It was Christmas Eve, and nothing was stirring around the inn, except head chef Iain, with a meaty problem to solve – namely, how to avoid the festive feat of pigs in blankets, that dreaded task of wrapping 10,000 individual cocktail sausages in the finest pancetta?
Batch one was completed when a flash of inspiration appeared…
‘Let’s supersize the sausage, and the taste, and make this a very merry Christmas indeed. So, make way, one and all, for the Boar in a coat!’
This is one mighty meaty treat. Wrapped in the streakiest, smokiest local bacon, roasted whole for total sumptuous succulence, grilled and glazed ready to grace the festive feast.
‘But why call it a coat and not a duvet?’ we dared to ask?
‘Leave me alone and go make your own version,’ was the cry from the kitchen.
We made like the wise and headed to the bar…
Iain’s Boar in a Coat
Makes 1 log
Ingredients:
500g pork mince
1 skinless chicken breast.
50g maple syrup, or honey.
2g dried sage
8g onion powder
6g salt
260g/ 7 pieces smoked streaky bacon slices (a few extra won’t hurt)
Method:
Dice the chicken breast and pop into a food processor. Blitz into a smooth paste. If you don’t have a food processor, or just don’t feel like doing this, any chicken sausage meat will do.
In a bowl, combine everything except the bacon, and mix thoroughly, a gloved hand or hands work best here.
Once thoroughly mixed, you can cook a little bit off in a pan to test for seasoning, if you wish. Otherwise, you’re ready to build.
On a clean countertop, roll out two long sheets of plastic wrap and lay them flat on top of each other.
Lay out the bacon slices, lengthwise, overlapping them like shingles on a roof to create a mantle.
Form the meat mixture, widthwise, over the middle of the bacon mantle in a thick, sausage or log shape.
Using the edge of the plastic wrap closest to you, lift the bacon strips over and around the meat mixture and roll so the bacon now surrounds the meat, being careful not to trap any plastic wrap inside the folds. Roll into a tight log.
Pinch the sides of the plastic wrap and roll the log along the table to tighten it. Do this again with aluminium foil. It should resemble a Christmas cracker.
In a pan large enough to hold your Boar in a Coat (BIC), bring water up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Poach it for 45 minutes to an hour or until the internal temperature reaches 72-74C
Drop into ice cold water for an hour, then place into the fridge overnight.
When ready, turn the oven up to 180C to 200C. Unwrap the BIC and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Slide into the oven, close to the top. Roast until the bacon on the outside has crisped up and the internal temperature has hit 72C.
Iain’s tip:
Slice it up as thick as you like. I recommend half an inch. Then enjoy with a glass of something festively special, with all the family around - and a distant memory of all those miniature sausages… Why did we ever do that?
Merry Christmas from the Live & Let Live elves!
liveandletlivepub.com
