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Mitten of Pork

Mitten of Pork (also known as Mitton of Pork) is a traditional British recipe from the Georgian period for a terrine or pudding of pork and stuffing baked in bacon that's pressed and cooled before slicing and serving. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Potato Masala (Aloo Masala).

prep time

30 minutes

cook time

90 minutes

Total Time:

120 minutes

Serves:

8–10

Rating:

Tags : Spice RecipesPork RecipesBread RecipesVegetable RecipesBaking RecipesBritish Recipes

Mitten of Pork, also known as Mitton of Pork is essentially an English version of a terrine made with pork and stuffing in a bacon rasher shell that's cooked in a bian-marie and pressed whilst it cools. It was originally a tea-time dish and is named after John 'Mad Jack' Mytton (30 September 1796–29 March 1834) the famous British eccentric, Regency rake and hunting squire. He used to have this kind of pudding served on the hunting field and it's one of the classic dishes associated with the fox-hunting classes.

Today that association is long gone, but I still make this pudding to be served with cranberry sauce at Christmas. It also makes a very good picnic dish (just serve thin wedges). I've added a link to Mrs Beeton's sage and onion stuffing in the ingredients list below, as it's close to the period. However, you could also use this modern sage and onion stuffing recipe as well.

Ingredients:

225g (8 oz) rashers of streaky bacon
675g (1 1/2 pounds) pork fillet, thinly sliced
160g (6 ounces) sage and onion stuffing (must be home-made)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp ground mace

Method:

Lightly-grease an 18cm (7 inch) diameter pudding basin then line with most of the bacon rashers (reserve a few for covering the top). Add a layer of the pork fillet in the base then a layer of stuffing. season with salt, black pepper and mace (take care with the salt as the bacon is salty).

Continue the layering process until the entire basin is full (finish with a layer of pork). Now set the remaining bacon rashers over the top so that it's completely covered. Press the mixture down well into the basin then cover with a double sheet of pleated baking parchment. Cover everything with a layer of kitchen foil then tie the lid and the foil firmly in place (use the string to form a handle).

Stand the basin in a deep baking pan and pour in water to come half the way up the sides. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 170°C (350°C) and bake for 90 minutes.

Remove from the oven, sit a plate on top then put a large weight on the plate to press the pudding down (a brick is good and large tins also work well). Set aside to cool and press down over night (ensure it sits on something to catch any fat drips).

The following day, unwrap the mitton, invert onto a serving plate and slice to serve. This original version is good with a mustard sauce and also works well with cranberry sauce. I also make a version with turkey which is equally as good.