Baked Segovian suckling pig. Traditional recipe

How to make suckling pig, suckling pig or roast.

Recipe of one of the most traditional and famous roasts in Castilla. A roast that mixes the crisp and toasted texture of its skin with a juicy meat that will delight any guest or diner.

Since in Segovia and Ávila it is one of the most famous dishes in all important celebrations. I propose this recipe as an excellent option for Christmas food or any other holiday with yours.

It is one of the dishes that triumphs on Christmas Day in the center of Spain and in my house for many years it has been the star dish of December 25th. It is not only a recipe to prepare exclusively on that day.

The baked kid  with  the classic roast lamb  is one of those family meals or roasts on Sundays for the whole year. It is one of the most successful Christmas recipes on the blog, of course, it has been the most viewed recipe on the blog for 6 years now.

Tradition dictates that water and salt are the main and only companions for Segovian suckling pig and that its roast be in a wood oven. Although we are going to leave this basic recipe to the Segovian teachers because it is difficult to get that point that they achieve.

The one I present today is prepared in a conventional electric oven with more than just water and salt, in the style of the master Solanillos, which is incredible.

Of course, the suckling pig that is from Segovia, you have to scratch your pocket but it compensates because its quality is excellent. I advise you to try this recipe at home and impress your guests with this yummy recipe.

Before baking. The little pig

1. We bought 1 Segovian suckling pig between 4.5 kilos and 5.5 kilos approximately. That it has the Segovia Guarantee mark and they give it clean and open in half, from the head to the tail.
2. You can also buy it on some large surface half prepared to put in the oven. But I advise you to choose your trusted butcher.

Preparation of the spiced lard

1. Melt the lard on low temperature for 2 minutes in the microwave.
2. Peel the garlic cloves and chop them into very small pieces. We mix them with the melted butter, coarse salt, thyme and oregano.
3. We can also crush the garlic until it becomes a paste and mix with the rest of the ingredients, this paste is easier to handle than the previous one.
4. If we prepare it the day before, it will take on flavor and enhance its effect on the suckling pig.
5. We preheat the oven to 150º C. It is important that when we put the suckling pig in the oven it is at 150º C.

Suckling pig preparation before baking

1. While we are smearing the suckling pig with a silicone brush inside (all the part of the ribs) with the previously prepared mixture (the butter mixed with the garlic, salt and spices).
2. We put it on a baking tray (if we have a large clay dish much better). The part of the skin should be facing up.
3. Add to the tray or platter the glass of water and the bay leaves on the bottom. Always without wetting the piglet’s skin.
4. We prick the skin and the head with a needle or fork. We spread it with the spiced lard that has been left over previously. It is very important to puncture it so that air pockets do not form and the skin is crisp.

Baking of Segovian suckling pig

1. We put the piglet in the oven at 150 º C in the central part with temperature up and down for about an hour, often watering with the fat and juice that it releases.
2. We leave the suckling pig in the oven without turning it for another half hour with the same temperature.
3. If we see that the source or tray runs out of water during baking, we have to add a little more, since the piglet needs that moisture to do well.
4. To get that crunchy and golden brown of the suckling pig skin we raise the oven to 190º C for another 15-20 minutes. In total the suckling pig should be in the oven for almost 2 hours.
5. If the suckling pig is small, it is not necessary to turn it over, but if you opt for one weighing more than 5 kilos, you have to turn it halfway through baking and we will finish the last part again with the skin facing up.
6. We can put hot air the last 5 minutes to get a crisper skin, no more to avoid drying the meat of the piglet.

Final presentation of the Segovian suckling pig

1. We remove from the oven. It is important that you do not leave it to rest in the oven or you will take care of the good work of that delicious crispy skin.
2. At the time of presenting the suckling pig we have to serve it with the very crunchy skin crust in sight that contrasts perfectly with the fatty texture of the meat.
3. Chop the suckling pig and transfer the juice from the source to a sauce boat. The sauce is to dip with a good Castilian bread or to mix with the meat.
4. Do not put it on the crispy skin that has cost us so much to get since the only thing you will get is to soften it.

