Home › The Principles of Cookery › Pig, Sucking, Scalded

Pig, Sucking, Scalded

A sucking pig is generally sent from the butcher's ready for the spit, but for the benefit of those who find it necessary to prepare it themselves the following directions are given. Put the pig into cold water directly after it is killed, and let it remain for five minutes, then take it up, and hold it by the head in a large pan of boiling water for two minutes. Lay it on a table, and rub the hairs off with a coarse cloth. If they do not come off easily, put the pig in the water another minute. When quite clean, make a slit down the belly, and take out the entrails, leaving the kidneys untouched. Cut off the feet at the first joint, and leave a small portion of skin to fold neatly over the end. Clean the nostrils and ears thoroughly, wash the pig in two or three waters, and with a cloth dry it, inside and out, then wrap it in a damp cloth until it can be cooked. The feet, the heart, and the liver of a sucking-pig are generally served separately.