Whole hog advise.


 
Bob Sample

Bob Sample

TVWBB Diamond Member
So I'm lazing around the other day enjoying a couple beverages, playing with my almost new pup in the yard and we're totally minding our own business when out of the blue my SIL calls. Normally I would have ignored the call and just told my wife she called when she got home but something in my head told me I should pick it up. My SIL rarely calls our house, especially when she knows my wife isn't at home, because quite honestly our relationship is one of toleration not love and admiration so little alarm bells went off in my head saying I should pick up the phone because something must be wrong.

Me: hello
SIL: hi Bob remember a few years ago I mentioned I wanted to do a pig roast and you would cook the pig?
Me: ummm sure ( I remember her saying it but don't remember agreeing to it )
SIL: how about the 15th?
Me: the 15th?
SIL: of September, I ordered the pig already
Me: ummmmm
SIL: my friend has a spit he's bringing over
Me: ummmmmm ok
SIL: I gave him your email so you can talk to him about it.
Me:um ok, he's done this before?
SIL: yeah lots of times
Me: ok I guess I can help him out.
SIL: great you and Kerry can come out the night before and we can get stuff ready
Me: ok
SIL: bye
Me: bye

So at this point I'm thinking I'm going to be helping a guy roast a pig, then I get his email. He has a spit, not a rottisierre, just a spit. He has done one pig in his life and it didn't turn out very well. He is dropping off the spit but will not be around to cook, he is coming after for the party cause he heard how good my BBQ is.

Now I could rant longer about the many wonderful and varied ways I imagined killing my SIL but I have decided to look on the bright side. I'm finally doing a pig.

So here is the plan: build a cinder block pit,easy peasy. Inject and rub the pig the night before. Put the pig on the spit and get the spit on the pit at 6am, they want to eat at 4. Keep the pit at 250 or so by putting charcoal in all 4 corners of the pit and rotate the spit every hour or so. Hopefully the pig will be ready at 2 or 3 so it can sit before it's pulled. The pig is a heritage breed and 150 lbs.

So I'm open to advice, criticism of the plan and looking for a real kickbutt injection for the pig. I've looked at Harry Soo's and Chris Lilly's injection. I have a friend with a friend with a Cuban friend that does pigs, buried, that are awesome and I've tried many times to get his injection recipe from him but he won't talk. Apparently it's a traditional Cuban recipe. Should I score the skin in a cube pattern and rub it or make slices and work the rub in under the skin? I plan on filling the cavity with onions, garlic cloves and fresh rosemary sprigs and then sew her up.

Thanks for putting up with my rant and any help is appreciated.
 
I've got nothing, other than there was a BBQ Pitmasters finale where they cooked whole hog on cinderblock pits.

Apparently fire management is key. So is foiling parts of the pig so everything cooks at roughly the same rate.
 
No experience on this, but my neighbor and I have been talking about doing one this year or next, so I am definitely going to follow this thread! Everything you lay out sounds right to me...of course I don't really know any better!

Keep us posted and of course....pics of the roast!
 
I have done a few whole hogs. I have usally started the night before. coal the edges of the pit every hour. Use a large cardboard box to cover it and place your therm in it for temp. keep your fire going so that you can recoal it. keep rub and injection simple.
 
Hamilton what time would that be finished? I've seen everything from 6-18 hrs for cooking times and everything I see is about spatchcocked pigs not spitted pigs. I usually do my butts at 250-275 for l&s or HH.
 
Bob Sample said:
spatchcocked pigs not spitted pigs.
Click to expand...

This is how we did it the one time I've helped. Built the block pit and put coals in the corners. The pig was laid out flat. We had 2 pieces of wire mesh (one on each side of the pig) woven together with 2 steel rods that also doubled has handles for flipping. Plus you aren't going to drop it that way.

FYI - Lots of beers are needed for consuming with this method.

The skin is still on right? Edit: I see there is still skin. I wouldn't slice it. IMO the skin it helps keep the meat moist. Maybe do your injection and put rub in the body cavity?
 
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cook it to where you can pull the meat. Also, it meat will be "done" several hours before you are finished cooking so you can render the fat. It will be cooked through around noonish
 
Bob, you are a saint for agreeing to do that, especially after the other guy backed out until it's time to eat! I know you'll make it a success due to your overall experience with barbequing and smoking. It's gonna be great!
 
Hamilton: so going low and slow you had it done in 14 hours or so then rested. Thanks for your input. Anything else you can think of let me know.

Mike: the other guy never was in as far as I can tell LOL. Not to worried about getting it done I just want some idea of time and flavours. I injected one butt in my life and never bothered again because I didn't see much of a benefit but I'm figuring a skin on whole hog is a little different than a butt. I have too many thoughts in my head right now but have a few weeks to narrow things down.
 
You will definitely see a large variance in cook times out there because of the different methods and size. I've done them but always on my Lang so my times (1 hour per 10 lbs at 250-275°) aren't much help for a cinder block cook. Also mine are not split and laid out but I am trying that on the next one.

If you can get ahold of Kevin k he will be of a lot of help. I have seen a few posts from him lately so you might be in luck.
 
Good luck Bob. I think you are looking at this all wrong. Its not that you got stuck with cooking a whole pig, its that you get the privilege to cook a whole pig. Enjoy the experience.
 
Having only done a few flayed suckling pigs, I'm a little wary of your timing. On a spit at around 350F meat surface temp, a 150lb hog is going to take a long while. Maybe I'm reading your post wrong but that's a big pig.

With regards to seasonings, I haven't spent much time on the outside/skin. Rubs and bastes won't penetrate but they will flavor the skin if you have pig skin fans (most of my guests take a single bite, say YUM, then mumble about waistlines). For the insides, I use a melted butter and spice injection (try some chipotle powder for smokiness). When they're flayed, you can baste the inside with some effect.

Unfortunately, that's about all I have. Good luck.
 
Bob, would love to see a few pics of this cook if you can find the time. I am sure that it will be amazing!
 
Thanks James. I'm seriously thinking of making a rack. What do you guys use for the screen material? Have to price out the material for it and tell the SIL. Not sure what the pigs costing her but she thinks she has 100 people coming and she's asking each for $10 bucks a head. Hope she's given some thought to making side dishes but she'll probably ask me what I'm thinking of making the week before.

If I'm not in jail by the time this thing happens there will definitely be pictures.
 
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