Have you ever cooked a whole hog?

[djtidebuck]

I was at a party today and the main course was a smoked pig. They let it cook for about 8 hours in a large smoker. Another way to slow-cook a pig is to bury the charcoal and pig (in a container, a clean metal garbage can will do) and let it cook for a day. Any other suggestions for slow-cooking a hog?

 

[LoKyBuckeye]

Any other suggestions for slow-cooking a hog?

no, but I bet SIMV does.

 

[BuckeyeRyn]

no, but I bet SIMV does.

 

[Taosman]

I dated one once!
Does that count?

 

[buckeyegrad]

Growing up my neighborhood had an annual hog roast the second week of August. Everyone had to bring a covered dish and a dessert and it was typically the best eating of the entire year.

 

[stxbuck]

I have talked to guys who have done hog roasts, and what they do is wrap the hog in some kind of covering-banana leaves down south, whatever up here-then bury it in the ground in a pit, covering it w/ hot coals, then literally cover it w/ dirt, digging it up before it is time to be served.

 

[BuckBackHome]

up here-then bury it in the ground in a pit, covering it w/ hot coals, then literally cover it w/ dirt, digging it up before it is time to be served.

That is how my cousin does his, which is a regular event.

 

[AKAK]

Saw this once...

You build a temorary pit somewhere you don't mind making a mess...

Do that by taking cinder block and making about a 4 x 6 rectangle x two cinderblocks high....

Now... this is the tricky part... and the easiset thing to do is to use chain link fence materials...

But the end product is that you've "butterflyed" the pig and used the chain link fabric to hold it horizontal with the ground suspended on poles at teh 4 corners of the pit you built... (If you're a good enough engineer.. I guess you can make it adjustable... and all that jazz)... oh.. and the fabric goes on both sides of the hog.. so you and 46 of your friends can flip it over as necessary... you can also put chickens, or whatever in the empty spaces...

Now... since its not going to be in an enclosed area... it will take a while to cook... depening on the size of your oinker.. .but.. at the same time... its easy to baste... etc.... and you get the joy of drinking beer all night long.. and cookig really slow.

 

[AJHawkfan]

I've been to several hog roasts, most of which were done using a cooker (huge grill). Most of these things are homemade contraptions and rather large - large enough to cook 2 hogs at a time. I would guess them to be 5' x 8' or 6' x 10'. Most of the ones I've seen have been built on trailer frames, so you can pull it behind your car/truck. They are charcoal fired, and the fire box is actually a trough that runs around the outside of the cooker.

The key to roasting good pork is slow cooking at low temperatures. 225-250 at the most. I've been to a roast or two where the whole hog is cooked at one time. This is not as good as ones where the meat is quartered and wrapped in foil in smaller roasts (maybe 10 pound chunks). It cook more evenly and it's easier to keep it moist.