OT: Whole pig roast

Hiya Mike,
You know I keep telling you that you are now in violation of the rule. "Two, four, or more....."

Sure would be great to cook with you guys in Atlanta again.

I'm pretty sure Celtic Wolf has cooked whole hogs. There is lots of info out there. I think I'd have to try it myself. I'd give Pete a call. I think he has a number on his website.

H

Here is another way fron south florida.

http://cuban-christmas.com/pigroast.html

I used to do one or two a year, usually one on July 4th for about 50-75 people and then one a little later on for a smaller group. We had a converted 500 gallon heating oil tank and thus had plenty of room on the grill. People got old, the big grill rusted out and we just kind of got out of having those huge gatherings but it was a good time. I'll spare you the cooking details since I'm sure you can get all that off the web but here's a few tips that may help you to not make some of the same mistakes I made in the beginning:

1: Pig size - a 90-120lb hog wil feed 50-75 people depending on sides and gets very hard to flip on the cooker unless you plan ahead. Smaller is better here.

2: Plan on using a whole s**tload of (gasp) Kingsford charcoal, about 40 - 60lbs. I would not bother with the expense of lump. I also cooked a hog on nothing but hickory coals - I would not ever try this again. I felt and looked like a stoker on a steam engine by the end of the cook.

3: Keep a secondary small cooker going all the time to provide charoal to add to your main cooker.

4: When your order your pig, be sure the butcher knows what you are going to do with it. Order as far ahead as possible, I have had them arrive frozen. You will want him to "butterfly" it for you. If he doesn't know what this means, find another butcher. Nothing turns guests off like seeing you hacking away at a pig with an axe and a bow saw, believe me.

5: Leave the head with the butcher. I know, you want stuff an appple in it's mouth, but again, believe me, this will only freak people out. Most people don't like to see their food staring back at them. Plus the head just makes it harder to flip and is something else you will have to dispose of in the end.

6: You will need to plan somewhere to dispose of the skin, bones, and other remains. This is a bigger job than it sounds, DO NOT put this in your home trash unless you are in a running feud with your neighbors.

7: Plan your cook so that you will be flipping the pig while people are awake. I once overlooked this and had to wander the countryside looking for people who would get up/were sober enough to help flip a pig at 0400. Funny how people planning to "pig out" the next day seem to be nowhere around at that hour. Try and have a total of 4 people available to flip.

8: Along the lines of #7, you'll have many volunteers to stay up all night and cook with you, but I have always found it gets mighty lonely during the wee hours of the morning. It helps to have two shifts of pigtenders if you have the manpower available.

Have fun with it, I know we used to, it just got to be too much of an ordeal. If you like that sort of thing, try a steamship round of beef sometime - now that's tasty fun!

JET

Whole hog in a horizontal offset smoker:
120-130 lbs is about as large as you want to go if you haven't cooked one before
leave skin on. have the butcher shave the hog well (bring your own razor to complete this process..burned hair isn't tasty.
position hog in the racer position (upright with front legs forward, rear legs tucked in somewhat) with the head at the end opposite the firebox
splay the hog open just slightly
open the mouth and place a bottle or can cross-wise in the mouth..after the cook you remove the bottle and place an apple for effect...even if you don't want the apple, place the bottle anyway..it won't hurt and when someone does insist on the apple you are already covered.
make sure you have plenty of drip pans..there will be a lot of fat rendered out and you do not want a bonfire in the smoker
have a big clean bedsheet that you don't want anymore ready to go...after the rub and marinade is placed in/on the hog and the hog is resting on a table, cover with the sheet to keep the flies away...people who are at functions where other people are running for a judgeship don't want to see the meal covered with flies
a 120 lb hog will take around 14 hrs to cook
you can cook the hog without turnig meat-side down. If you do want to flip the hog, wait until the last couple hours....if you turn one in the early stages of the cook the fat will just pool on/into the meat and it will taste greasy
cook until the hams are 195*
like someone else said, you can cook butts beforehand to stretch the number of people you can feed
fire temp at 250*... if the hog is real large and the fire is too "low-and-slow" you will have a good portion of the hog in the temp danger zone (40-140*) for many hours, just breeding bacteria...and not only will it poison all the good judges supporters, but it will smell real bad when you pull the pork
you can use lump for the actual heat source, and wood for the smoke flavor
bring plenty of heat resistent gloves so people can help pull the meat.
hope this helps

