One of my best friends is getting married next month, and she’s having a big cookout/campout reception. I have been given the awesome responsibility of roasting a pig for the festivities.
I have never actually done this before. I’m a pretty seasoned barbecue jockey, but I’ve never done a whole pig. (It’s been on my barbecue bucket list, which is why I think she asked me to do it.)
It’s going to be a good-sized pig. There’s a large propane grill at our disposal that has, according to the people at the farm, roasted many a pig, but we’re not obligated to use it. (I don’t think the grill has an attached rotisserie or anything.)
So, any tips? Links to good walkthroughs? Things to watch out for?
The only thing that I really know is that you put a block of wood in the pig’s mouth while it’s roasting, and then you take out the block and put in an apple for the table presentation.
And if you have any excuse at all, I think you should drape a lei around the pig’s neck.
A smoldering wood/coal fire and a grate set about a foot above the coals.
Cleaned and dressed pig toss on grate, flip on the hours, slow cook at 4-8 hours or till the inside is 165-180 degrees(?) at thick parts around the bones.
Fire should be low, around 250’ish a foot up. Start the fire an hour ahead to get coals set, add coals/wood as time goes on.
Swab pig with a light, oil vinegar salt water solution before and after flipping.
BBQ sauce is for dipping afterwards, not for cooking.
Anyway, that’s all I remember…
If you use a covered smoker…Pulled Pork…you don’t have to flip…only swab.
You’ll need a smoker the size of a 55 gallon drum. Otherwise, you’ll have to do it racer style. This is trickier.
I’d smoke it at 225 for 20 hours so, but not everyone can. The following are pointers on how to grill it in a directly modified fashion.
Pointers from Raichlen:
[ul]
[li]a 50 lb pig is small enough to handle with a couple people, feed 25, and cook in a day[/li]
[li]have the butcher cut the pig so it will lay flat on the grill. The cut with be partially through the backbone[/li]
[li]blot dry, then brush inside with oil, season with salt and pepper – same for skin side[/li]
[li]you’ll need at least 20lbs of charcoal for this modified direct grilling method. and a couple charcoal chimneys in order to keep adding 3 to 5 lbs of hot coals PER PILE each hour. Plus a few more logs or chunks. if you don’t have chimneys, leave the grill open 10-15 mins to allow the new coals to light.[/li]
[li]after getting the coals ready, pile under where the shoulders and thighs will be[/li]
[li]place a couple hickory or oak logs on the coals, or use soaked chunks. chips are too small[/li][/ul]
[ol]
[li]lay pig bone side down. close lid. vents open. 1 - 2 hours[/li]
[li]make a mop sauce[/li]
[li]turn when the underside is a dark golden grown and the skin is dark from wood smoke.[/li]
[li]invert it using tongs or mits[/li]
[li]continue until skin is crisp and a dark golden brown (about two hours)[/li]
[li]BTW, every 30 minutes, mop with a vinegar mop sauce.[/li]
[li]for the final hour, pile the coals in the center, turn bone side down one last time to crisp meat. skin should be crackling crisp.[/li]
[li]mop skin side too.[/li]
[li]Pig is done when you can pull meat off the bones and/or thermometer reads 190F at the thickest part of leg, but not touching bone. cooking time 4- 6 hours.[/li]
[li]Wrap a 3 foot square sheet of plywood in foil. Transfer pig to foil to serve. Dice crispy skin to mix in with pulled pork. Heavy, heat resistant rubber gloves are a lifesaver.[/li][/ol]
My tip: If you have a cooler big enough, wrap the pig in foil and place it in a cooler. Preheat the cooler with a few gallons of boiling water if you like. Dump and dry out the cooler before the hog goes in, natch. Stuff remaining space with towels. Let rest for 30 mins to 2 hours. It will stay at food safe temp and it will benefit from even the short, juice-settling rest of 30 mins.
I would suggest not roasting a whole pig. I only suggest this because it’s a wedding reception and you want things to go as smoothly as possible. If you have other BBQ experience (brisket, pork butts, etc.), then you should consider doing that instead. Practice roasting a whole pig during another event.
Or, do at least one full dress rehearsal swine roasting as soon as possible. Figure out what you’re getting into before the big day rolls around. If the practice pig doesn’t work out then it’s time for plan B.
Just a thought, accept, reject or ignore as you like.
Pork butts (front shoulder of the pig often called the Boston Butt) can take anywhere up to 24 hours to get to 200F internal on a 225 fire, a whole pig would/could take 24+ hours.
I would consider tri tips, or if you feel lucky briskets.
If you are married to pork, get a case of butts and go for the pulled pork.
I actually suggested this. They’re pretty set on the whole pig.
I should mention that “wedding reception” is a bit misleading–they’re actually getting married two weeks before this party, but they’re having a private ceremony on the beach in Florida. There will be tons of other food–the pig will be the centerpiece, sure, but if it goes wrong it won’t be a total disaster. It’s actually a pretty good place to try this for the first time.
Yeah, they’re a fatty little beasts that like to stick in the temperature plateau. With Boston Butts, I can consistently smoke a 10.5 pounder to 190 - 195 (my prefered temp for pulling) in about 16 to 18 hours for what it’s worth.
I recommended the semi-grilling method just because smoking a whole hog sounds out of the question for the OP. That method will work. I’ve done it twice.
We just had a lovely pig picking for an engagement party. The (very experienced) pig man used to do the old fashioned hole in the ground deal, but now he does it on a grill, I believe with charcoal? Anyway, he started it at 7 AM and it was done around 3 or 4. Delicious.
I’ve roasted half a dozen and I think you should consider renting a rotisserie. Plan on the whole cooking process taking at least 24 hours. Yes, you will have to baby sit your fire and pig through the night. Stuffing of any kind will increase your cooking time. Worry more about underdone than overdone. IMO, the pig isn’t done unless it starts falling apart as you take it off the spit. Tough, underdone pork will gross the guests right the hell out.
