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Leitão à Bairrada
Roast suckling pig
Leitão à Bairrada: peppery roast suckling pig with crackling skin
Along the old Lisbon–Porto road through the Bairrada, around Mealhada, restaurant after restaurant roasts suckling pigs whole in wood ovens, and people drive for hours for a Sunday lunch of it. This contains pork (suckling pig and lard). The inside is rubbed with a fierce paste of lard, garlic, black pepper and bay, while the skin roasts to a glassy, crackling sheet. It is served cold or warm with sliced oranges, crisp potato chips and a green salad. A half or quarter pig from a specialist butcher fits a home oven. Chef's tip: keep the skin completely dry and paste only the inside, as any fat or water on the skin stops it crackling.
- Total time
- 210 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the pig
- 8 ⅞ lb half suckling pig, split lengthwaysfrom a specialist butcher
- 1 tbsp coarse sea saltfor the skin
- 1 tbsp olive oilfor the skin
For the pepper paste
- 4 oz lardsoft
- 1 head garliccloves peeled
- 2 tbsp black peppercoarsely ground
- 1 tbsp salt
- 4 bay leavescrumbled
- 1 small bunch parsley
To serve
- 3 oranges (optional)sliced
- 1 head green salad (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: The night before, pat the 8 ⅞ lb half suckling pig, split lengthways completely dry and leave it skin side up, uncovered, in the fridge so the skin dries out.
10 minStep 2: Pound the 1 head garlic, 2 tbsp black pepper, 1 tbsp salt, 4 bay leaves and 1 small bunch parsley to a paste in a mortar, then work in the 4 oz lard.
10 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 350°F. Rub the paste all over the inside (the cut side) of the pig only. Keep it off the skin.
10 minStep 4: Set the pig skin side up on a rack over a deep roasting tin with a cup of water in it. Rub the skin with the 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp coarse sea salt. Roast for 2 hours 15 minutes, until the meat is tender and the juices run clear.
135 minStep 5: Raise the oven to 450°F and roast for 20–30 minutes more, watching closely, until the skin is blistered, glassy and crackles when tapped. A common mistake is opening the oven often at this stage, which lets steam soften the skin.
25 minStep 6: Check the thickest part of the leg reads at least 145°F (in practice it will be much higher and very tender). Rest for at least 10 minutes, then cut into pieces with a heavy knife or poultry shears, skin side up.
10 minStep 7: Skim the fat from the tin and spoon the peppery juices over the meat. Serve with 3 oranges and 1 head green salad if you like.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 780 kcal
- Protein
- 58 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 60 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does leitão à Bairrada take?
- About 210 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 180 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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