locosmoke
Knows what a fatty is.
ok so here it is the new shirley is almost done!!!! Planning a break in party thinking of whole hog. Question one how many lbs. pig per person? Any tips on cooking racer style.
planning a pig roast. HELP!
- Thread starter locosmoke
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SmoothBoarBBQ
is Blowin Smoke!
The rule tends to be 1 Lb pre-cooked per person... should give everybody enough meat for a sandwich.
I certainly wouldn't do a whole hog as a first cook on any new piece of equipment though.. are you already very familiar with the particular cooker that you've ordered from Shirley? Offsets all run a bit differently and last thing you want to do is ruin an expensive pig while you're learning the pit.
Good luck and you have much bigger balls than I.
I certainly wouldn't do a whole hog as a first cook on any new piece of equipment though.. are you already very familiar with the particular cooker that you've ordered from Shirley? Offsets all run a bit differently and last thing you want to do is ruin an expensive pig while you're learning the pit.
Good luck and you have much bigger balls than I.
bschoen
Babbling Farker
Careful! There is a thread in the Woodpile that could get someone hurt with that kind of assertion. :laugh:
I just did one for my 40th and had to rent a smoker as I don’t own one big enough. While everything turned out great, my biggest struggle was learning the smoker on the fly. If you have time, I recommend using your new smoker a few times to get the hang of it.
As far as process, I cooked a 90lb heritage pig that I butterflied. Started belly down for about 4 hours to crisp the skin and let some grease drain out and then flipped and finished belly up as my plan was to pull it all and have people serve themselves it of the belly. We fed about 75 adults and had plenty of leftovers.
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As far as process, I cooked a 90lb heritage pig that I butterflied. Started belly down for about 4 hours to crisp the skin and let some grease drain out and then flipped and finished belly up as my plan was to pull it all and have people serve themselves it of the belly. We fed about 75 adults and had plenty of leftovers.
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Last edited:
Shagdog
Quintessential Chatty Farker
I estimate at 1lb raw per person and always end up with lots of leftovers. 80 people = 80lb hog. Especially with sides, this is usually plenty.
As to cooking racer, I like to put 2-3 cabbages in the cavity near the rear of the pig. It will protct the loins, and help the pig keep a nice shape (so he doesn't cave in in the middle) Props to GTR and DwFisk for that trick. I recommend injecting it heavily, and put something in his mouth to hold it open if you plan on putting an apple there when he's done.
Here's my first hog on my shirley -
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=232562
As to cooking racer, I like to put 2-3 cabbages in the cavity near the rear of the pig. It will protct the loins, and help the pig keep a nice shape (so he doesn't cave in in the middle) Props to GTR and DwFisk for that trick. I recommend injecting it heavily, and put something in his mouth to hold it open if you plan on putting an apple there when he's done.
Here's my first hog on my shirley -
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=232562
CT-Mike
is one Smokin' Farker
I recently cooked a 105# hog in NC on Ol’ Mortimer at a BGE get together. It was butterflied but I cooked it cavity up to hold the moisture in. I propped a firewood split on the outside of each rib cage to help maintain a bowl shape to hold moisture. It was injected heavily and many of those NC boys said it was the best whole hog they ever tasted. I took that as high praise.
mowin
Full Fledged Farker
I only had one test cook on my offset before doing a 90# hog. Mine was butterflied, and the entire cook was belly down. Came out fantastic.
locosmoke
Knows what a fatty is.
thank y'all for advice will let y'all know outcome should be june 23rd
locosmoke
Knows what a fatty is.
what injection are people using for whole hog?
93_confirmed
Take a breath!
If I can give one piece of advise that I learned the hard way - overestimate how much time you think the cook will take. There's no way to speed up the hog in a pinch but you can always reheat what's already pulled/sliced if need be.
Chris Lily's injection (but using only 1/2 the salt called for) is very popular and for good reason. But - I've been using Sweet Brine O'Mine and that stuff is fantastic. I ate some 'cue from the guy who makes it at a contest a while back and figured whatever he did would be the right thing to do, 'cause they were putting out some absolutely righteous eats.
It is by no means necessary to inject, but I'd say if you have a chance to get a little more flavor in there, then may as well do it. All of it's good! I'll inject a pig anywhere from 2-10 hours before cooking.
Just do it! I love doing new things for large groups of people. My first whole hog last October I cooked with a few buddies who hadn't done it either....and it was to serve a few hundred people to raise money for a kids charity so........what could possibly go wrong?? Rolled out my Shirley and tossed it on and 10hrs later it was ready to go.
Not to downplay cooking a whole hog, but it was the normal "cook it until it is done". Threw it on, cooked until probe tender. At no point did I feel like it was complicated. That being said I know things can always improve, but just saying get out there and do it! Pretty much treated it like a large hunk of meat and then pulled/chopped it all up at the end. Best pulled pork I've had.
We did inject with a lily'esq injection on a 90'ish hog.
Not to downplay cooking a whole hog, but it was the normal "cook it until it is done". Threw it on, cooked until probe tender. At no point did I feel like it was complicated. That being said I know things can always improve, but just saying get out there and do it! Pretty much treated it like a large hunk of meat and then pulled/chopped it all up at the end. Best pulled pork I've had.
We did inject with a lily'esq injection on a 90'ish hog.
^^^yup. seems to me what it's kinda really about is tending a fire. the hog will basically fall in place if you keep the fire good - don't let the fire go out and don't let the pig catch on fire, as they say.
locosmoke
Knows what a fatty is.
thanks for tips and encouragement! I think I'm gonna try the sweet brine o mine
