638. Roast Loin Of Pork

Trim, score, and separate the bones of the loin of pork with a small chopper or meat saw; make an incision in the upper part of the loin for placing the stuffing, sew it up with small twine, and having passed a strong iron skewer through it lengthwise, tie it firmly on to a spit at both ends. About an hour and a quarter before dinner-time, put. the pork down to the fire to roast, and when done dish it up; pour some brown gravy under it, garnish it round with a border of small potatoes fried of a light color, and send to table with apple sauce.

639. Roast Neck Of Pork

Saw the chine bone neatly off, stuff the neck of pork with sage and onion, spit, roast, and dish it up as directed for the loin, and serve.

640. Roast Griskin Of Pork

The piece called griskin is that part of the pig which is cut from the side of a bacon-hog, being the lean from the neck and loin : this should be lightly sprinkled with salt the day before dressing it for table; it must then have a long iron skewer passed through it lengthwise, and tied on to a spit. About an hour and a quarter before dinner put it to roast, and when the griskin has been down an hour, shake some flour over it with a dredger, and afterward sprinkle some chopped sage and onions upon it. When the pork is done, dish it up, pour some brown gravy under it, and send to table with two sauce-boats containing apple and sage and onion sauce, the latter to be prepared as follows : chop a dozen sage-leaves and four onions, and after having boiled them two minutes in water, drain, and put them in a stewpan with a pat of butter, pepper and salt; set these to simmer on a very slow fire for ten minutes, and then add half-a-pint of good brown gravy, boil the whole together for five minutes, and serve.

641. Roast Sucking-Pig, A L'Anglaise

In selecting a sucking-pig for the table, those of about three weeks old are generally preferred, their meat being more delicate than when allowed to grow larger. Let the pig be prepared for dressing in the usual way, that is, scalded, drawn, etc, pettitoes cut off, and the paunch filled with stuffing previously prepared for the purpose as follows : chop two large onions and a dozen sage-leaves, boil them in water for two minutes, and after having drained the sage and onion on to a sieve, place it in a stewpan with a pat of butter, pepper and salt, and set the whole to simmer gently for ten minutes on a very slow fire; then add a double handful of bread-crumbs, two pats of butter, and the yelks of two eggs ; stir the whole over the fire for five minutes, and then use the stuffing as before directed. When the sucking-pig is stuffed, sew the paunch up with twine, spit the pig for roasting, carefully fastening it on the spit at each end with small iron skewers, which should be run through the shoulders and hips to secure it tightly, so that it may on no account slip round when down to roast. The pig will require about two hours to roast thoroughly, and should be frequently basted with a paste-brush dipped in salad oil. (Oil is better adapted for this purpose than either dripping or butter, giving more crispness to the skin ; when basted with oil, the pig will, while roasting, acquire a more even, and a finer color.) When done, take it up from the fire on the spit, and immediately cut the head off with a sharp knife, and lay it on a plate in the hot closet. Next, cut the pig in two, by dividing it first with a sharp knife straight down the back to the spine, finishing with a meat-saw; a large dish should be held under the pig while it is thus being divided, into which it may fall when completely cut through ; place the two sides back to back on the dish, without disturbing the stuffing, split the head in two, put the brains in a small stewpan, trim off the snout and jaws, leaving only the cheeks and ears, place these one at each end of the dish, surround the remove with a border of small potatoes fried of a light color, in a little clarified butter; pour under some rich brown gravy, and send to table with the following sauce : to the brains, put into a small stewpan as before directed, add a spoonful of blanched chopped parsley, pepper, and salt, a piece of glaze the size of a large walnut, some well-made butter sauce, and the juice of a lemon : stir the whole well together over the fire, and when quite hot, send it to table separately in a boat, to be handed round with the sucking-pig.