Question about keeping a whole hog cold before cook

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PapaFat

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How do you keep your whole hog cold between pickup and cooking? What about you guys who travel to comps to do whole hog?
 
Depends how big it is. I've wrapped big ones in tarp/ plastic and ice on the garage floor over a drain before. (with ice in the belly cavity too). Smaller ones I have used a clean/new small cattle water tank with lots o' ice.
 
I cooked a 125 pounder dead and cleaned weight. I kept it cool in a large cooler filled with ice.
 
I usually schedule pick-up from my butcher just hours before I start the cook. If I have a long distance to travel before I start the cooker then i pack the cavity with full bags of ice until I get the cooker up to temperature.

But the other have some good ideas as well.
 
I use a marine cooler for hogs up to 125 pounds. I also picked up a scrap freezer from local appliance store, removed motor and compressor and use it like a rage cooler. It is insulated and you can keep one for day's with 40 pounds of ice
 
Last hog I did was about 185#. I packed the cavity with 5 bags of ice, left it wrapped in the plastic bag it came in, then double wrapped it with moving blankets. It sat on my garage floor for about 12 hours (which has no climate control or insulation) and it was still super chilled when I opened it up. That was in July, in Michigan (hot and humid).

Good luck and have fun.
 
I agree...if it's small enough, a large marine cooler and pack it with ice. If it's to big, lay it on it's back, cut the plastic bag open and load it with ice...in the cavity and around the outside. Wrap in a tarp and any old blankets you have. It will be fine for at least 12 hours this way.

One thing I will add though, make sure you take the pig out of the ice 2 or 3 hours ahead of the time you want to start cooking. Going right from the ice to the cooker will add a significant amount of time to your cook.
 
I have used a bathtub (yes I was single) Put it in, I ce it down cover with Plastic then blankets. I have also used the back of my pick up, lay out some plastic sheeting, put the hog on top, put bags of ice in the cavity, and a few bags on the outside, fold the plastic up and cover with blankest or moving van blankets.
 
Thanks for your replies everyone! I like the idea of using a broken chest freezer packed with ice. I'm thinking about ways to keep a large hog cool en route to a competition and have some good ideas now.
 
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