The accompaniment that I like the most for this dish is a good very fresh endive salad and a good wine, the one you like at home for this type of roast.

You can see all the photos of this roast suckling pig recipe  step by step in the next album.

Tips and recommendations for a suckling pig

• Do not use the oven grill to brown, it is preferable to increase the temperature and leave it for a few more minutes. If we see that some part of the piglet toasts too much when the temperature rises: ears, tail or legs, we cover them with aluminum foil.
• If you prepare it in a clay pot, you can find special casseroles for roasting suckling pig. They are usually rectangular, made of refractory clay. They are usually similar to the normal rectangular but it stands out for the striations that avoid the contact of food with water. The restangular rotisserie is used like the oval rotisserie for all kinds of roasts of lamb, lamb, roast or suckling pigs. Its measurements depend on your oven. But you will find 40 cm x 30 cm (the normal for electric ovens), 45 cm. x 33 cm. or the big one of 50 cm x 35 cm for wood ovens.
• Although it seems like an easy recipe, what really determines the end result is the quality of the suckling pig, the right point of oven and always eating it freshly made.
• The head is exquisite, it is perhaps the tastiest piece of suckling pig. Try and you will tell me.
• If you have leftovers, many people have asked me if it can be frozen. I have had it for about two months, no problem, it can freeze. Just take it out the night before and thaw it in the fridge.
• Put it in the oven even if it is just heat inside and brown on the outside, with the part of the skin already crispy on top and the meat stuck to the tray, the temperature will depend on your oven, but more or less it would be at 200º C and you are checking the toast that you like and so it will be very hot inside. The heating time varies but with about 20-30 minutes with the oven preheated to 170º C is sufficient.
• The result does not vary because it is frozen. The biggest problem is having room in the freezer, mine is sometimes like a Tetris game.

Your fluffy tips

• Any advice is welcome, here I will be putting all those emails that you send me year after year with your photos.
• Cesáreo comments to me by email: “ Let’s see, indeed, the suckling pig is roasted with water and salt; the same as lamb, chicken, or any other roast, but the suggestion of garlic, thyme and oregano, as well as butter, must be round. Tonight I will prepare half of one (it is that only my wife and I will eat it) and I will do it like this recipe. In Segovia it will be done as you say but everyone can make the versions they want. Also the queimada is just simply burnt brandy and then to add lemons, coffee beans, sugar, etc. Well simply because it is much better. ”
• Claribel: “ I have to tell you that in any restaurant in Arévalo you eat good suckling pig, all of them strive to prepare it as well as possible. I have eaten it in several and I liked it in all, but I have a weakness for one in particular and it is Las Cubas Restaurant, ask for it in Plaza de Arrabal, they roast it in its own oven and with great care. But I repeat that in any restaurant you choose in Arévalo you will be really satisfied. ”
• Marisa: ” I leave you information for those of you who want to stop by: El Tostón de Oro Restaurant: Avenida DE LOS DEPORTES, 2, 05200 Arévalo- 920 30 07 98.  It occupies a very important place in Arevalan gastronomy, it has a long family tradition, at this time the 3rd generation. Its cuisine offers from traditional Castilian delicacies to the most innovative food. From rich Chops of Lechal, Roasted Suckling Pig and the traditional Roasted Suckling Pig from Arévalo, to legumes from Moraña such as White Beans and Castilian Soup. ”

Where do you eat the best suckling pig in Spain? From which towns do the best piglets come?

• We pay tribute to those humble and simple Segovian villages of the Santa María la Real de Nieva party: Nieva, Montuenga, Rapariegos, Tolocirio, San Cristóbal de la Vega, Montejo…
• From the town of Arévalo in Avila: Aldeaseca, Villanueva del Aceral, Barroman, San Esteban, Castellanos, Espinosa, Orbita, Gutierre Muñoz, Adanero, Pajares de Adaja…
• And of course from the people of Salamanca from Peñaranda de Bracamonte: Rágana, Paradinas, Babilafuente, Horcajo, etc.
• In these places they put great zeal and efficiency in raising these animals, and the utmost care in rearing. Thank you all for letting us try this delicious delicacy. Long live the pig and the mother that gave birth to it!