Ingredients (serves 8)
1 suckling pig, 4.5–5kg, split open lengthways
Coarse salt
250–300ml water
2 tbsp lard (optional, for extra browning)
Method
Preheat the oven to 170–180°C. Lightly season the inside of the suckling pig with salt and place it, skin-side down, on a roasting rack. Set an earthenware dish or roasting tray filled with water underneath to keep the meat moist as it cooks and to catch the juices.
Roast for around two hours, checking from time to time and topping up the water in the tray as necessary.
Carefully turn the pig over so that the skin is now facing upwards. Pat the skin thoroughly dry with kitchen paper, season with a little more salt and brush lightly with lard, if using.
Increase the oven temperature to 200–220°C and roast for a further 45–60 minutes, until the skin is thin, golden and exceptionally crisp. Leave to rest for around 10 minutes before serving.
For a local flavour, take inspiration from a contemporary Canarian twist on this Castilian classic. Chef Thomas Leeb in Gran Canaria, for example, uses Canarian black pig with local oranges and onions from Gáldar, served with sweet potato purée, Tejeda almond alioli and other island ingredients.
The classic wine pairing for roast suckling pig is a red Ribera del Duero or an oak-aged or crianza Rioja Alavesa. For something a little different, the structure and freshness of a well-balanced Toro crianza also works beautifully, as does an oak-aged Canarian Listán Negro, such as a Tacoronte-Acentejo crianza.
