# Whole hog?



## DKWunlimited (Sep 11, 2006)

Has anyone here ever cooked a whole hog? in the ground or in a pit smoker? My neighbor and I have been thinking about having a party and thought it would be fun to try but debating about just digging a hole or buying one of the caja china smokers.

Any ideas?


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## Forest (Oct 14, 2010)

...not a whole hog, but a suckling pig! It came brined, don't know for how long, would guess several days. I was then turned over hot coals for half a day or so; it takes a loong time. The trick is to have it relatively far away from the coals, or it will be burned on the outside and raw inside. The people used a motor to turn the spit, and metal clamps front and back to keep the pig straight on the pit (if you don't have those, as the meat becomes done, it will be soft and the heaviest part of the pig will keep facing your coals and burn. It was out of this world...


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## Solarmom (Jun 17, 2010)

I so want a caja china! and think of it- no more digging!! love to hear what you do!


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## mrpink (Jun 29, 2008)

I did a year ago labor day. it is quite easy just a slow process. here is what I did. for the pit I used concrete blocks stacked two high. leaving a space at each end to put coals under the hog. a friend of mine had two racks that I borrowed but could be easily built. his was made from angle iron 4 ft by 4 ft with handles extending from the ends with concrete re-enforcing wire wired to it. I cleaned the iron and wire with a drill mounted wire brush placed the hog on one then laid the other on top. then wired the two together.had a fire near my "pit" that I shoveled coals from. put the coals under the hams and shoulders as needed being careful to keep the temp. low. rubbed the hog with salt water every hour or two and turn the hog every hour or so. cooking time was 18 to 24 hours. we had a blast sitting around the fire talking and singing with friends and family. finances made me skip this year but I plan on making it a yearly event. feel free to ask me any question. I might try to post some pics.

greg


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## DKWunlimited (Sep 11, 2006)

Pictures would be WONDERFUL!!!


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## mrpink (Jun 29, 2008)

maybe these will work

the "pit".









the hog ready to be cooked.









the fire. coals ready to use









the hog is cooked









and of course you must have stew


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Great pics!!


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## mrpink (Jun 29, 2008)

thank you sally. my neighbor was the photographer. i'll pass the comment on to him.

dkw or anyone else thinking of doing this. it is real easy. I bought this pig from a butcher. the hanging weight was 85-90 lbs. they split the back bone and took off the head and feet for me. we feed about 25 people and had plenty left. the stew pot holds 25 gallons I would guess we made five or six gallons. it was cooked with coals from the fire as well and took 8-10 hours just guessing. this was my first time of being in charge. the last one I was at was about 30 years ago when I was about ten so I was worried how well my memory was. the only thing I did wrong was to get the heat a little hot at first and the skin on the back was blackened but it didn't affect the meat. my grand pa always said you should be able to hold your hand between the hog and the fire with your palm facing up. if you couldn't then it was too hot.

greg


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Greg, that's a masterpiece. I bet you ate like kings.


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## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

Very nice! My mouth is watering just looking at the pictures. 

I want your stew pot! Where did you find it?


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## mrpink (Jun 29, 2008)

I found it on ebay about 9 years ago. it was used to boil corn in at fairs. its all stainless steel. I think I paid about $150 for it. best deal I've gotten on ebay.

horsey it tasted heavenly. every one was stuffed to the gills and had some for folks to take some home for later


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## lickcreek2 (Dec 15, 2009)

We've probably roased hundreds of them over the years, whole in a cooker built just for that. Whole hog (not split!!!), filled with fruit on the inside, buttered the last couple of hours on the outside, cooked over charcoal in a cage that hooked to a motor so it would turn continuously. DDad even built a LARGE cooker that would roast a beef whole. That cooker was used 3 times, twice for a whole beef, and once for a whole buffalo.

ETA: We have also been known to fill the smaller hog roaster with turkeys to cook the same way.


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## DKWunlimited (Sep 11, 2006)

lickcreek2 said:


> We've probably roased hundreds of them over the years, whole in a cooker built just for that. Whole hog (not split!!!), filled with fruit on the inside, buttered the last couple of hours on the outside, cooked over charcoal in a cage that hooked to a motor so it would turn continuously. DDad even built a LARGE cooker that would roast a beef whole. That cooker was used 3 times, twice for a whole beef, and once for a whole buffalo.
> 
> ETA: We have also been known to fill the smaller hog roaster with turkeys to cook the same way.


Do you have any pictures??


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## KIT.S (Oct 8, 2008)

We cook 2 whole PBP's for Saturday-after-Thanksgiving so we don't interfer with folks' family dinners. We dip and scrape the hides, take off heads and feet, split them down the backbone, then roast each whole pig wrapped in foil in the oven at 250* for about 8 to 12 hours. Then, the morning of the feast, they go on a regular bbq to smoke in wood smoke, and heat up. They are just wonderful. Our land is so wet this time of year that we can't build a pit, but the concrete block construction looks nice, too.
The PBP's are free (check Craigslist) and because of their size, easy to butcher at home, although we butcher all our own meat. 
Even if the PBP you get is fatty, the fat runs off ahead of time, so it's just lovely when done.
Kit


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## DKWunlimited (Sep 11, 2006)

okay, I'm admitting my stupidity here, what is a PBP?

Pure bred pig?


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## DWH Farm (Sep 1, 2010)

We smoke a whole hog every year, we use a large smoker. Alot of banks have these that they will loan out for free if you have an account.

And your not stupid.. I dont know what a pbp is either!


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## DKWunlimited (Sep 11, 2006)

I'm thinking pot belly pig.. I went to craigslist and found a lot of them.. not free but cheap.


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## KIT.S (Oct 8, 2008)

Sorry, yes, Pot Bellied Pigs and American Guinea Hogs. The PBP's are usually in the 70 to 90 pound range, and they run fatty. Most people who are giving them away have overfed them, and they have lots of fat. Generally it cooks off but I've had to empty the pan mid-way through cooking, and it makes the meat really rich and moist.
The American Guinea Hogs are much less common. The females run about 130 pounds and the males get somewhat bigger. We raise these, although I have been given a couple. They can also be very fatty if fed too much. They will graze a pasture and grow just fine. I would compare them to Berkshire meat, kind of. They are a heritage breed and are now making a come-back, especially since they're small and really do graze successfully.
Kit


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