Mastering the Grill_ The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking - Andrew Schloss [161]
3. Brush the cavity of the pig with ½ cup of the Red-Cooking Lacquer. Loosely fill the pig with the rice stuffing and sew the cavity shut, using the needle and heavy-duty thread.
4. Position the legs under the pig. The front legs will rest under the chin (the pig might come this way from the butcher), and the back legs should be set forward, bent from the hip, not the
knee, so they extend along the belly. Tie the legs in place with several lengths of heavy-duty kitchen twine (see the illustration at left). Position the ears so that they cover the pig’s eyes, and tie twine over the ears to hold them in place. Cover the snout and tail with aluminum foil. Place a double thickness of foil around the front feet and under the loin and the back feet in the center of the pig. Stuff a ball of foil (or a block of wood) in the pig’s mouth if you are planning to serve it with a lime in its mouth.
5. Heat the grill as directed. Spread a double layer of aluminum foil on the grill grate, covering the area that is not directly over the heat. Line the foil with 2 to 3 layers of ti, palm, or banana leaves, and put the pig right-side up on top of the leaves. Cook, covered, for 2 hours, until the surface has begun to brown. If your grill has a temperature gauge, it should stay between 200° and 250°F. Replenish the charcoal or wood after the first hour.
6. Snip the twine and remove. Coat the outside of the pig with half of the remaining lacquer, cover the grill, and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of one of the thighs registers 160°F, making sure that the thermometer is not touching bone, about 1½ hours longer. Brush with the remaining lacquer halfway through, and keep the temperature gauge at around 225°F.
7. For the fruit and onions, while the pig is roasting, mix the brown sugar, rum, cardamom, and sesame oil in a large saucepan; heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool. Add the fruit and onion slices just before the pig is done, and toss to coat.
8. Line a large carving board with ti, palm, or banana leaves. Remove the pig to the board and let it rest.
9. Grill the fruit and onion directly over the heat until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side, brushing several times with any extra glaze.
10. Pull the thread from the belly of the pig, and replace the wooden block or foil ball in the mouth with the lime, if desired; carve by cutting the pig into leg and shoulder sections and carving the meat from the bone. Cut the ribs into 2-rib sections. Serve the meat with the stuffing, grilled fruit and onions, and Lomi Lomi Salmon, if desired.
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TIMING
Prep: 10 minutes
Brine: 1 hour
Grill: About 15 minutes
GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
• Long-handled spatula
• Long-handled tongs
• Grill screen
Mixed Grill with Fennel and Figs
Mixed grill was probably the first cooked meal ever served. It’s easy to imagine: a variety of meats from the day’s hunt, cooked over the communal fire and eaten, not in courses, but all at once, juices and flavors mingling and enhancing one another. Our selection is largely poultry, mingling game hen, duck breast, and sausage with fresh figs, orange, and fennel.
THE GRILL
Gas:
Direct heat, medium-low (300°F)
Clean, oiled grate
Charcoal:
Direct heat, medium ash
12-by-12-inch charcoal bed (about 3 dozen coals)
Clean, oiled grate on medium setting
Wood:
Direct heat, medium ash
12-by-12-inch bed, 3 inches deep
Clean, oiled grate set 4 inches above the fire
INGREDIENTS (MAKES 6 SERVINGS)
3 game hens, about 1 ½ pounds each, split lengthwise
3 boneless (but not skinless) Muscovy duck breast halves, about 8 ounces each, skin scored with 3 or 4 slashes
4 cups Orange-Fennel Brine (page 362)
1 ounce pancetta or bacon, finely