Smoking a pig

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suziemc

Knows what a fatty is.
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A co-worker has come to me with questions about smoking a pig. Her husband wants to smoke one for Christams; he is getting a 200lb pig and also renting a smoker. Can anyone please give me some tips so I can go help her? I have never smoked a pig before. I'm looking for what the internal temp of the pig should be when it is done, what section of the pig should be checked. Also what temp should the smoker be at and how long should it take. I'm hooking her up with oak & pecan, but is there a better wood they should use.
Any and all help will be great. Thanks everyone:):p
 
I wish him luck trying to smoke a whole pig on a rented smoker, especially if he has never done anything close that it before.
 
well that should be fun! I have done a couple of whole pigs. It is a lot of work but a ton of fun! I usually run my pit (reverse flow off set) at 225*-250* for whole pig cooking. Keep in mind the smaller portions of the hog are going to be done first I.E. ribs and loins. a 150lb porker usually takes me 8-10 hours. This however will vary depending on the size of the pig, type of roaster/pit, and temp cooking at. The heaviest portions of the beast (shoulders and butts) want to reach an internal temp of 160* minimum to be done. Usually I will throw some butts on as well and use this under the rib cage to make that part of the pig cook slower since it will be done first. Please keep me posted. my first whole hog was a disaster but, a true learning experience.
 
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As far as the wood is concerned, it's personal preference. I'm not a big fan of Oak as
it can be very strong, especially on a long smoke like a whole pig will need.
Unless you like the Oak. Personally I'd go with the milder Pecan and any kind of
fruit wood you can find. Do they have any Orange tree wood in Florida?
Apple wood, Cherry wood, Peach wood, any kind of fruit wood will do great.
 
If he wants to pull the meat then he should keep track of the hams and shoulders. They need to get to around 200* If he wants to carve the hams then I'd take them to 170* or so.
 
The time can depend a lot on the smoker too, if it uses direct or indirect heat, wood or propane. whether the pig is whole or butterflied (butterflied cooks faster).
You can lay bacon over the back loin section to keep moist, also cover the ribs, ears etc. with foil if they are cooking too fast.
I like to inject both the shoulders and hams, also like to rub the whole hog with oil and seasonings whether it's skin on or peeled. Marinading overnight is good too if you have a container large enough.
Allow for extra time and let the pig sit for at least 30 minutes before digging into. Lets the juice equalize back into the meat. just like resting a roast.
Good luck with it! :-D
 
It's really not a whole lot different time and temperature wise, than cooking a large pork shoulder. If you want to pull everything, take it to 195 - 200 in the shoulder. If you're slicing the ham and shoulder, I would take it to about 180. This gets everything else, loins, rib meat, etc., up to pulling temperature anyway.

If it's an offset cooker, put the pig in nose to the fire. Foil the nose and ears and put a stick in it's mouth to wedge the jaws open. This way, you can stick an apple in there when it's done. Also, get yourself some nice green leaf lettuce or kale and some fruits and vegetables to decorate the platter around the pig. (I also use Mardi Gras beads and sunglasses, but I'm a little crazy too!) You'll get more OOOOHs and AAAAAHs that way.
 
> Marinading overnight is good too if you have a container large enough.

Thinking to myself: how many 170lb men could you marinade IF you had
such a container (large enough to marinade a 200lb hog)?

RUN GUYS, R U N !!!!
 
Lake Dogs said:
> Marinading overnight is good too if you have a container large enough.

Thinking to myself: how many 170lb men could you marinade IF you had
such a container (large enough to marinade a 200lb hog)?

RUN GUYS, R U N !!!!
Click to expand...

LOL I have a hot tub for that! :p:becky:
 
Thanks everyone for your help. I gave her all the info and wished her the best. I wish I could be there to help her, but I'm working on Christmas and will miss out on this adventure. I will let you all know how they do.
 
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i rub and inject mine with butter and spices, then just throw it on the stickburner and add wood every couple hrs till i can pull the legs offm my whole hog count is up to 8 now, they have all turned out good my last hog was 220lbs hanging weight, and was a 15 hr cook @225 pit temp
 
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