# A pig in the ground...?  HELP!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pig-in-the-ground-help/253329>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 3, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pig-in-the-ground-help/253329 "2004-07-03T03:10:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DirkGntly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DirkGntly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirkGntly)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pig-in-the-ground-help/253329/1 "2004-07-03T03:10:29Z")

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Ok, all you outdoor-cookery-type Dopers…help me out here, if you would…

I’m a pretty outdoorsy kinda guy myself, and love to grill/BBQ and partake in the eating of tasty animals, but there’s at least one thing I haven’t tried yet: I think I’d like to try the whole pig-in-a-ground-pit thing. You know, dig a hole, get a good, slow wood fire going and roast a whole pig for a couple of days…

Has anyone here done this? What were the results? Anyone got any good recipes? Is there an alternative to digging a real hole in the dirt that yields similar results?

I’ve seen this done with young goat, by the way, and the results were fantastically delish…so I’d consider a goat instead of a pig, if folks here have that (or other) alternate experience to share…

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**Author:** ![Chunky\_Bum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Chunky\_Bum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chunky_Bum)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-pig-in-the-ground-help/253329/2 "2004-07-03T03:40:22Z")

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Here you go dude:

\*Whole suckling pig (60 lb. average)  
1 lb. black pepper  
25 to 30 garlic cloves  
Garlic powder  
Rosemary  
Salt  
10 pounds onions  
5 lbs. stuffing  
3 to 4 c. shortening  
4 ft. chicken wire  
Meat thermometer  
Needle and string  
Chopped apples and walnuts (optional)

Clean pig and dry. Cut slits in skin and insert garlic cloves.  
Coat with shortening. Prepare stuffing and combine with cut up  
onions. Add apples and walnuts to stuffing, if desired. Pack  
cavity with stuffing and stitch closed. Wrap pig in chicken wire  
lengthwise. Coat with garlic powder, rosemary, and salt, and  
pepper. Insert spit and cook 3 to 5 feet above a bed of coals 6  
to 7 hours, turning frequently. Add seasoning often. Meat is done  
when skin shows deep splits and internal temperature is 160 to 170  
degrees. Unwrap wire (which will bring most fat and skin with it)  
and serve. Optional: Pig may also be roasted in covered pit,  
turning every hour. Keep spit about 2 to 3 feet above coals.\*

Enjoy!
