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Sucking Pig, to Scald

A method for scalding a pig by immersing it in cold and boiling water, removing hair and entrails.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Sucking Pig, to Scald

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the pig

  1. Put the pig in cold water for 5 minutes.

  2. Hold the pig by the head in boiling water for 2 minutes.

  3. Rub off the hairs with a coarse cloth.

  4. If hairs do not come off easily, return the pig to boiling water for 1 more minute.

Clean the pig

  1. Make a slit down the belly and remove the entrails, leaving the kidneys.

  2. Cut off the feet at the first joint, leaving a small portion of skin.

  3. Clean the nostrils and ears thoroughly.

  4. Wash the pig in 2-3 waters and dry it inside and out with a cloth.

  5. Wrap the pig in a damp cloth until ready to cook.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The step that matters

Holding the pig in boiling water. Scalding loosens the hair follicles so the hair rubs off cleanly. Too short a dip leaves hair stuck, while too long a dip can set the skin and cook the outer layer, so timing matters.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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