Whole Hog!!! or not??

Joel · Newbie Joined: 11 Sep 2008 Posts: 70

I had an opportunity the 4th to have a get together of about 90 people for a hog roast. I bought a hog for 50$ and had him butchered nearby for 35$. My butcher cooled him for me and I picked him up and froze him until the week of the cookout. I had him quartered and center cut. I took him out a few days before the cookout and thawed him completely too be ready 1 day ahead of time.. I seasoned him on friday morning and put him back in the icebox to soak in seasonings.

On Sat. morning about 6. am I put him on the smoker that had been fired up for a about an hour and a half. I cooked it uncovered for about 6 hours for color and wrapped it in foil to finish and baste in it's own juices. 11 hours into the cook I took him out and put him in roaster pans to settle and cool off somwhat.

A friend of mine helped me debone and pull the meat. It Fell Apart, literally....

My delima is that I found what works and think I should continue it, although, I plan on having a hog roast every October and an wondering if I shouldn't leave the hog entirely whole, and or completely uncovered the entire cook. continue to baste???? or what???

In this bliss of this day, I committed the unforgivable. I didn't take pictures to document the occasion... Sorry. It won't happen again.

What are your thoughts on the next roast???? Laughing

mutha chicken bbq · Posted: Oct 08 2008 Post subject:

Well, I would definatly keep him whole, The question is what way would you like to cook him? Racer or Butterflied. If you want ot baste and keep in the juices, Do it butterflied. If you would like to have a great presentation and retain the moisture.( just need high heat at first)

Wrapping or not wrapping depends on your heat source. Wood I would wrap after 2 hrs, Charcole and wood mabey not. Depends on how much wood you use.

What are you cooking on?
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Pit Boss · Posted: Oct 08 2008 Post subject:

Here in NC you would traditionally cook directly over live coals. Skin up until you reach 160 or so then flip skin down to finish. Never wrapped.

You can present two different ways...and sometimes it's nice to present BOTH ways, but I would suggest not quartering the hog. Butterfly and cook the entire thing as a whole, or if space is limited have the hog cut in half so that you can separate the two sides...but don't quarter. Cook as usual. Once done take one side and pull out all the meat. Chop & re-season then put the chopped meat back into the skin...looks really nice. The other half just leave it as is, provide tongs, and let your guests pull as they may.

By cooking skin up the pig will self-baste itself, then by taking it to 195 you will dissolve all the connective tissues/collagen and end up with nice tender/moist bbq.

You can always just repeat what you did this last time...whatever works for you.

I will say, a true pig pickin' is a treat...even for those used to them. For those that are not used to a pig pickin' it is a REAL treat and wonderful experience.

As far as getting the hog too smokey...I would think you'd be able to adjust your smoke level by your use of wood & charcoal.

Jay

msp1128 · Posted: Oct 09 2008 Post subject:

i know i dont like cooking hogs. i will but dont like too. i can get the same result with a bunch of shoulders.

Pit Boss · Posted: Oct 09 2008 Post subject:

A bunch of shoulders will yield a bunch of good bbq...but it's not the same result as a whole hog. They are two different animals (so to speak).

corndog · Posted: Oct 09 2008 Post subject:

I do the butterfly myself, like Cape Fisherman. I love the flavor of coals, but the time and energy is hard to do for a good profit. I don't see the need to quarter, but it all depends on your cooking space.
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TN_BBQ · Joined: 03 Jun 2008 Posts: 22

aks801 · BBQ Fan Joined: 28 May 2008 Posts: 123 Location: Katy, TX

I'm here in Texas, and we (or me, anyway) don't know too much about cookin' hogs. When y'all say "butterflied", what do you mean? I'm thinkin' it would be pig laying on its back, opened all up. Saw Myron Mixon do this during the Memphis In May competition on the TV set.

Man, gonna have to do a whole hog at some point!
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mutha chicken bbq · Posted: Oct 10 2008 Post subject:

OddThomas · Posted: Oct 10 2008 Post subject:

My thought is unless you just like the flavor of whole hog (perhaps less smoke flavor and leaner sections), I don't see much point in quartering the beast. That sort of ruins the whole hog experience. If you want to work with smaller �chunks�, consider trying whole shoulders, which will give you some of the whole hog flavor and will pull like you want.