Pig Roast

[bigcountrysg]

Ok how did I cook the pig some have asked.


Ok pig hanging wieght was 127 pounds. That is after being completely cleaned and ready for cooking.


Ok the roaster is homemade by me. I used an old fuel oil tank cut it open. Then I took some 1/8 inch thick 2inch angle iron to make the rack.

For the center of the rack I used 3/8 inch expanded metal. The measurement of 3/8 inch is the spaces between the wire of the metal.

I cut some vent holes around the bottom on the sides so the fire could breath.

I use hard woods, hickory, oak, maple, and Apple Wood for flavoring. Then place 4 20 pound bags of charcoal on top of the wood to keep the flames down.

Once the heat was up to 500 degrees using an infared thermometer. I placed the pig on the rack with help from a buddy.

I let it cook for 2 hours, then wearing welding gloves I flipped the pig on its side for 1 hour, then onto the other side for another hour. Then back on the belly for the last 2 hours.

During this time the pig was basted with beer and beer only. Beer brings in moisture and makes the meat real juicey.

After 6 hours of cooking, I check the temp using a meat probe. Check the thickest parts of the pig, rear hams, front shoulders. When the temp is at 180degrees I cut it open at all four corners and check the meat. Which was completely cooked through.

At that time I started carving the pig up placing the meat into tin pans.

Place on table and serve.

Some tips on cooking this.
I do cook at 500 degrees, this allows you to cook the pig of this size in roughly 6 hours. Beats cooking it all night.

The heavier the pig the more fat you get. If your going to do a pig roast you are better off to have 120-130 pound pigs. Which will easily feed up to 60 people. You will loose about 15-20 pounds from fat and bones during cooking. So a 120-130 pound pig will provide you with about 100 pounds of meat.

I will talk about the roaster in a different thread when I take more pictures of it.

If you have any questions please ask.

[TxPSD9673]

dang you big country you got my mouth watering now i gotta go get something to eat

[kingchip]

We do something like that with smaller feral pigs. I like the 30-50-# size for ease of handling. Sear it over mesquite, lower the heat to about 180 and cook for about 4 hours. Salt and Pepper only. Cooks more like a brisket.

Looks good!!

[bigcountrysg]

Once again this is on the menu this Saturday. My buddy is having his Annual Hillbilly party as he calls it. Guess who was asked to cook the pig again. Yeppers me.

You Michigan Members if you want to come let me know. There will be Pig, and plenty of other food to eat. As well as Country Music DJ'ed by me. Bon Fire and who knows what else will go on.

[Justin M]

Originally Posted by kingchip

We do something like that with smaller feral pigs. I like the 30-50-# size for ease of handling. Sear it over mesquite, lower the heat to about 180 and cook for about 4 hours. Salt and Pepper only. Cooks more like a brisket.

Looks good!!

oh yeah....thats the way i cook

[mas360]

You did not skin the pig in the picture. What did you do to get the hair off before roasting it?

[blue1128]

Wow it looks delicious. Here in our place we call roast pig as "lechon" and it's very tasty because they put some special spices in it before roasting.

your good health

[mas360]

Lechon is the Tagalog term for roast pig.....

I love Lechon with liver sauce over it.

[bigcountrysg]

Originally Posted by mas360

You did not skin the pig in the picture. What did you do to get the hair off before roasting it?

You put the pig in a scolding tank. It dehairs the pig really well. Then you take a torch and burn off any hair you may not have gotten off with the scolding tank.

Scolding tank is a tank with water that is heated up to 200 degrees. Being water boils at 212. This is considered scolding hot water. It will scold the skin making the hair loose and easy to remove. We just take a garden rake and basically comb the hair off.