"suckling pig" news and stories

Happy National Roast Suckling Pig Day!

For those of you unfamiliar with the feast, the suckling pig is a young pig raised on its mother's milk, thus maintaining a tender texture -- sometimes even described as "gelatinous" -- before its slaughter, between two and six weeks of age. Once cooked, the meat maintains a rich, soft quality with a crispy exterior.

It's largely a dish for special occasions and is celebrated across the globe in a variety of ways. Many Spanish-speaking cultures serve the lechon roasted whole over a charcoal pit; the Russians and Serbians enjoy the piglet at Christmastime; in the American South the pig is made into pork rinds and boudins.

Do you enjoy the porcine delicacy or is it too carnivorous for your tastes? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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I was born in Hawaii, and where I come from, slow cooking only means one thing: kalua pig.  Kalua pig is a lu'au staple. The whole pig (usually around 100 pounds) is wrapped in banana and ti or ki leaves and slow roasted over hot stones in an underground pit.

There are many websites which outline in detail exactly how to slow roast a pig. It's not as simple as just digging a hole in the ground and tossing a pig into it. Often the pig has hot rocks placed into its cavity and is wrapped in chicken wire as well as the leaves so that it doesn't fall apart when it is being removed. The pig is roasted anywhere from 5 to 24 hours, depending on the size.

The resulting roast pork is incredibly moist and flavorful. It has a lovely smoky flavor and the meat shreds easily. It is the perfect compliment to a lu'au meal along with lomi salmon (a salad of salted salmon, tomatoes, and onions) and poi (mashed taro root). If you don't want to expend the time and effort to roast a whole pig in your back yard, you can approximate the recipe (using a pork butt) in your slow cooker.