Sous Vide Suckling Pig Recipe - Great British Chefs

Pork with hummus, chou farci and chickpeas

Main
challenging
6
2 hours, plus 7 hours 30 minutes sous vide cooking

PT2H

PT7H30M

Colin McGurran uses three different cuts of suckling pig in this fabulous recipe – the chou farci is stuffed with minced leg, while the belly and loin are cooked sous vide for a beautifully tender finish. Ask your butcher for suckling pig bones for the sauce.

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Ingredients

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Metric

Imperial

Suckling pig loin

250g of suckling pig loin

Suckling pig belly

250g of suckling pig belly, boned
1 sprig of thyme, chopped
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
salt

Suckling pig sauce

1kg suckling pig bones
1l chicken stock
100g of onion
100g of carrots
100g of celery
100g of leek
1 garlic
2 sprigs of thyme
30g of tomato purée
100ml of red wine
50g of butter, cubed

Chou farci

250g of suckling pig leg, deboned
25g of smoked bacon
6 savoy cabbage leaves

Pickled onions

125ml of white wine vinegar
125g of sugar
125g of silverskin onions
2 black peppercorns
1 star anise
2 cloves
1 bay leaf

Hummus

400g of chickpeas
3 garlic cloves
75ml of olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
125g of tahini
1 tsp ground cumin
salt

Charred leeks

2 leeks

Chickpea fricassee

100g of chickpeas
1 shallot, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 tsp chopped chives
20ml of lemon juice
10g of butter
salt

To serve

10g of puffed pork rind
1 pinch of celery cress

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Bar sealer
Large vacuum bags
Small vacuum bags
Water bath
Mincer
Blender
Muslin cloth

Preheat a water bath to 85°C

Season the belly with the chopped herbs and salt, then place in a large vacuum bag. Seal with a bar sealer and cook in the water bath for 7 hours

250g of suckling pig belly, boned
salt
1 sprig of thyme, chopped
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped

After this time, remove the belly from the bag and drain. Place the belly between 2 trays lined with baking paper, sit a weight on top and press in the fridge until cold

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

To make the sauce, roast the suckling pig bones in the oven for 1 hour, or until caramelised

1kg suckling pig bones

Place a large saucepan over a high heat and add a splash of oil. Fry the vegetables until well-coloured, then add the thyme and tomato purée

100g of onion
100g of carrots
100g of celery
100g of leek
1 garlic
1 sprig of thyme
30g of tomato purée

Add the roasted pork bones and cover with chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 hours, topping up with more stock if necessary during cooking

1l chicken stock

Pass the sauce through 3 layers of muslin cloth into a clean pan and add the wine. Bring to the boil and reduce by 2/3 to reach a sauce consistency

100ml of red wine

For the farci, mince the leg meat with the smoked bacon and combine with enough pork sauce to bind. Season with salt and place in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour. Once set, roll into 40g balls and return to the fridge

250g of suckling pig leg, boned
25g of smoked bacon

Blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling salted water for 2 minutes then refresh in iced water. Drain and dry thoroughly on kitchen paper

6 savoy cabbage leaves

Lay a strip of cling film on the work surface and a cabbage leaf on top. Place a ball of farci in the centre of the leaf and wrap the cabbage and cling film around. Repeat with the remaining leaves and balls of farci and transfer to the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes before cooking

Preheat a water bath to 55°C

Trim the suckling pig loin of any sinew and cut into 40g portions. Place in individual vacuum bags with salt and a dash of oil and seal with a bar sealer. Cook the loin in the water bath for 30 minutes

250g of suckling pig loin

For the pickled onions, place the water, vinegar, sugar and spices in a pan and bring to the boil. Boil until the sugar dissolves, remove from the heat and pour over the onions. Leave to cool

125ml of white wine vinegar
125g of sugar
125g of silverskin onions
2 black peppercorns
1 star anise
2 cloves
1 bay leaf

Once cool, peel the onions and place back into the pickle until needed

Preheat the oven to 120°C/gas mark 1/4

Cook the chou farci in the oven for 10 minutes, then roll in the suckling pig sauce and keep warm

To make the hummus, place everything in a blender with 175ml of hot water and blitz until smooth

400g of chickpeas
3 garlic cloves
75ml of olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
125g of tahini
1 tsp ground cumin
salt

Blanch the leeks whole in boiling salted water for around 5 minutes until just cooked, then refresh in iced water. Drain thoroughly with kitchen paper

2 leeks

Cut each leek in half, and then into 3. Char in a frying pan without oil until caramelised and keep warm

For the fricassee, soften the shallot and garlic in butter without colour in a small saucepan. Add the chickpeas and 2 tbsp of the pickled onions and cook for a further 2 minutes. Finish with lemon juice, salt and chives

100g of chickpeas
1 shallot, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 tsp chopped chives
20ml of lemon juice
10g of butter
salt

To finish the pork loin, remove from the bag and dry on kitchen paper. Fry in a hot frying pan with a little oil until caramelised then leave to rest for a few minutes. In the meantime, sear the belly portions on the cut side

Reheat the sauce and whisk in the butter just before serving

50g of butter, cubed

To serve, swipe a big spoonful of hummus on the plate and spoon the fricassee on top. Place the belly, loin and chou farci in a line on the centre of the plate and add the leeks. Spoon over the warm sauce and garnish with the crispy pig skin and cress

10g of puffed pork rind
1 pinch of celery cress

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Colin McGurran

Colin McGurran began his career with a burning ambition to own a red Mercedes. Almost 20 years on and he has fulfilled that ambition and much more besides.