Open-fire Roast Suckling Pig

Open-fire Roast Suckling Pig

　　Open-fire Roast Suckling Pig, also known as Roast Suckling Pig. As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, it was listed as one of the "Eight Delicacies," then called "Pàotún," which means roast suckling pig. The book *Qimin Yaoshu* also records the method of making roast suckling pig, describing it as having a color "like amber, resembling genuine gold, melting in the mouth like snow, rich with juices and fats, truly extraordinary." During the Qing Dynasty under Emperor Kangxi, it became a famous imperial dish and a main course in the "Manchu-Han Imperial Feast." It remained popular in Shandong until the early Republic of China. Later, it flourished in Guangzhou and Shanghai, becoming the most renowned Cantonese dish. Today, "Roast Suckling Pig" is the signature dish of many famous restaurants in Guangzhou and the Hong Kong-Macao region, beloved by both domestic and international customers. Every year during the Qingming Festival, it becomes a best-selling seasonal dish, as locals in Guangzhou traditionally offer roast pig as an offering to ancestors.

　　Ingredients

　　　　Main ingredient: Suckling pig. 　　Seasonings: Five-spice powder, star anise, salt, sugar, fermented soybean paste, red fermented tofu, sesame paste, Fenjiu liquor, mashed garlic, sugar, maltose, white vinegar, smoked vinegar, glutinous rice wine.

　　Method

　　　　Step 1: Slaughter the pig, remove hair, and clean it.

　　Make a large opening in the belly, remove bones and internal organs. Split the bones inside the cavity so that the pig can lie flat, and remove the brain. Remove the third rib and fan bones, and make several cuts on the thick part of the meat inside the buttocks to allow flavors to penetrate. 　　Step 2: Evenly apply five-spice powder, star anise, salt, and sugar inside the internal organs, then air-dry them. Mix fermented soybean paste, red fermented tofu, sesame paste, Fenjiu liquor, mashed garlic, and white sugar, then apply this mixture inside the cavity. Skewer the pig on an iron spit, wash the skin first with water and then with boiling water to remove grease. Then brush a melted mixture of maltose, white vinegar, smoked vinegar, and glutinous rice wine onto the skin. 　　Step 3: Place the marinated pig in a long charcoal oven, roast the interior until half-cooked. Use wooden sticks to prop open the front and hind legs from the inside, then continue roasting. The order is to roast the head and shoulders first, then apply peanut oil and slowly roast until deep red. After roasting, make a cut behind the ears and at the tail, then make one cut from each end of the horizontal incision from front to back to form a rectangular piece of skin. Then make three horizontal cuts on the rectangular skin to divide it into four equal strips, and slice each strip off separately. Each strip is cut horizontally into 8 pieces, totaling 32 pieces. Serve with layered pancakes, pickled vegetables, and sweet bean sauce.