This is not an easy dish to make but it is a great dish. Rather than being difficult, it is time-consuming. It’s the kind of dish you make on a rainy or snowy day when you want a project such as the when we participated in Island Pig or was it Pig Island?
We stuffed a 200-pound hog that Tyson Ho barbecued and I served.
But you can opt for the stuffed loin of pork instead (see notes), or simply make the stuffing and stuff a turkey or serve it as a side dish.
Stuffed Suckling Pig with Isthmian Fruit Picadillo (Cochinito con picadillo de frutas)
Ingredients
- 4 cups
Adobo para cochinito - 1 suckling pig about 12-15 pounds
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 medium-sized white onions cut into ¼-inch dice
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 large ripe tomatoes finely chopped
- ½ medium-sized pineapple peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch dice (about 2-3 cups)
- 3 firm, tart green apples peeled, cored and cut into ⅓-inch dice
- 6 medium-sized carrots peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
- 6 large Red Bliss or other waxy potatoes peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
- ½ cup dark raisins
- ¾ cup small pimiento-stuffed green olives
- 3 canned pickled jalapeño chiles plus ⅓ cup of the pickling juice
- 1½ tablespoons dried Oaxacan oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground
canela about 1½-inch piece - 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper plus additional for seasoning the pig
- 12 bay leaves
- 12 sprigs thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
- 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice optional
Instructions
- Slather the adobo thickly over the pig, inside and out, and marinate, refrigerated, overnight or for at least 4 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 2 hours before roasting and let it come to room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients to make the stuffing.
- Dice or mince the stuffing ingredients as directed above.
- In a large Dutch oven or deep skillet, heat the oil to rippling over medium-high heat. (It may be necessary to divide the work between two skillets or work in 2 batches.) Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes, until slightly translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes to evaporate the juices slightly. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the orange juice; reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring often. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Season the pig generously with salt and pepper, inside and out. Stuff it with the cooled fruit and vegetable mixture and close the opening with skewers.
- If not using the optional orange juice, arrange the pig in a large roasting pan so that it is lying on all fours and roast for approximately 3 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 160°F. Reduce the heat to 200°F and let the pig rest at this temperature for 15 minutes or until ready to serve (but no longer than 40 minutes). Otherwise lay the pig on one side and pour the orange juice over it. Roast as directed but baste occasionally with the juice and turn the pig onto the other side halfway through cooking. If the liquid seems to be evaporating too fast, add small amounts of water (not more than ¼ cup at a time) to the pan juices.
- Carve the pig. Arrange the stuffing on a serving platter with the carved meat on top. If enough orange juice is left to serve as gravy, strain it and skim off the fat; pass separately in a gravy bowl.
Notes
Variation: Roast Loin of Pork with Chopped Fruit Mixture
Follow the above directions for suckling pig, but substitute a whole loin of pork that has been boned (8-10 pounds weight before boning). Ask the butcher to give you the ribs and backbone in one piece, partly cracking through the backbone but leaving the ribs attached.
Slather with the adobo and let rest in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Choose a long, narrow roasting pan and spread the chopped fruit and vegetable mixture evenly across the bottom. Place the frame of bone on this bed, ends curving up to cradle the roast. Arrange the meat on the bones and pour the orange juice (which you will definitely need for moisture) over it. The liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the meat; add more orange juice or water if necessary. Cover the pan as tightly as possible (using several layers of aluminum foil unless you have a proper lid).
Bake in the preheated 350°F oven for 1 hour, then remove the cover and bake 30 minutes longer to brown the meat and concentrate the flavor. The internal temperature on a meat thermometer inserted into the center should read 140°-150°F. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Carve the meat into neat slices and cut the platform of bones into separate ribs. With a slotted spoon, remove the fruit and vegetable mixture to a serving platter, letting as much liquid as possible drain back into the pan. Arrange the carved pork on top, with the ribs around the edges of the platter. Strain the remaining pan juices, skim off the fat, and pass separately in a gravy boat.
Yield: 8 – 10 servings.
Nutrition
Calories: 412kcalCarbohydrates: 70gProtein: 10gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 400mgPotassium: 1520mgFiber: 10gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 8483IUVitamin C: 92mgCalcium: 116mgIron: 3mg
