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47# Whole Pig on BGE XL - First Time

JoeGrill
JoeGrill Posts: 24
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.
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Comments

  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    Wow.  Can't wait to see how this one turns out.  
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • R2Egg2Q
    R2Egg2Q Posts: 2,136
    Cool. Looking forward to seeing the finish & hearing how it all goes!
    XL, Large, Small, Mini Eggs, Shirley Fabrication 24x36 Patio, Humphrey's Weekender, Karubecue C-60, MAK 1-Star General, Hasty Bake Gourmet, Santa Maria Grill, Webers: 14" WSM, 22.5" OTG, 22.5" Kettle Premium, WGA Charcoal, Summit S-620 NG

    Bay Area, CA
  • JoeGrill
    JoeGrill Posts: 24
    edited 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
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    The pic on the right gives a whole new meaning to the quote "A**holes and elbows". Looks great. 
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • Gotta love this is your first post!! Good luck. I'm dying to follow this one!


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • double
    double Posts: 1,214
    Good luck this is one I want to tackle.
    Lynnwood WA
  • JoeGrill
    JoeGrill Posts: 24
    edited October 2012
    Always got in trouble for playing with my food Travis.
  • 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
    FanOfFanboys Posts: 2,615
    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.
    Boom
  • $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
    Richard Fl Posts: 8,297
    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.
  • Thanks for the tips. I'll get another cup of coffee and do a thermapen check.
  • JoeGrill
    JoeGrill Posts: 24
    edited 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.
  • Any issues with a temp difference between what is next to the grid and what is next to the lid?
  • bigphil
    bigphil Posts: 1,390
    awesome cook, my neighbor has been bugging me to try this may have to after seeing yours . what was the hammer and chisel for ? 
    Large Big Green Egg , XL Big Green Egg . BBQ Guru, Weber Kettle, Weber Q grill for road trips.
  • JoeGrill
    JoeGrill Posts: 24
    edited 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.
  • 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

    AU Old Phart
    WDE!
  • Mighty_Quinn
    Mighty_Quinn Posts: 1,878
    Uh...it says right in the title XL.
  • 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.
    image.jpg 1014.4K
  • http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc2rlBNZuL4 How to make cracklins. Search Mr.Petes gratons.
  • Sgt93
    Sgt93 Posts: 728
    WOW!
    XL BGE - Small BGE - A few Komodo Kamado Serious Big Bad 42s
    Follow me on Instagram: @SSgt93
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    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! :@)


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • I'll have another beer on that complement. Pork Far Rules.
  • Uh...it says right in the title XL.
    Well EXCUSE ME mister Know it the F&^k All
    AU Old Phart
    WDE!
  • Mighty_Quinn
    Mighty_Quinn Posts: 1,878
    Ha, no...not really, I just easily discerned which egg was used by reading the title.
  • Sgt93
    Sgt93 Posts: 728
    I thought it was the Mini  =))
    XL BGE - Small BGE - A few Komodo Kamado Serious Big Bad 42s
    Follow me on Instagram: @SSgt93
  • yzzi
    yzzi Posts: 1,843
    Wow, just came across this thread. Very nice, and a nice choice in knives.
    Dunedin, FL
  • asfish
    asfish Posts: 25

    Looks really good, how much did the pig weigh before cooking?

    Have an XL Egg myself and might give this a go!

  • WAY COOL!  On the to do list.  Unfortunately work keeps getting in the way of my personal time........

    "You are who you are when nobody is looking"