47# Whole Pig on BGE XL - First Time

JoeGrill · October 2012

Had to tackle this one when I came across a few pictures of whole pigs cooked on the BGE. I picked up a 47# cleaned pig at the butcher this morning, prepped him with Creole Butter Cajun injector Sauce, some competition rub, honey and brown sugar. We stuffed him with apples, onions and garlic. I have the egg set at 235 degrees and I figure it'll take about 18 to 20 hours. That's based on a couple of other posts. I'll make necessary adjustments in the morning to make sure we're done for 5 pm. While I'm at it, I picked an extra 10 lbs of pork belly to make homemade Cracklins. It's my first time doing either of these dishes, so we'll have to see what we end up with. The guys at I bought the Egg from wanted some details on this cook, so I figured this was the best place for me fill them in, and help out any one else attempting to go whole hog on the egg. I've gotten some great advice on this forum, so I thought I'd give a little back. Here are a few picks. This is my first post, so hopefully they attach. I'll post more pics as we go on.

Tjcoley · October 2012

Wow. Can't wait to see how this one turns out.

R2Egg2Q · October 2012

Cool. Looking forward to seeing the finish & hearing how it all goes!

JoeGrill · October 2012

Same here. First time cooks on a scale like this are sometimes a crap shoot. I'll take a peek in the morning and give a progress report. I know we're not cooking if we're looking, but I can't help myself.

travisstrick · October 2012

The pic on the right gives a whole new meaning to the quote "A**holes and elbows". Looks great.

MrCookingNurse · October 2012

Gotta love this is your first post!! Good luck. I'm dying to follow this one!

double · October 2012

Good luck this is one I want to tackle.

JoeGrill · October 2012

Always got in trouble for playing with my food Travis.

JoeGrill · October 2012

In this pic, we're 12 hours into the cook at 235 degrees and pig has been holding steady at 180 degrees for the last hour. We are in the plateau, but I don't know how long we've been here since I just woke up. Smells great / can't wait! Coffee time.

FanOfFanboys · October 2012

Good stuff. I've done several whole pigs. Always good fun. It's amazing how much meat you'll get too, tucked in little places. Mind if I ask cost for that pig? I've never bought one.

JoeGrill · October 2012

$125 cleaned and shaved. We could have picked up a live one for $100, but decided to subcontract out the messy part. I'm interested to see how many people this will feed.

Richard Fl · October 2012

Helped a friend do one on an xlrg about 40lbs 4th July '10 and by checking with a thermapen after about 10 hours or so found that we had to rotate him as there were hot spots. The guru kept the temp, but the pig had to be moved around a little a few times and basted toward the end. Also put foil on the ears to keep from burning. took about 14 hours at 225. keep moisture in the drip pan so as not to get a fowl taaste. we had 2 under the hog with some water. Good luck! PS the cheeks of the pig are the best part of the pig, keep for the chef.

JoeGrill · October 2012

Thanks for the tips. I'll get another cup of coffee and do a thermapen check.

JoeGrill · October 2012

Update from my earlier post. I was just entering the plateau at 7:30 am (12 hours into the cook). In the last two hours the internal temp (in the ham) dropped from 180 to 171 degrees. I'll bump my temp from 235 to 245 and ride it out. I need this finished in about 6 hours, so I'll make the necessary temp changes to get there.

Smokin_Trout · October 2012

Any issues with a temp difference between what is next to the grid and what is next to the lid?

bigphil · October 2012

awesome cook, my neighbor has been bugging me to try this may have to after seeing yours . what was the hammer and chisel for ?

JoeGrill · October 2012

Hammer and chisel was to break out the back bone, so we could make him bend. As far as the dome and grid temp, the dome is currently 20 degrees higher then the grid. I removed the top fire ring, placed a piece of old broken plate setter on the fire box edge and set the plate setter on that. Without the spacer, the plate setter catches on the sides. With the grid lower, I have a larger temp differential than normal. It's been as much as 40 degrees off. I wanted more height so I lowered the grid that way. I got to run now and get started on the cracklins.

AUoldphart50 · October 2012

Is that a large or extra-large? A lot of meat, looks great, got me wanting to try one now, the fetal position is a good idea. Keep us posted, thanks for sharing

Mighty_Quinn · October 2012

Uh...it says right in the title XL.

JoeGrill · October 2012

Ha,Ha. Yep it's an xl. Cracklins are on the fire. That's 12 lbs of pork belly, cubed, and in a five gallon cast iron pot.

JoeGrill · October 2012

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc2rlBNZuL4 How to make cracklins. Search Mr.Petes gratons.

Sgt93 · October 2012

WOW!

SmokeyPitt · October 2012

OK...so maybe when the next "Large or XL" question comes up we should just point to this post! Very cool! You got medieval on that swine! :@)

JoeGrill · October 2012

I'll have another beer on that complement. Pork Far Rules.

AUoldphart50 · October 2012

Mighty_Quinn said:

Uh...it says right in the title XL.

Well EXCUSE ME mister Know it the F&^k All

Mighty_Quinn · October 2012

Ha, no...not really, I just easily discerned which egg was used by reading the title.

Sgt93 · October 2012

I thought it was the Mini =))

JoeGrill · October 2012

Here is the final summary and a few pics of the finished product. We fed 15 adults and 9 kids. The kids were all under 6 years old, so they ate hot dogs. We laid out the pig on the kitchen island and everyone dug in. When we were done stuffing ourselves, we pulled and chopped the rest and ended up with 11 pounds of meat. Everyone went home with a Ziploc bag of pork. Note to self, a cleaned 47 lb pig will feed about 30 hungry people. Rave reviews from the guests for content, flavor and coolness factor. The cheek meat was great. Some of the guests were a little freaked out about the presentation; they quickly got over it once they tasted the product. Overall it was a great party. I have to say that we discussed ways to improve it, and most of the guests stated it turned out great and needed very little improvement. However, I am my own worst critic, and here are some of my notes for the next whole pig cook in November. First we need to lay off the onions and garlic. I had 5 heads of garlic and about 6 onions stuffed in the pig. It overpowered the meat portions they touched during the cook. Next time we’ll just stick with the green apples. Timing and Heat. Some of the cuts were a little dry for my taste and a couple of pieces came out a little mealy, but just a little. I think the pig should be cooked in a shorter amount of time to prevent over cooking. I kept the heat near 235 degrees for most of the cook and I shut it down at after 21 hours and 195 degrees in the shoulder. Towards the end of the cook I did bump the temp up to finish by dinner time. Starting the cook at 250 degrees or even a little higher will drop this time down to 18 hours or less, and I may have to settle for a lower temp in the shoulder, maybe 180 degrees or so I don’t overcook the ham and loin. One of the guest suggested wrapping the loin in Banana leaves to shield it and keep the moisture in if I want it juicier. Side notes: Do this on a Saturday instead of Sunday – I’m exhausted. Have some of the guests each bring a pig sauce, BBQ or whatever, to add some variety. Any tips from the forum would be greatly appreciated, and thanks for the complements and encouragement. It felt like y’all were part of the party. All in all, this was a blast and we’re ready for the next one in 4 weeks.