Welll, I got this hog back in November, he been living in the chest freezer waiting for my mortgage burnin party. Wellll with family BS, it never happened. So I kept starting to plan for him to "come out", but something always came up. So I figured this weekend we got a night race...and it's "get your stripes" Darlington, let do this! So Saturday I'm smokin him, a briskit, some chix thighs, some ABT's, sweet tater salad and a pulled pork Wellington! Also gonna bake Italian and Pumpernickel rolls and a couple strawberry cream cheese braids. Also gots some Mediterranean veggies and garlic mashed. Chit, I'm tired just typing it!
Anyway, back to the piggie. This is at a friends hut camp, he has his own butcher to clean the game. Here he is just starting getting cleaned up. The butcher (that's what they call him) has just cut his ears off. He says it makes it easier to skin um. He also skins them head up, says they skin easier. I'm used to hanging them tail high.
He cuts 3 or 4" strips in the skin down the length of the piggie then peels it. Different than I knew but it works!
Here he is flipped, tail end up and bout ready for the ice cooler. I packed him in ice and a box of rock salt for the ride home. He dressed out at 63lbs (deheaded, skinned and gutted), so I figure he was bout 120lb.
Fast forward to Tuesday. He found himself (frozen solid) a nice Lexan swimmin pool filled with ice, water, two pounds of Pork Brine and a weeee bit of white whine. Holding at about 35-36°F. Yes that is a brick in a baggie to help hold him down!
On Friday I'll add one more pound of Pork Brine. Be gettin him out the pool weee dark early Saturday Mornin for a date with Royal Oak and tangerine!
While the piggie was swimmin I baked a few things, Italian rolls.
Pumpernickel rolls.
Now we're defrosted and getting drained, almost ready for rub!
I rubbed him with a mixture of MHGP, B N Cs, and my rub.
Since he didn't have no skin, I slathered him thick with Zatarians Creole Mustard for flavor and to help keep him moist! And in the smoker he goes!
I started him at 250° and ramped the temp up slowly to 300-325°. The brisket was finished right about the same time, just before race time! Total about 9 hours to 170° shoulder and ham.
This is what's left of the blueberry cheese braid I baked, the strawberry one disappeared. Actually, I hid the blueberry.
Now this cook was for a race party and I have a big screen projector set up in the back yard. I had this planned out so's I had time to photo everything at serving........ Turned on the projector and all I had was wavy lines, so the cook became the tech instead of the photographer. To no avail, the tuner on the VCR I used was bad. No pics of Dutches Wicked Beans (tamed), sweet potato salad, and a dozen chicken thighs (brined and Agave necter rubbed). Sorry bout that!
Everything was excellent, everyone took home doggie bags.
The pig was awesome, great flavor and very moist! The sweet potato salad was really a hit, I had to print recipes for all the Buds wives.