I have done several dozen whole pigs (NOT hogs) over the years. It is a lot of fun as a group activity for 3-4 guys. A great excuse to stay up all night and drink beer. Basically, I agree with everything JET said. Below is what I call "The Poor Man's Pit Method".

The poor man's pit

-20 full size cinder blocks (we call them concrete blocks in Alabama) stood vertically to create a 12 inch high square platform. Turn the blocks with the flat side facing the center to hold the heat in.
-metal grating-expanded metal grating used on patio furniture is the best but I have made a grate out of metal rebar and used breadbag twist ties to hold it together. I have also laid 3 or 4 pieces of rebar across the pit and covered it with chickenwire or reinforcing wire. Anything to keep the pig out of the fire.
-the key component - one large cardboard box cut to make a drape over the pit and insulate the fire. Works just like the dome on the BGE. A refrigerator box or some other large appliance box works great. Just make sure it is big enough to hang over all four sides of the pit.
-Dig out all grass, leaves, twigs, etc. to ensure that you have flat clean dirt.


The Pig
I agree with JET; 110-120 lb pig is about the right size. Also I agree, leave the head with the butcher. It disgusts too many people, especially the ladies. Make sure the hair is shaved and the back is split (JET called it "butterflied") so you can lay the pig open on the grill with the 4 legs pointed in opposite directions, skin side up. Rub the inside of the carcass with yellow mustard and your favorite rub. Paint the skin with some vegetable oil if you wish. If you like to snack on the crispy skin at the end of the cook, leave this step off.

The Cook
I use charcoal briquets and the small wood chips for smoke. Again, I agree with JET. Real hickory coals are too much trouble and too smoky to deal with.

Spray the grate with non-stick spray. Very important. I don't turn the meat for 12-13 hours and you don't want it to stick!

Don't cook it too fast. This is the mistake most people make with their first whole pig. It usually takes me 16-17 hours. Start about 5 to 6 PM and you are ready for a late lunch the following day.

Start a charcoal fire on the side of the pit with 10-12 lbs of Kingsford. After the coals are hot, use a long handled flat shovel to spread the coals around the pit. Leave 3 or 4 briquets in the side fire to start the next pile of coals.

Generously, shake the wood chips around the pit to improve the smoke.

Place the pig on the grate skin side up. Drape the cardboard box on top of the meat and over the sides of the pit.

Add 3-4 pounds of charcoal to the side fire to keep coals ready. Every 30 minutes or so, pull a block or two to the side to make a hole and spinkle a good shovelful of coals around the pit. Every couple of hours, add some wood chips to keep the smoke coming. Don't take off the cardboard when you add coals. Slide it to the side as necessary to move a couple of blocks to access the pit.

You should start hearing the fat sizzle on the coals after 8 hours. Any sooner and you are cooking too fast! I guess you could always rig up a temperature probe attached to the grate to monitor the pit temp but I have never done it. You want to cook a little lower than you normally cook a butt on the BGE to cook slower and more thorough.

I leave the meat on skin side up for 12-13 hours. Then peel back the cardboard and turn the pig with the help of your buddies (hopefully a few are sober enough to help). Now you can mop the interior carcass every time you add charcoal if you wish. Make sure that the basting liquid is hot so that you are not lowering the meat temperature.

Have a committee ready to pull the pork when it is done. You and your team will be too hung over and exhausted after staying up all night.

Enjoy