone (pelvis) allowing the two legs to fall open. Secure the pig to the crucifix using wire at the spine and legs.
- Wrap the ears in foil to prevent burning.
Oven
- You can use the crucifix method to prepare the suckling pig for cooking in an oven if it’s big enough.
- The butterflied pig can be broken into smaller, more manageable pieces using a large knife, cleaver and mallet to cut through the joints in the spine.
For all cooking methods, season the cavity well with fine cooking salt, rub a little oil onto the skin and sprinkle with salt. You need just enough oil to ensure the salt sticks to the skin.
Always start with high heat to set your crackling then reduce the heat for even cooking.
