Whole Pig - Time to cook question


 
R

Robert M.

TVWBB Member
I've done pork butts before and cook them for about 18 hours. Now I'm investigating doing a whole pig and the first thing that leaps out at me is that the whole pig cooks in about a quarter of that time.

My question(s) is: Isn't the butt part of a whole pig, is it cooked and tender when cooked as part of a whole pig? I know the cook is faster on whole pig since it is done at higher temp, but what about the tenderness to certain parts that I though only low and slow gave?
 
I have cooked several whole hogs from 70 to 150 lbs using a concrete block pit with charcoal in each corner. The shortest one IIRC was around 8-hours and the longest a tad over 12. All parts were tender, juicy and done.
 
R Cain said:
I have cooked several whole hogs from 70 to 150 lbs using a concrete block pit with charcoal in each corner. The shortest one IIRC was around 8-hours and the longest a tad over 12. All parts were tender, juicy and done.
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I'm looking at a feed for about 30 people. I have no experience with this. Would a suckling pig be more in line for that number of people? Leftovers are fine. What sort of costs are there for the pig?
 
For 30 people I would get at least a 50 pounder and enjoy a few leftovers. A suckling pig is very expensive for the size, like $130 for less than 20 lbs. Find a local butcher who can order you one in and split the backbone for you. If I remember correctly our last hog was 80lbs and was less than $2 lb.

I roast mine ala these guys http://cuban-christmas.com/pigroast.html. If you follow their "instructions" you can't fail. Page three has the pit plans. The hog holder will be the hardest to build. We used re-mesh from Lows and used two sheets per side moving one diagonally slightly to make the squares 1/4 of their size. We made two of them to sandwich the pig in (one with rebar handles).

It looks a little daunting but it's real easy. Gets some buddies and brews, build you a pit and holder and roast that thing.

Good luck


-rog
 
When I was in the Army stationed in Savannah GA, I had several friends stationed in Fayetteville NC. Every year, friends and families from various locations around the country would get together in NC to do a pig pickin. Kinda like a family reunion but with a bunch of Army buddies who were willing to die for each other instead of people who don't like each other. LOL :rolleyes:

I recall cooking it all night while sippin on some clear liquid served in a Mason Jar and several cases of liquid bread. I do not know how much the critters weighed each year or the temp we cooked it at -- this was 20 yrs ago -- but I do recall putting it on after supper the night before, mopping it with a thin vinegar peppery sauce all night, and we ate at lunch the next day when the crowds showed up. It was basically a weekend party centered around food and friends. I hope your experience brings as many memories as ours did.
 
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Dwain, Now you're talking my language! That's my birth neighborhood, and I lived that life for my first 25 years. I'd say I experienced 6 or 7 of those events every year for most my teens and 20's. No matter how many butts I smoke I can't recreate those experiences or memories.
 
Thanks for the link! Dwayne touches on the reason I am investigating this, this is for a family reunion this summer and I want to do something memorable since it just may be the last time everyone can get together (due to age and distance).

The idea of the pig came to mind when I saw an ad for La Caja China which is a pig roasting box: http://www.lacajachina.com/default.asp Any used these boxes and have feedback on them?

We'll be doing this at a rented cottage so building a cinder block station may not be feasible.

Any tips on how to prepare for this? I want to make a memory but don't want the memory to be something like: Remember when the pig caught fire?

I'm in Toronto, anyone know of an event I could attend where I could maybe see this done?
 
I haven't used the a China box but I have heard good things about them.

I did the below 120# hog last year and it was right at 1 hour per 10 lbs. We rotated it half way through the cook so the hams & butts cooked evenly. This was racer style where the pig is sitting up not split and flat. If you split the backbone and lay it out it flat it will cook faster.

DSC03436.jpg~original
 
I think I may have found the answer, there are outfits that will sell you a dressed pig and rent you a cooker. They can even deliver the cooker to you location for a fee. Here's a general article about the idea:

http://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/2011/05/18/summer_dining_going_whole_hog.html

Inside the article is a link to Shaw's Catering. As it turns out, they are located less then 20 k from where we will be in the summer so delivery cost would be small.

Has anyone ever gone this route and/or specifically used Shaw's (in Ontario)?
 
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